Vanity Fair UK - 11.2019

YOUTUBE HAS HELPED TO FUNDAMENTALLY REMAKE

THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT FAME,

CLOUT, AND THE VERY IDEA OF ENTERTAINMENT.

AS IT PREPARES TO TURN 15, RICHARD LAWSON

SURVEYS A GENERATION OF CREATORS

DISCOVERING THEIR CULTURAL

POWER AND (SOMETIMES) THEIR LIMITS

THEIR

TUBE

Photographs by

ETHAN JAMES GREEN

“It’s like you’re doing 10 people’s jobs

at once,” says Chamberlain of the YouTuber

grind. Filming, editing, and, of course,

being the on-air personality. “It’s a crazy

amount of work.” And yet Chamberlain

always seems to be having fun, even when

tired or stressed or dealing with the latest

zit. That energy has proven infectious—

EMMA Chamberlain

AGE 18 GENRE Lifestyle & comedy FIRST POST June 2017SUBSCRIBERS 8.43 million

Chamberlain’s rise on the platform has

been meteoric, though hopefully with less

flaming out than that term suggests.

“There are multiple stages of burnout for

sure,” Chamberlain says. “I’m surprisingly

not in one right now. I’m actually kind

of enjoying the process right now, which

is amazing and rare for creators.”

VANITY FAIR 119