Jackasses making millions on YouTube for their "job", how do you feel about it?

Teenagers making millions just from recording themselves playing video games and trash talking other YouTubers, people just "reacting" to videos and shilling Nord VPN every single video making millions every year, it feels so strange to me. And then there's millions of YouTubers who wish they could become popular and wealthy, pumping out daily videos that no one watches. And there must be plenty of people hustling on YouTube who are coming away with an average income of like 60k a year or so.

Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me. But really it seems wild to me that there are teenagers out there making millions doing something that they would probably be happy to do for free anyway.

Maybe relevant, but many years ago I did upload a video to YouTube, a recording of an amateur skit at a local convention, which got about 250,000 views and was offered monetisation by YouTube. I accepted it because why not, but I didn't really get many more views after that so never made money. And I didn't have any more content to upload, it was just a random thing I recorded and uploaded, roughly edited with Windows Movie Maker. I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing.

Comments

      • I know, but they're more numerous at this point than true A list celebrities. Besides, that's what OP was asking about and they're just adding more [profanity] to the already steaming mountain.

  • Do people really make lots of money from reaction videos? They seem so easy to make - maybe I'll try doing it

    • Some of them are literally millionaires from it. Websites like https://socialblade.com/ estimate the earnings YouTubers make from ads alone based on views, but YouTubers can make more money than that from shilling products. Some YouTubers are good at hiding their wealth and their videos appear much the same as they do when they started off, which is probably a good strategy. But for others flaunting their wealth just makes them even more popular.

      • I've actually been enjoying reactions like this lately https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOp90cqvlcU&ab_channel=HeyLo…

        How much would this guy get for a video like that do you estimate?

        • He seems to be a relatively new YouTubers, his subscriber numbers have been growing a lot in the last month and sit around 12,000 right now, up from 1,000 a few days ago (https://socialblade.com/youtube/c/heylooksquirreldownunder)

          Social Blade seems to indicate he's making between $2-$20 per video when he was at 1k subscribers yesterday, but if he's subscriber and view count keeps growing at this rate then that will change very quickly. It looks like something has happened in the last day to balloon his popularity, which is probably why you've heard of him ("the algorithm").

          If his popularity keeps growing he might be offered or seek out sponsorships.

      • It’s not a very useful tool. I put in RandomGaminginHD as an example and the estimated earnings is from $7.2k to $114.6k annually. That’s a huge margin of error. It could be a hobby that earns a nice bit on the side or a well payed career

        • There's other sites that estimate earnings, I don't really know how reliable any of them are.

          • @AustriaBargain: I doubt theres any site that can accurately estimate it. The site probably works by looking at admitted earnings and corresponding views. There’s a wide spread of earnings which depends on how long the video is, user engagement and I believe the category pays differently too.
            Few would actually publish earnings for even one of their videos which explains the enormous margin of error

  • "how do you feel about it?"

    The word cbf came to my mind but I do understand where OP's coming from.

  • +1

    Hard to believe it but they are providing entertainment. The real rort is how much google and other middle man platforms are running away with.

  • How do I feel about it?

    Dumb sheeple will always follow jackasses on social media like Tik Fok and Instashame.

    It’s the way of humanity

  • Haters gonna hate

  • sounds like someone is salty and sour. Calling them jackasses in the title. Hmm..

  • You jealous?

    • +1

      Yeah he's jelly

  • I dont understand how its different to TV stars making bank. Plenty of talentless hacks there too.

  • +1

    For all those successful youtubers out there, there are x1000 unsuccessful ones. Same like sports or any art related profession. Good on them for being able to market and sell themselves and make millions, i wish i was that smart.

    • +1

      Probably more like 1 million X, I'm guessing most people lose money, but there's the 0.01% that make an absolute mint

  • -1

    Youtubers, social media 'influenzas' and twitch streamers are the scum of humanity, useless eaters who contribute nothing of value for society, yet our economic system rewards them with mansions, yachts and sports cars. How does somebody playing video games all day improve the lives of their fellow citizens?

    uBlock interdicts the advertisements that feed the avarice of social media stars.

  • +1

    who cares really. If someone is dumb enough to pay these idiots why should I care? plenty of people make millions that don't really deserve it. But it isn't my problem and you have issues if you are being offended by someone elses success.

  • This is the main thing holding you back:

    "I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing."

    And this too:

    "I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me"


    Such is life.

    There's actually a lot of effort people need to do to pump out the content that they provide to make those gains. They're not doing 35 hour weeks.

    Personally I do have some regrets pursuing an academic career. I had an offer to model when I was in HS but my parents were adamant for me to finish HS.

    Though it doesn't always work out:

    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/woman-debt-instagra…

  • +1

    Let them be. Some of them are entertaining, many aren't and most fail to get any worthwhile return from their effort. The YouTube millionaires you see are just the ones that have managed to appeal to the widest audience. The widest audience unfortunately isn't the most educated. Google "laws of human stupidity" and see law #1. That will answer your question as to why these people are so popular.

    If you think YouTubers are jackasses you should check out Tiktok. YouTubers create high art compared to the mind numbing, absurd stuff on there.

  • If it's so easy, make them yourself.

  • +3

    Mr Beast is very successful while being fugly and annoying, you just have to work at it.

    • Only found him a year ago, hold FK is he young

      I thought he was a youthful early 30s

      He's friggin 24

      All the power to him, he provides great entertainment

      • For certain segments of the population.

  • Who cares? It's not like it's going to last for most of them. Someone else will upend them. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

  • +1

    I know I wish I was handsome and beautiful too.

  • Damn, what's wrong with my generation then? Can't you be happy for these nobody's who make millions?

    Sorry, there is quite a bit wrong with my generation actually.

  • -1

    There's tonnes of interesting stuff people haven't done on YT and you can do it:
    1) A Shark Tank/Dragons Den-like show where you and another 4 investors are pitched business ideas from 3rd world countries and decide if you want to invest. It would be cheap to do because the investment might only be $100 for 20% of a street-vending business or something similar.
    2) Are you ugly, old and angry at the world? Complaining on YouTube is the current thing so get your ugliest face and most hypocritical personality traits and start complaining. Your 1st episode can be about teens making millions.
    3) Porn-club: Much like a book club, you can host a weekly porn-club for mature audiences where you discuss this weeks hits & flops in the pornography scene. It's a high-class event though and ABC had a show similar to this called the 'First Tuesday Porno Club'
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fAvRMPNSuw

  • +1

    I agree with you about react content. They are a cancer that leeches off of the hard work of others.

  • If they are making money, they are providing some sort of value. To provide value, they must have some skills. The minimum skills are: good command of language and the putting themselves out in the public with no fear. A lot of people lack these two skills. ( that includes me too) Try making a video.

  • Every single famous YouTuber earned their money - a lot of luck, but still earned.

    Think about all the unknown people who are born much wealthier than you will ever be, never have to worry about money, and never did anything to deserve it. Of course many go on to do good in the world and earn it in retrospect.

    Why are you focusing on the town jester, the clowns aren't the ones with power.

    And I didn't have any more content to upload, it was just a random thing I recorded and uploaded, roughly edited with Windows Movie Maker. I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing.

    It sounds like you regret your own missed opportunity. You had shot at real success, if you kept working at it you could have learned as you go, building a successful channel.

    YouTube is commercialised now, your same effort would never have got so many views today.

  • I got very angry knowing people earn millions by just playing video games. I was in the process of ranting about it on Oz bargain but then my 15 mins lunch break was over so I had to go back to my minimum wage job. I'm very jealous and salty. Bye

    • -2

      Lachlan, an Australian teen, got paid over 10 million dollars just for agreeing to not upload videos of him playing video games to anywhere else but YouTube, on top of what he was already earning for doing that.

      • Bro you just made my life more miserable. Thanks

        • -2

          The best part is he isn't even very good at games, he is just entertaining to kids. He usually doesn't even qualify when entering competitions.

          • +1

            @AustriaBargain: The Wiggles made millions just singing and dancing…

            • +3

              @2025: It's worse than that… all Geoff did was SLEEP!

  • +2

    plenty of d!psh!t idiots in the corporate world gets pay heaps just for showing up as well, at least these youtubers/gamers would provide entertainment to some people and are not hurting anyone (maybe except OP's ego), those r-tards and f-wits in the corporate world would only ever act as road blocks or create messes for others to clean up………..

    but anyway, celebrities has been around since probably the beginning of society, in the past they might be speaking at town sqaures or hanging out in ball rooms, it is just that these days they hang out in various social media platforms, and has a much bigger reach/influence.

  • +1

    Stupidity is rewarded in all aspects of life unfortunately.

    • -1

      If that were the case you'd be a millionaire.

    • This statement must be false. I don't know any rich vegans.

  • Woe is you

  • Have you switched on the television lately? Plenty of jackasses there as well.

  • +4

    I'm a YTer with 1mil+ subs and I will say that it's much much much more work than people realise. For the first 2-3 years of creating content I made barely any money. There is no job security and if you don't work hard, there's nothing to blame except yourself.

    To be a successful creator you need to provide value - whether that's in the form of entertainment/education or making people feel something.
    And then if you want to make it sustainable you need to build a business around that, which again provides some form of positive value for the end user.

    If you think a teenager just whacking up videos of them playing games is going to instantly make them millions, then you don't understand how it all works. The creators who have a large following are there because they are engaging and provide the audience with what they're looking for (value). YT will not promote a shit video, if people are not interested in it and click away then it will eventually die and fall into the abyss of the algorithm. YT is doing everything it can to gain as much watch time on their platform - so eventually the good content surfaces to the top. It's not as easy as it looks….

    • +1

      I love seeing channels from OzBangers, would you care to share yours, even in messaging if you don't want to publicise it?

      Do you now, with 1mil subs, happy with your financial rewards?

      • I have 2 mil subs and I can tell you that I'm not happy with my financial rewards.

    • lol

  • Don't hate the player. Hate the game.

  • +2

    Obviously they know how to market themselves. If it was easy we'd all do it.

    A kid in my son's year (year 10) at school is apparently making over 5k a month on YouTube doing gaming stuff. Good on him.

  • 21st century is not about hard working, but smart working

  • +1

    A few blow up and go viral. A few more make pocket change. Everyone else grinds and hopes it'll be them. Same as rock stars, movie stars, sports stars. Just a different area of activity.

  • Never pull someone else down for doing well. Always seek to elevate yourself so you can do as well as them.
    The percentage of kids making big $ on the things you described is actually very very small compared to how many people are doing it and making nothing. There’s always been that couple of percent in life that make money the rest can’t.

  • If you can't beat em, join em. Jeez get with the times - people post crap and get paid for it.
    Sex and stupidity sells - you don't have to be an ugly fat lazy executive to make money these days.
    I wish I had started being an influencer back in dial-up days, but it probably wasnt a thing then.
    I'm good looking.. Your post has inspired me…

  • If it makes you feel any better, these kids will eventually grow into miserable or seriously damaged adults with no hope in life. Even if they're smart with their money and go on to stay rich in adulthood, they're going to live out their days abusing drugs, sex, and alcohol just like their Hollywood fellows.

    The girls will eventually graduate to OnlyFans, only to regret it when they can't get a serious relationship later in life. The boys will probably down the route of McCauley Caulkin and become weird cultural shadows with a history of drug abuse.

    Fame and fortune from a young age almost never works out well.

    • L

    • If it makes you feel any better, these kids will eventually grow into miserable or seriously damaged adults with no hope in life

      How old were you when you made your first million on YouTube?

  • +5

    11k+ comments
    Use your free time better

    • -1

      Some people are miserable or seriously damaged adults who only have contact through forums and social media. The 11k posts says it’s all.

  • You need to think of YouTube and this era of people making dumb, viral content as basically the next-generation channel-10's, channel-9's At the end of the day, the shift has now moved from TV to the PC where advertisers need to capture that market of. People just don't watch TV like they did when I grew up. No content is exclusive anymore. Even TV shows and movies have a hard time to capture the amount of audience some of these youtube videos brings in. I just think we are just going through a different shift. People don't spend half an hour to sit down to watch an episode of something anymore, they'll even fast forward and skip things as fast as possible, it's a generation of instant gratification as well.

    There is absolutely nothing stopping you from doing the same if you are thick skinned enough. Look at MKBHD, his first video, and progressively through the years, he was a kid, and the good thing for him is he had nothing to lose, but he continued to improve. Same deal for MrBeast, that guys a genius, no matter how repetitive his content is, but he has a worked out formula of videos to make to bring the audiences in.

    Life is never fair, but you need to think about how much fairer it is for you compared to someone else. If you have a house over your head, a job, food and some money, the limit is yourself. If you suddenly woke up tomorrow and thought, you know what I'm going to embrace this youtube thing, and make dumb, viral videos, and make one every day, and keep uploading until I build up enough subscribers.

  • Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive or charismatic enough for it to be me.

    This is the last criteria, if it's on the list all, lol.

    When I started using youtube there were no ads. So I make sure there are still no ads by installing "youtube ad blocker" extensions in my internet browsers. (So they're not making any money out of me.)

    • and you're proud of that because????

      • Because: yes.

  • Not going to lie, when that Twitch report came out a while ago, I did get a bit envious at what even certain smaller streamers were earning. It is what it is however. Like a lot of people I find that there's really no point dwelling on others when there's so much that I can personally improve about myself.

    • I downloaded that report…

      I wasn't surprised, and Im not envious.

      I wouldn't take on a twitch career without a strong belief I'm earning at least 200k a year with a lot of growth a head

      This is not something sustainable for over 90% of those streamers

      Because I currently watch streamers, and I like looking at stats. I noticed a lot of the top 100 are no longer top streamers

      Its so easy to drop out into oblivion

      • The top 100 or even 1000 streamers are basicaly unicorns. I was more looking all the way down that list where what I would describe as much more casual streamers were raking in quite respectable figures (e.g. another min wage job). Nothing huge but nothing to sniff at either. Not bad for streaming a few sessions every week. But yeah, longevity and lack of stableness would be a serious concern.

  • I'm very OK with it. You are just jealous.

    Marketing has changed. There are plenty of middle aged and older jackasses making a killing on youtube. I'm interested myself, but I already make a killing elsewhere online. Maybe you should consider getting into it as a sideline. I watch more youtube than any other video source, I'm sure many others are the same.

  • A teacher once told me that all kids used to want be radio hosts and then singers in bands and then tv hosts and now youtubers. They just look at who earns money with skills they already have and want fame and fortune. They think it's as easy as just "talking".

  • I #like what you are saying. I doubt OzB is paying you for this, even if you would do it for free. If only you had a digital platform in which I could #subscribe to your opinions and be #notified when you have more commentary.

  • Either use the info you have gathered to your advantage or ignore it.
    Don't bitch about it.

  • that yr jealous

  • +1

    Some of the best videos on YouTube are from "not attractive or charismatic enough" people.

    I guess I had zero motivation or desire to get into that kind of thing.

    Ah, there it is.

    • Can you please link to one that you appreiciate?
      I can agree somewhat as to the ugly ones, but I think what they are well-spoken at the minimum.

      • +1

        Brave Dave's big fat freight hop is a good one

        Geowizard also has some great content

      • Well spoken for the most part for many is just being prepared. I get complemented for my presentations as a speaker when I have to run various workshops or present to a group but I actually completely utterly suck as a presenter even on topics I know inside and out as I get flustered, forgetful and make a huge mess of it because it terrifies me and makes me incredibly uncomfortable to do. so I prepare by writing detailed presentation notes sometimes right down to word for word for anything longer than 30 mins. Then the only skill you need is to be able to read fast and make sure the notes are not too obvious.

  • +2

    From the content posted by these YouTube TikTok twits you can safely assume the people that love and follow them have serious mental health issues that require hospitalisation.

    They are to be pitied, poor pathetic souls……….

  • Can someone TLDR this rant please?
    OP rant is painful to read.

    • TLDR: OP is ugly

    • -2

      The Flesch Kincaid readability score is 12 on my post, which suggests you'd need to be at least a 12th grader to read it easily. Apparently 7th grade is a good target to have text easily readable to as many people as possible, for websites anyway.

      The Gunning Fog score is 14, which means 14 years of formal education in order to comprehend the text on the first reading. I guess I should practice using shorter words with fewer syllables and shorter sentences.

      • +6

        I've got a doctorate. The readability score isn't the issue. The content is garbage.

  • Only thing I dislike about content creators are when I see them a trash human beings. And I mean like when they evidently abuse young people for views with bait/hyper activity/sexually suggestive content mixed in. That shit really puts me off, regardless if I watch them or not.

    And as for such content… I really don't know how people put themselves through watching it. Oh wait it'a all kids. Lol.

  • The irony is by creating this forum thread the OP demonstrates himself as a low value garbage content creator, just one without the success he so dislikes.

  • If you're not 'attrative or charasmatic' enough for it then it's not for you is it?
    Find what's for you and ride it!
    Stop complaining, the issue is not with them, it's you.

  • Its simple entrepreneurship, providing entertainment for a new generation of viewer. I personally don't 'get' the entertainment in watching Twitch streamers though, I'd much rather just play the game.

    Also, I've been running a YouTube channel for over a year now in a somewhat-popular genre, but without spending any money on marketing or having a viral video it's really hard to get YouTube Adsense $ these days.

    PS: please chuck me a like =D

  • It's a harder job than you realise.

  • 'Rock stars' of the current age. Many thousands will try and only a few will get lucky.

    The rest will join us in the day to day grind.

  • +1

    What do actors do? The run around in dress-ups pretending to be other people for our entertainment. What do sports people do? The chase balls around big grassy areas, or hit them with sticks, or see who can travel a certain distance the fastest for our entertainment.

    I don't necessarily like new media, but on a completely pragmatic level it's no more stupid than old media.

  • +2

    LoL…you are having a go/jealous at teens who find better ways of making heaps more money than you? Good on em!

    I think you're the so called 'jackass'.

  • +1

    'Personally it grinds my gears, because I'm not attractive'

    next time around, suggest choose more attractive parents

    'Teenagers making millions just from recording themselves playing video games and trash talking'

    yair - like those bloody Hollywood actors, earning millions just from speaking in front of a camera

    one beautiful day we were sitting relaxing at Mrs Macquarie's Chair (Botanic Gardens facing Sydney Harbour next point from the Opera House) and while we were there for about an hour we saw a young couple, we guessed 'influencers' - busily moving from one spot to another, discussing how to, the girl posing arching her back against a tree, working hard to capture 'beautiful life' images - the incongruity was they were striding up and down, talking seriously and intently, without any sign of pleasure, seemingly stressing out working hard to make pictures to suggest a beautiful enjoyable relaxed life …

  • Have a sook, (profanity)

  • … was offered monetisation by YouTube. I accepted it because why not

    There you go, the answer lies within. Why not?

    They're on a device, may as well try and do something entertaining as that is the way the digital world is at the moment. Especially if they have a passion for it and entertaining others.

    I also don't understand watching other people play games either. My own kids do it, and I wonder why they are wasting what limited screen time I give them. I think it's because they just don't want to fail. I loved the feeling of finally completing a quest, level or boss fight. But these days, I guess they either think they are wasting time, retrying the same level over and over, or do they just don't like to fail and want to pass things on the first go.

  • +1

    I guess if you got the talent why not?

    Creative/Artistic/Musical people have often been screwed or shafted by big corporate companies for a long time and i know Youtube isnt 'loads' better but it has given a number of people a way to get there talent out in to the community cheaply.

    If anything im all for it, i mean look at mainstream entertainment Disney is more interested in diversity, toxic rainbow culture that 90% of the content they are putting out is utter garbage

    Hollywood is literally cancer and so messed up most level headed actors move away from LA these days.

    As for Youtubers themselves i find Movie/Video game reviewers who have no $$$ attachment to big companies are the more reliable sources of information. Will never forget Disney saying the Last Jedi was being hit by Trolls and almost every independent reviewer on youtube saying it was woke garbage….

    For me it is the last place you can get some semi-decent 'free speech' without the lunatic in the main stream media calling you a bigot, racist, or some other label crap without substance

    • +1

      Let's not forget that it takes these creators years to gain an audience. The average person would make and edit one or two videos and simply give up.

  • Soon everyone will be on yt, tiktok, trading shitcoins and jpegs to make their 'million'. No one will be capable of doing real jobs. Seeing some of that starting already, pretty much impossible to find workers these days.

  • This comment thread makes me happy. Good on everyone for being positive.

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