“It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism
Within Theatre and Performance Studies, terms like “liveness” or “(co-)presence” are keywords that encapsulate entire debates within the discipline that have played out over time; negotiations of meaning enacted through academic, performative usage. I want to examine the medium of YouTube (2005+) an...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IATC
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Critical Stages |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.critical-stages.org/21/its-everyday-bro-youtube-authenticity-and-the-psychopathology-of-late-capitalism/ |
| _version_ | 1819001258093051904 |
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| author | Chris Eaket |
| author_facet | Chris Eaket |
| author_sort | Chris Eaket |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Within Theatre and Performance Studies, terms like “liveness” or “(co-)presence” are keywords that encapsulate entire debates within the discipline that have played out over time; negotiations of meaning enacted through academic, performative usage. I want to examine the medium of YouTube (2005+) and, more specifically, Shane Dawson’s YouTube video documentary, The Mind of Jake Paul (September 25, 2018–October 18, 2018). I assert that in attempting to psychoanalyze fellow YouTube star Jake Paul—and answer the (de facto) question, “Is Jake Paul a sociopath?” (perhaps a timely question in the age of Trump)—Dawson somewhat unwittingly gives us a meta-analysis of YouTube’s “authenticity” obsession, a subtle critique of performance-labor and a warning about the perils of engaging with a digital platform that demands the continuous production of novelty. YouTube presents a bit of a paradox: it is a medium that is profoundly mediated and performative, yet one where users desire (and often demand) the absolute authenticity of their social media icons. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T22:46:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba0e63b5de874fd8ba555a5cfe4cbde5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-7411 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T22:46:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | IATC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Critical Stages |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba0e63b5de874fd8ba555a5cfe4cbde52022-12-21T19:24:22ZengIATCCritical Stages2409-74112020-06-0121“It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late CapitalismChris EaketWithin Theatre and Performance Studies, terms like “liveness” or “(co-)presence” are keywords that encapsulate entire debates within the discipline that have played out over time; negotiations of meaning enacted through academic, performative usage. I want to examine the medium of YouTube (2005+) and, more specifically, Shane Dawson’s YouTube video documentary, The Mind of Jake Paul (September 25, 2018–October 18, 2018). I assert that in attempting to psychoanalyze fellow YouTube star Jake Paul—and answer the (de facto) question, “Is Jake Paul a sociopath?” (perhaps a timely question in the age of Trump)—Dawson somewhat unwittingly gives us a meta-analysis of YouTube’s “authenticity” obsession, a subtle critique of performance-labor and a warning about the perils of engaging with a digital platform that demands the continuous production of novelty. YouTube presents a bit of a paradox: it is a medium that is profoundly mediated and performative, yet one where users desire (and often demand) the absolute authenticity of their social media icons.https://www.critical-stages.org/21/its-everyday-bro-youtube-authenticity-and-the-psychopathology-of-late-capitalism/authenticityperformativeyoutubeonlinemediated |
| spellingShingle | Chris Eaket “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism Critical Stages authenticity performative youtube online mediated |
| title | “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism |
| title_full | “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism |
| title_fullStr | “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism |
| title_short | “It’s Everyday, Bro”: YouTube, “Authenticity,” and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism |
| title_sort | it s everyday bro youtube authenticity and the psychopathology of late capitalism |
| topic | authenticity performative youtube online mediated |
| url | https://www.critical-stages.org/21/its-everyday-bro-youtube-authenticity-and-the-psychopathology-of-late-capitalism/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chriseaket itseverydaybroyoutubeauthenticityandthepsychopathologyoflatecapitalism |