How to become the next Mr Beast with your own channel.
A YouTube employee shares insight about why videos go viral.
Colin and Samir is a popular YouTube channel run by Colin Rosenblum and Samir Chaudry, two creators based in downtown Los Angeles. They are known for their videos covering a vast array of topics around the creator industry, as well as interviewing plenty of the biggest names on YouTube.
In an interview with Kevin Allocca, the global head of culture and trends at YouTube, the interviewers delve into various aspects of content creation and consumption on the platform. They discuss the role of AI and its impact on creators, the importance of personalization and diverse perspectives, and the different layers of fandom that drive engagement on the platform. They also touch on the rise of virtual learning in humans and multi-language content and the potential benefits and challenges they pose for the future of YouTube. Overall, Allocca emphasizes the value of unique perspectives and creativity in standing out on the
00:00:00 In this section, the hosts introduce Kevin Allocca, the global head of culture and trends at YouTube. Allocca's team at YouTube compiles the YouTube Culture and Trends report which details the top trends from the past year on the platform. The hosts express their excitement to interview Allocca, whom they describe as YouTube's in-house reference librarian meets Social Anthropologist. Allocca explains that his team's work revolves around trying to understand what is happening on the platform and what is driving its popular culture because YouTube does not necessarily control it in the same way as traditional media platforms.
00:05:00 In this section, a YouTube employee shares an anecdote about a channel with elevator videos. She explains that the channel had a massive audience, with many viewers who are on the autism spectrum. The audience was drawn to the experience of sight, sound, and motion, which is particularly appealing to people with autism, and discovering that others shared their interest in elevators created a community. The employee argues that YouTube does not make value judgments about what people watch and that there has been a history of dismissing content that is not immediately understandable or popular. She cites ASMR and lawnmower videos as examples of content that were initially dismissed as "weird", but are now very popular. The employee also discusses the role of generative AI in enhancing content and how creators are experimenting with it.
00:10:00 In this section, an employee from YouTube discusses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in video production. The employee explains that AI has become a collaborator for YouTube creators, helping them to create more complex content faster and at higher resolution. This boosts how people can express themselves. The employee envisions a future of conversation content that exists as conversation, and content that is more iterative, meaning everything builds on each other. With AI being used for animation, the employee also suggests that more scripted content could emerge on YouTube. However, the employee notes that great storytelling is still necessary for scripted content to flourish on the platform.
00:15:00 In this section, the conversation delves into the rise of AI and its potential impact on content creation. With YouTube being the biggest video library of creators, there is a lot of input that creators could animate or bring to life in different ways with AI. However, if everybody can do everything, the question that arises is what differentiates and what breaks through. The answer is unique perspectives, creative ideas, and individualism. AI is also seen to be unlocking fan communities uniquely, making fan fiction and fan conversation much more mainstream than it ever has been because of the tools available.
00:20:00 In this section, the interviewee discusses the phenomenon of using synthesized human voices to create parodies of political figures and how it has led to a concern about determining what content has been altered by AI. The interviewee believes that YouTube will have to act as an "Arbiter of Truth" to differentiate between AI-generated and non-AI-generated content. The rise of tubers or virtual humans on YouTube is also discussed, and the interviewer questions why people are interested in them. The interviewee states that viewers are drawn to these virtual humans for the same reasons that viewers enjoy watching animated and fictional characters and believes that virtual humans offer a platform for creators who may not want to be on camera or want to express themselves differently than how they appear physically.
00:25:00 In this section of the transcript, the interviewee discusses the potential future of virtual creators using AI and generative AI. This technology could lead to a scalable human that can create content for brands for hundreds of years. This could become normalized, and audiences may not even fully realize how much AI-generated content they are consuming. The use of multi-language audio is another significant change to YouTube and media, connecting humans in a way that has not been made before. It allows creators to reach a broader audience, and while it is still early days, it is a significant development that could change the platform going forward.
00:30:00 In this section, a YouTube employee discusses the potential impact of global accessibility on the platform. While it is exciting to consider the potential for videos to be available in multiple languages and reach a global audience, cultural differences and the importance of diverse perspectives should not be diminished. However, the potential for empathy and the importation of other cultures to the US has already begun to impact the entertainment industry, and it is interesting to consider what this could mean for the future of global creators on YouTube. The prevalence of captions and subtitles also reveals that consumers are already primed for an experience that is text-based or audio-based, potentially unlocking even more possibilities for global accessibility.
00:35:00 In this section, a YouTube employee discusses the loss of monoculture and the rise of personalization in today's media landscape. With the ability to personalize experiences online and the increasing availability of the internet worldwide, language barriers are becoming less of an obstacle. As subcultures unite across language barriers, it creates a more interesting and unique application of the internet. The employee also states that creating a singular view of popular culture is no longer a realistic goal, as everyone's YouTube experience is vastly different, due to diversity and regional differences in content. Even though there were attempts to do this with YouTube Rewind, it ultimately failed because nobody could identify everyone in the video due to a lack of familiarity with creators from other regions.
00:40:00 In this section, the YouTube employee discusses the shift in how people consume and engage with content and how it's become more personalized. They note that over half of Gen Z watches content that no one they know personally is interested in, which is confounding for creators whose job it is to reach large audiences. The rise of personalization comes with different platforms, formats, and algorithms and has accelerated with everyone becoming a creator. Personalization allows people to experience the same content in different ways, and people may be more interested in watching a creator talk about an event than the event itself. People have their news anchors, and they prefer to watch content that is contextualized for them.
00:45:00 In this section, the interviewee discusses the different layers of fandom within their community. They mention an iceberg meme that shows the various levels of interest and passion that fans can have, ranging from surface-level engagement to becoming an active participant, having influence in the fan community, and even earning a living as a professional fan. They note that being a fan is about being passionate, and this passion is what ultimately drives the culture on YouTube. They also mention that fans can take creator content and iterate on it, which is key in making content go viral. Overall, the interview highlights the importance of understanding the various layers of fandom and how they can drive views and engagement on YouTube.
00:50:00 In this section, the YouTube employee discusses the example of a moment from Amelia Dimoldenberg's show that turned into a viral phenomenon and went in different directions. He talks about how people experience moments differently, and how personalization works through technology. He notes that people want to watch events with creators and have their personalized version of the content. While there may be some anxiety about the future, he is optimistic that human creativity and insight is the differentiator, and it is the unique point of view that matters.
00:55:00 In this section, the YouTube employee discusses the potential benefits of new technology and tools for creators, including the emergence of virtual humans and AI that are lowering the barrier to entry for some people while enhancing creativity for others. The concept of personalization is also discussed, suggesting that creators can build a tight-knit core community that carries a lot of value without needing to achieve extremely high viewership levels. By allowing people to participate in the conversation and creating their own culture and subculture, creators can compete with themselves rather than everyone else making similar types of content. Resources for learning more about these trends are also provided, including the YouTube Trends channel.
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Nugget of the week:
The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot.
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Millionaire Mindset