According to Carol Vernallis (2013), “YouTube is a polysemic, heterogeneous phenomenon” (p.149) – it provides tailored experiences that vary from person to person and offers a space for different communities to come together. The clip below displays an example of an emerging YouTube typology which combines features of the compilation and parody genre of YouTube videos. It consists of a montage of different clips from the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) (2005-2008) containing iconic moments from one of the main characters, Iroh, and parodies his tea-loving personality.

This fan-curated kind of YouTube typology displays the evolution of fandom or perhaps a new kind of fandom, where interactivity, relatability and a sense of community are evoked through sharing funny moments from a shared interest. From a post-cinematic perspective, these new typologies and their associated aesthetics create new structures of feeling (Shaviro, 2010) and generate different kinds of affect. The video is one intertextual reference from start to finish, meaning only fans of the series will be able to understand and relate, which creates a kind of affect akin to a private inside joke we may share with a close friend.

YouTube makes possible these new modes of interaction (Wetsch & Jenkins, cited in Vernallis, 2013), but it also allows the monetization of fan-made content. As the content of the video contains practically no original content (minus the small captions) and is just clips from ATLA, the creator is able to “piggy-back on an already accrued attention” (Vernallis, 2013, p.146) and make profit with little effort.

The boundaries between creator and consumer have become blurred as YouTube aesthetics have become accelerated, offering a new way for fans to share nostalgic, funny moments. As these new typologies emerge, however, so do the possibilities of affect becoming monopolized and the commercialization of fandom from other fans.

References:

Vernallis, C. (2013) ‘YouTube Aesthetics’, in Unruly Media, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 127-154.

Shaviro, S. (2010) ‘Post-Cinematic Affect: On Grace Jones, Boarding Gate and Southland Tales’, Film-Philosophy, 14(1), pp. 1-102.

zuko fireprince (2019) ‘Iroh being a tea-loving comedy icon for 10 minutes’, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbCFcvmTFrY (Accessed: November 27, 2022).

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Written by Mariella Del Federico (33652293) 27/11/22