Junior digital media production major Kyle Summers started making YouTube videos two years ago, now 4 channels and almost 70,000 subscribers later, the Kent State student is using the social media platform as a part-time job.
“I just started posting every week, and I kind of forced myself to do it because I knew if I didn’t upload frequently, I would just stop,” Summers said. “So, I made a new video every week, and that was about two years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Summers said he had wanted to start a YouTube channel in the past and when he got to college he knew if he didn’t start it then, he never would.
Summers is one of 167 million monthly YouTube users in the U.S., making it the most popular video streaming site in the country,
according to Statista.
Associate professor of journalism and mass communication Stefanie Moore said one of the reasons YouTube is so popular is because viewers can see a person being authentic and genuine.
“It gives you a platform to showcase your skills and your abilities and your personality … It’s a great way to be authentic and give everyone a glimpse into the real you,” Moore said.
With 65 videos uploaded, Summers’ main channel, “
Kyle Summers,” has over 16,000 subscribers and 600,000 total views. Because of his popularity, Summers is able to monetize his content.
“The way monetization works is basically, Google, who owns YouTube, obviously, will just place an ad over your video and every time the ad is played you get a little bit of revenue — not a lot,” Summers said. “It’s like roughly a dollar per a 1,000 views.”
Summers said the amount can also differ based on viewers using AdBlock and how many people actually watch the ad.
Moore said Youtubers tend to start a channel because creating content is what they enjoy doing, monetization then follows.
“Most of these YouTubers start this as a hobby, and it’s something that they’re good at, so as a DMP major it seems like a natural fit for [Summers],” Moore said. “So again, kind of creating that maybe without the thought of gaining money but more of a passion and a side project and just doing it for fun.”
Although Moore said she believes YouTube can be made into a career, she advises YouTubers to be careful not to “put all their eggs in one basket” and just post content on the “rented land” that is YouTube. She cites the social media platform
Vine being shut down as an example of how investing everything into one platform can be dangerous.
Program coordinator for entrepreneurship Denise Lee said social media can be a viable career because people are always looking for new content, which is exactly what YouTube puts out.
“One of the things we are in constant need of as a society is new content, all the time,” Lee said. “So that kind of business [YouTube] is constantly generating and pushing out new content. There’s always going to be an audience for that, so that’s one of the reasons it’s very attractive.”
Summers said ideas for his content come from a variety of different sources, including other YouTubers.
“I will maybe be in the shower, and I’ll just think of an idea and I’ll quickly get out of the shower and get on my phone and write a note,” Summers said. “Or I’ll be watching other people’s videos and I’ll be like ‘That’s a good idea. I’m going to kind of change it and make it my own.’ It’s really just random things in life that inspire me to create something.”
Summers said he enjoys watching YouTubers that are motivated and dedicated to making videos because it prompts him to improve his content and motivate others. He said he doesn’t want to watch someone who is just “doing it for the money.”
Summers said he would dedicate himself to a career in YouTube if it could completely support him financially, but he isn’t currently at that point with his channel.
“Right now, it’s kind of just a part-time job, like maybe ten hours a week kind of amount of money, but hopefully, one day I can increase that and make it more of a full-time job,” Summers said.
