YouTube as a platform is built upon a certain level of intimacy between creators and their viewers.
But how can we maintain that intimacy without putting ourselves at risk?In May of 2018, YouTuber, Elle
Mills uploaded a video entitled
“Burnt Out At 19.” In just one
year Mills’ channel had gone
from 15,000 to 1 million sub-
scribers, an achievement that
Mills described as “her life-long
dream.” Despite this outpour-
ing of support and success, Elle
Mills’ mental health began to
decline rapidly as the burnout setVLOGS
Expressing Vulnerability on YouTube
VLOGS
BY EZRA RAE DODSONin. This intense burnout eventu-
ally culminated in a breakdown
that Mills documented and
uploaded to her channel. The
video received an outpouring of
support from viewers and fellow
creators, and while it remains
jarring and difficult to watch
at points, seeing these kinds of
public breakdowns from popular
YouTubers is nothing new.