Creating a "Youtube Personality" VS being Genuine.

[Electricbrae]

Personality is arguably one of the biggest factors in gaining popularity and renown on youtube as a platform and becoming more than a youtuber...growing into a "INTERNET PERSONALITY/CELEBRITY!"

So in the wake of Pewdiepie's "False positivity" video and the fall out from that with other youtubers chiming in; I was curious about what people think of the idea of altering yourself for a video or even going as far as to create a different side of yourself while making videos in order to bring more people to your channel. Changing yourself to make your content more marketable.

Its pretty common in media to have an "On screen personality" while being completely different or just more subdued off camera. I don't doubt (and a few have even admitted to it) that a lot of the bigger youtubers do indeed do this. So is it a good idea to have an on screen you ready to role when you start a channel? Like a less extreme Fred! There is a negative side to this though, I haven't personally seen them but there must be channels out there where people be troll like or horrible to trigger people into writing criticisms and hate in the comments and in doing so get them more views.

I'm not hating on the idea! It can really work and make content super interesting (especially if you go down the route of going full character and mixing genres) I'm just curious of how many people have entertained the idea of doing such a thing to appeal to an audience. I know personally I rev up the ol' confidence meter before I sit and record anything. Anyways i'm interested in what people think of this idea or if anyone has any experience with a situation like this

 

[Crown]

Moved to the strategy / technique forum.

 

[adams eats]

I couldn't change my personality even if I wanted to, I'm not a good actor, plus I enjoy being me on camera.

 

[Envision Adventure]

I would never try to change my personality for my videos. I guess I could see why someone might want to. I want my viewers to get to know the real me, not some character I made up.

 

[PositivelyBrainwashed]

Most people have a wide range of personality depending on the situation. My personality around my parents, friends, at work, at a bar or club, around someone I'm dating is always a little different. So I find nothing wrong with someone behaving differently when they're making Youtube Videos. It wouldn't necessarily mean they're faking their personality, but just showing a different side to them.

 

[Yoursharkfriend]

My sister says I act or talk differently in my videos so either I'm not yet comfortable or I just have a different side when on camera which is totally normal. Everyone has their own personalities depending on who you are with. But making a completely separate personality for your videos is either a hit or miss. Personally I like people who are genuine and I wouldn't be anything else on youtube for myself.

 

[Blunt Brittany]

I would never pretend to be someone I'm not to get views or anything. I feel like I am very much myself on camera and if someone were to talk to me off camera I would pretty much act the same. I do follow a couple YouTubers who have like "characters" they pretend to be in certain videos but it is just for comedy which I feel like that is totally fine!

 

[wildlyboring]

I definitely have tried to "alter" my personality in the past, and I do feel like that's why I haven't ever been "successful." I've tried to have makeup/beauty/fashion channels in the past and just always felt like a fraud, putting on that sunshine-y, bubbly personality when in reality, I'm really not like that in everyday life. Also, I simply don't have the resources to make that type of channel a reality.

My current channel is a much more accurate representation of who I actually am, hence the name of it - my wildly boring life. I just want to vlog my life and not make things up or pretend or make it seem that I have more fun than I do. I want my videos to reflect who I am and what I actually do. Now, when it comes time to ACTUALLY filming the videos, if I'm upset or tired or whatever, then sure ... I'll put up a front in that regard because who wants to watch someone who looks and sounds miserable? Not me! I come to YouTube for entertainment. Occasionally, I think it's fine to rant or whatever, but to me, it's like how I behave at work. If I'm having a bad day, I'm not going to sit at my desk and pout or simmer in anger, I'm going to put on a happy face and get it done. It's not exactly the same when it comes to YouTube, since it's obviously a bit more personal than work, but similar enough for me to make that distinction. It's not necessarily about putting up a false positive personality, but rather finding the positive and the happy and the interesting parts of my days and choosing to showcase those moments. If that makes sense?

 

[darkstarmedia]

Honestly, I think the majority of YouTubers we see onscreen will be exaggerated to some extent. Even if it's only a nominal amount, but that's because we compare them at work to when they're chilling or caught unawares or not filming something planned - I think we'd all see a difference there!

I did start out pretty scripted and tried way too hard in my opinion to do the "YouTube voice" and keep the feel of my videos a very particular way, but I was never happy because of my own insecurities. My channel has actually done a lot better since I started relaxing and actually being more "myself", and I'm really comfortable with the way my videos are being produced now.

 

[ChrisLegend]

I use to try and amp myself up for my videos but found that it was unsustainable, especially on the days when I wasn't feeling super. So, nowadays I just go with how I'm vibing in the moment and it feels a lot better and the response has been better!