A decade has passed since Gen Z and Gen Alpha were first influenced. 2016 was a formative year where children were exposed to popular culture, trends, and media unlike previous generations. Technology was advanced enough to have a drastic impact on brain development and social structures. Facetious humor, trolling, and the ‘golden age’ of YouTube was at its peak. The cultural attention span was permanently affected by short form and less long form content, setting the stage for the media today. Focusing on dramatic short hooks that brought a viewer in and hooked. Child stars of the internet, teens, and adults alike were farming behaviors that still exist today. What stars, or influencers of the internet dominated the 2016 YouTube landscape?
1. Pewdipie
His real name being Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, Pewdipie was the first Youtuber to ever hit 50 million subscribers in 2017. Pewdipie being Swedish and having an eccentric type of humor, his videos showing him playing popular games drew in a large audience. The game playing videos on Youtube are called “Let’s Play” and Felix mastered this video format. Minecraft, Flappybird, Goat Simulator, and Happy Wheels were all games he popularized. After he moved to Japan his upload frequency decreased, he got married, and had a kid with his wife. Pewdipie was YouTube’s highest earning creator and influencer of the time.
2. Lily Singh (Superwoman or IISuperwomanII)
Lilly Singh is a Canadian YouTuber, actress, television host, and comedian. Starting out as a YouTuber in 2019, she originally was called Superwoman until she changed her username in 2019. With her new found fame from the platform she has now transitioned mainstream media like her NBC show A Little Late with Lilly Singh. She created her own movies and starred in several films like the kids franchise Bad Guys. She is the first person of Indian descent to host an American talk show and her book she wrote became a New York Times Bestseller.
3. Roman Atwood
Roman Atwood was a successful YouTuber in 2016 who ended up solidifying his role as the original ‘King of Pranks’. Known for his elaborate pranks and comedic sketches, he eventually transitioned into successful vlogging and daily life content in recent years. But the nostalgia he laid the groundwork for is still as strong as ever. Roman’s pranks were lighthearted and attention grabbing. He originally began content creating in high school by filming pranks at school and burning them into DVDs. His channel is not his only source of income, his merchandise called “Smile More” still has a high sales annually. Nowadays, he has now turned to making podcast content like most social media influencers.
4. Smosh
As one of the longest running comedy channels, Smosh still exists today. It was created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. However, Anthony Padilla left the channel to pursue his own individual content in 2017. They were the first YouTubers to have a wax figure created by Madame Tussauds Museum. They initially started to gain an audience with their lip-syncing to songs that were deemed copyright infringement as YouTube gained more users and their policies became stricter. At its release, it was the most viewed video.
5. Tyler Oakley
As a strong mental health advocate promoting self-love and expression, he inspired millions with his activism. He signed a deal with Ellen DeGeneres for a film and wrote a best-selling book. He also later moved into Twitch streaming for more personal connections with viewers. He pushed for equal education and healthcare. Although he started his social media career 18 years ago in 2007, his most notable and remembered year was indeed 2016.
