美国国家公共电台 NPR The Relentless Pace Of Satisfying Fans Is Burning Out Some YouTube Stars

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

This month on All Tech Considered, we examine the gap between how we portray¹ ourselves online and who we really are.

(SOUNDBITE OF ULRICH SCHNAUSS' "NOTHING HAPPENS IN JUNE")

KELLY: The story of Hollywood is rife² with stories of celebrities³ who broke down under pressure to perform and please their fans. Well, that is happening to some YouTube stars these days. As NPR's Laura Sydell reports, the pressure has reached new heights in the age of social media algorithms.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE⁴: Being a YouTube star sounds glamorous⁵ to a lot of young people - fame, money, fun.

ELLE MILLS: Being a YouTuber is, like, my childhood dream.

SYDELL: And at 20 years old, Elle Mills has achieved her dream. She has more than 1.3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel. Her 2 1/2- to 6-minute videos are characterized by a self-deprecating humor somewhere between Lena Dunham in "Girls" and a Woody Allen film. Here she is after an attempt to levitate⁶ her childhood home.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "I TURNED MY HOUSE INTO 'UP'"

MILLS: Getting a group of teenagers to blow up 4,000 balloons and put them on my roof might have been a bit too ambitious. Let's just say the end result was a bit underwhelming.

SYDELL: Mills makes a living from selling her branded merchandise - hoodies and T-shirts with her signature logos, Canada's maple⁷ leaf - she's Canadian - a soda⁸ pop bottle and a camera. She had deals with Samsung and Wendy's, and she tours to meet fans. That's on top of producing the videos which can take 60-plus hours to shoot, produce and edit. While TV and film stars can take a break when the filming is over, Mills feels the pressure to post every week so she can keep her fans engaged.

MILLS: I definitely was feeling drained because I was trying to pump out an amazing video once every two weeks or, like, once every week. And that's just not attainable⁹, especially with the hours that goes into each video.

SYDELL: It was not just the 60 to 70 hours a week that burnt out Issa Tweimeh, known as issa twaimz to his viewers. He dropped out of college at 19 to pursue YouTube full-time¹⁰. He enjoyed making up silly songs like this one.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "THE LLAMA SONG")

ISSA TWEIMEH: (Singing) Happy llama, sad llama, mentally-disturbed llama, super llama, drama llama, big fat mama llama...

SYDELL: That video got over 33 million views. Twaimz is now 23. He's changed over four years. He's been grappling with his sexuality. He's more interested in putting a positive message into the world than just getting clicks.

TWEIMEH: I felt like people wanted me to do this one thing, and I was growing up and getting older. And I was like, I think I'm getting too old to be doing the same thing over and over again.

SYDELL: Twaimz fell into a depression. He still wanted to make videos. But he wanted to change his style, and the relentless¹¹ pace of YouTube didn't give him time to do that. Taking a break from your own YouTube channel can be risky¹². Jon Brence, the director of talent at Fullscreen, helps manage careers for YouTube stars. Brence says he's noticed that YouTube's algorithm favors those who post regularly.

JON BRENCE: So if you're not actively¹³ creating or if you're going on a trip and you haven't actively created content to publish during said trip, you will go effectively back to the back of the line.

SYDELL: In a statement, YouTube says it does not program to favor people who post more often. However, viewers on YouTube may prefer channels that post more often, and that does impact what the algorithm favors. Still, the company knows there's a problem. It's even got a whole section on YouTube where creators can get information about burnout and watch videos like this one about noticing the signs of it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Do you ever feel like you just can't create anymore? Well, that would be one of the signs of burnout.

SYDELL: YouTube also offers suggestions on how to avoid burnout and live a balanced life. Despite the risks of losing some of her audience, Elle Mills says she had to take a break.

MILLS: To be honest, at that point, I needed that break so bad that it didn't really matter.

SYDELL: In a moment of desperation, she turned to her fans to explain it to them.

(SOUNDBITE OF YOUTUBE VIDEO, "BURNT OUT AT 19")

MILLS: Now, I don't want to worry anyone. I am getting the help I need, and I have a bunch of people looking after me. And I will be putting my mental health first for a bit.

SYDELL: Talent manager Brence says for certain stars like Mills, turning to her fans helps.

BRENCE: She has a fan base that cares about her first and foremost. And when she's saying, I'm going to take a break, they're willing to take the break with her.

SYDELL: But Brence says there are other stars who are much more dependent on the algorithm. Brence says some stars just burn bright and then burn out after two years, and you never hear from them again. Elle Mills says after a month off traveling and talking with friends and family, she's back and feeling better. On her return, Mills once again opened up to her fans.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MILLS: As long as I'm having fun and I'm passionate¹⁴ about what I'm making, everything's going to be all right. And now I finally feel content again.

SYDELL: And Mills says her fans have come back along with her. Laura Sydell, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF BOUND'S "DO MAKE SAY THINK")

1 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

2 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

3 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

6 levitate   

v.升在空中

参考例句：

• I often dream that I can levitate.我经常梦想我能够飞起来在空中飘浮。
• The guru claimed that he could levitate.这位宗教领袖声称他能够浮在空中。

7 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

8 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

9 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

10 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

11 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

12 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

13 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

14 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。