I got to go to Digitour 2013 NYC and I have to say it was worth every penny. I got to meet so many of my favorite YouTubers! I had VIP and that included a meet-and-greet, which was one of the best experiences. I had the privledge of meeting Pointless Blog, Zoella, Tanya Burr, Jim Chapman, Caspar Lee, Marcus Butler, O2L, Lohanthony, Andrea Russet, Jennxpenn, Thatsojack, Luke Conrad and Sawyer Hartman.
I've watched these people post videos for years now and they have honestly become a part of my daily routine. I come home from school and I catch up on the videos I have missed. To people that don't understand this community, this may seem crazy that people I've never met (now I have ) have impacted my life so greatly. This is not just about me though. These people who put hard work and dedication into their videos help thousands of people every time they post a video. The YouTubers and the viewers have a unique relationship in which we support one another. The communities that grow from YouTube channels can change the world. Take for example John and Hank Green. They are two brothers who own the YouTube channel "vlogbrothers" along with many other channels that have educational purposes. Nerdfighteria, the vlogbrothers community of fans, have made Project For Awesome (John and Hank's charity) a major success in ending "Worldsuck" as they call it.
Communities that grow from YouTube become more like families. I've become friends with so many amazing people just because we happen to watch the same YouTuber. I now talk to people all around the world just because we are apart of the same community. I would never get that chance if I wasn't part of these various communities throughout YouTube. YouTubers and their viewers connect in so many interesting ways. Viewers comment on their videos and we can talk one on one to the person who created the video. Twitter and all other social media plays a big part in the way the viewers and content creators connect to one another. Many YouTubers do question and answer videos where they take the questions from the viewers and answer them right on their video. YouTubers also do this with truth or dare and many others videos like tags and challenges. YouTubers and viewers work together. I think that's the difference between the connections with other communities in the world. The YouTubers ask for their community's opinion and suggestions of what they should do. They make the effort to connect with the viewers to gain their perspective which is quite unique.
Watching YouTube videos has not only been a way to relax for me but a method of getting through some difficult times in my life. The people on the other side of my computer screen make me laugh when no one else can sometimes. They brighten my day and I thank them for that. That's why Digitour is such an incredible opportunity for me. I finally got to say thank you face-to-face.
