Conference Draft

Austin Balon

Professor Mat Wenzel

ENC 2135

17 July 2017

The Influence of YouTube

Excitement ran through me as I stepped through the doors of the Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. There were so many booths set up that seemed to fill up the enormous amount of space available in the building. Each booth was advertising their brand name and giving away products such as samples, shirts, stickers, and many other free things that seemed appealing. Knowing exactly the first booth that I wanted to go to first my girlfriend and I walked as fast as we could towards it. There was already a large line beginning at the optimum nutrition booth. People were not just waiting in line to walk through the booth and get their free stuff, which there was a lot of at this booth, but also to meet one of the most influential athletes in the fitness industry, Steve Cook. Cook, an athlete sponsored by many different companies, had begun his fitness career competing in multiple physique competitions, but now has a very successful YouTube. Which is where I found to be motivated and pushed into fitness. So, knowing that there was a possibility that I’d get to meet him I could not help but stand in line. However, with the size of the line it was obvious that I was not the only person he had made an impact on. I thought it to be inspiring to see that an individual could make an impact on such a large number of people’s lives. With this thought in mind I had wondered what separates him from any other vlogger in the fitness industry and what had made him such a motivational figure in my own life.

Social media has provided a great way for an individual to get their name out there, but also a great platform for one to express themselves. More specifically, within the fitness industry YouTube has been a platform for people to help spread information and motivate individuals to live a healthier life. YouTube has been very popular because through YouTube individuals may watch for similar reasons that they watch television, but YouTube allows for social networking. (Paul Haridakis and Gary Hanson 2009). Therefore, individuals who are creating videos can publicly release information that can be beneficial to those watching. However, this could also mean that individuals are putting out a video to please the viewers instead of being true to them self. This can be a problem in the fitness community because if someone is not transparent and only shows when they have positive changes or good workouts a new viewer may be discouraged if they do not always feel positive about their progress or workouts. The reason they may feel discouraged is because they may think that since they are not always having good results like the individual they watch then they are not doing something right. This is one way that the fitness vlogger, Steve Cook, is able to separate himself from other individuals in this community. His transparency allows those who subscribe to him to see that even though he is very successful with what he does; he still has his bad days. That is one quality that I believe makes Steve Cook successful at what he does.

Another quality that sets Steve Cook apart from other fitness vloggers is his passion for pursuing his purpose. This is evident because of him stating in one of my favorite vlogs that he has released, “when you are enthusiastic everyday about getting up and doing something in life, that is what you are meant to be doing”. (00:08:33 - 00:08:40). This statement stuck out to because it shows that he is not only passionate about expressing his purpose, but also is passionate about others trying to find theirs. Since he is passionate about himself and other individuals being the best they can he is able to attract many people to what he is saying. Also, with one of his purposes being that he “wants to educate people on how to be healthier in all aspects” he creates content that is beneficial to his viewers. (00:07:25 – 00:07:30). So not only are his viewers entertained with his workouts, travels, or humor, but also educated on topics of becoming healthier.

Steve Cooks passion for his followers is a key element in his success and has impacted the lives of many individuals. It is clear to see that many people enjoy his content due to his 799,569 subscribers on his YouTube channel. (YouTube). Seeing an individual entertain that amount of people is inspiring to me. However, looking back at the time I got to meet Steve Cook was truly what had made him one of the most motivational figures in my life. I was surprised when he took the time to talk to every individual that got to meet him. When I reached my turn to meet him I began talking about my passion to be successful in the fitness community and how he has inspired me. He responded by saying, “If you believe in something deep down in your heart. People always told me you will never make a living here; you will never do that. So, if you really just believe in what you are doing; that is the name of the game”. This statement has been important to me as I try to move myself forward in life and take the next step towards development. Although, I have not begun publishing videos on YouTube I intend to start as I get adjusted into college. Also, I have been able to stay driven and motivated with my health knowing that it is something that I believe is important for my success. Other factors that are important as I move forward into this passion is that I remain transparent and truthful along the journey of my fitness, but also determine a purpose and allow that to be the focal point on each piece of work. For me, this purpose would be to help and inspire others to live a healthier life.

Annotated Bibliography

Haridakis, Paul. Hanson, Gary. “Social interaction and co-viewing with youtube:blending mass communication reception and social connection”. Journal Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.2, June, 2009, pp. 317.

• This is one of my scholarly sources that was used within my writing. This source talked about the motivations individuals have towards watching YouTube and why it may be becoming so popular. I used this in my writing to compare YouTube to television. This comparison helped developed my ideas of how YouTube is becoming a popular form of entertainment, but also includes community because of its social abilities.

Swoldiernation. "A Message You All Need To Hear." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 17 July 2017.

• This video was used as a large staple in my writing. Since in the video Steve Cook expressed his passion for finding his purpose and utilizing it to benefit those of the fitness community, I was able to develop many ideas off of this video. In my writing I had used quotes from this video more than once because of their importance to my topic. Which is what makes Steve Cook stand out among other fitness vloggers and why has he been such a motivational figure in my life. This video and some research has been able to help provide me with answer to that question. Although, I do believe it is necessary to perform more research, in order to, develop my topic.

Swoldiernation. "Steve Cook." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 17 July 2017.

• This source was used to provide a statistic of Steve Cook’s popularity on YouTube. The number ,even though it may change, was 799,569 subscribers. This helped prove the point that Steve Cook has been able to entertain and impact a lot of individuals. It also proved that he has been very successful with his YouTube career.

• The final source used so far in my writing was my interview with Steve Cook. Even though I did not interview him recently I had the opportunity of meeting him in person and part of our conversation was recorded by someone else on my phone. This allowed me to use information from our conversation into my writing. This conversation was important in my writing as it help conclude my thoughts by mentioning how Steve Cook has inspired me personally. The quote I used was, “If you believe in something deep down in your heart. People always told me you will never make a living here; you will never do that. So, if you really just believe in what you are doing; that is the name of the game”. I believe this was a great piece to include because it was a personal message that affected me directly, but it also helped prove a point that was made prior in the writing.