Going Viral on Youtube!
In just 3 short weeks of starting her Youtube career, Jennelle Eliana rose to Youtube fame with her viral video titled “VAN TOUR | SOLO FEMALE TRAVELER lives VANLIFE with PET SNAKE!” Her sustainable living practice, odd choice of pet, and down to earth personality makes her a perfect example of a fun Gen Z young adult blooming and growing as a strong independent young woman. Recently on Youtube, there’s been a general rise of independent young female Youtubers, sustainable living practices, and female empowerment. Jennelle Eliana’s video seemed to be a culmination of all the popular trends on Youtube right now, and with Youtube’s recommendation algorithm help, her video was able to go viral.
Her quick rise to fame was not left unquestioned, however, since this type of channel growth is typically not seen in the Youtube world–where it takes “most Youtube vloggers years to gain an audience.” This reminded me of how popularity can be modeled by the power law (and not a normal distribution despite contrary belief). Even though the “rich get richer” model can be seen in the growth of Eliana’s channel, it’s also important to point out how unpredictable popularity can be. No one could have predicted her channel’s quick growth from just her one video. But as more people watched her video and left positive reactions, her video was recommended more often to other users. The Youtube recommendation algorithm allowed for the mass distribution of her video–ultimately allowing her to rise to popularity very quickly.