Why is it okay for people to think big in all industries except YouTube?
There is one other industry where this viewpoint is prevalent - self published and aspiring authors.
I did an Assoc. Diploma in Creative Writing a while back. Exactly the same attitudes. Writing is only meant to be the highest form of human expression, all writers should be literary writers, read and talk about "high literature" and other crap like that.
I did an analysis of "Twilight" one year. i was blasted by the feminists in the class (it was 95% girls and women). How can you support this trash that Bella did this and sacrificed that for Edward, etc.For another subject I did "50 shades" analysis. Even worse reaction. I thought one was going to scratch me the way she was glaring.
God have mercy when I mentioned I wanted to self publish on Amazon KDP. Pursuit of profit in ebooks is looked down upon by the "literary elite" (who in the most part have a hard time paying the rent). The "traditional" route was write literary fiction and submit to dozens of publications, then write a reflective literary novel, that if it got published 5 years down the track, you'd be lucky to sell 50 copies. All the while romance shorts authors are making $20k-$100k/month (in the top tiers).
I loved the technical aspects of the course, but hated the culture and mindset.
I find Youtube very similar. It's supposed to be some altruistic high art pursuit. I don't usually swear but f**k that.
If you want to be big, be big.
If you want to go viral and blow up, blow up.
If you want to make $1million, do it.
And be proud when you have done it.
Don't matter what anyone thinks.