Sample Argument Paper
Note to reader: This draft is re-printed here with the author's permission. These student drafts are provided for a couple of reasons: first, to give you a taste of the variety of topics and approaches students have taken, and second, to provide instructors with readings that might be used in class discussions and activities. These samples are not perfect and represent final grades from across the grade scale (A through F), so please be forgiving, understanding, and respectful if you find errors or problems.
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Bari Whalen
English 1010 D-04
Professor Mike Peterson
December 8th 2015
Argument Essay
YouTube Career of the Future
YouTube doesn’t discriminate based on age, race or gender as long as your content is relevant you can make a good living. Every year there are different events all around the world where YouTubers get together with their fans. One event that happens in California is called Vidcon, according to a writer for Forbes Magazine, “VidCon is kind of like Comic Con, but rather than looking for superheroes, at VidCon the fans gawk at, take selfies with and get autographs from YouTube Stars.” (Rosenbaum) These so called superheroes are not what most people expect, they are people who dedicate their time into making videos to upload to YouTube, and are doing something that is very lucrative.
Most YouTubers make their money from the advertisements, and product placements in their videos. While other have used their popularity to launch their careers in other fields outside of making videos for YouTube. Some have gone on to star in movies some have become authors while others have launched their careers in the fashion industry. According to Erica Dhawan a contributor to Forbes magazine, “Zoe Sugg, 24, better known by her blog name Zoella, started making videos in her bedroom in 2009…Fast forward five years and her new book Girl Online, which debuted November 25, [2014] sold more copies in the first week in the United Kingdom than any previous debut novel on record.” (Dhawan) Zoella has over nine millions subscribers on her channel.
“A handful of successful full-time YouTubers create and broadcast videos to audiences that are often fanatically loyal- and too many on the outside, that stature seems tantalizingly within reach.” (Balyan) It takes hard work and dedication to make it on YouTube, for some it can take years to before they are noticed. YouTube requires lots of creativity and sometime working long hours. The Shaytards are called the first family of YouTube, they live in rural Idaho and upload daily vlogs of their family. Chris Miller a journalist from kutv 2 news said, “The Shaytard vlogs show the family playing, going on vacation and heading off to school…They’ve seen two daughters battle and defeat lice.” (Miller) Chris went on to talk about how the Shaytards have shared some of their most personal and intimate moments with their viewers, “Their two youngest children were, literally, born on camera, and the videos have been viewed more than a million times.” (Miller) The Shaytards have made a fortune from their daily vlogs but Shay said that their success due to good timing, “It was being ahead of the curve and working my butt off, just like anybody who’s ever got anything good.” (Miller) Shay was a co-owner of the production company Maker Studios, and had a good payday when the studio was bought by Disney for close to one billion dollars. Shay has gone on to start his own clothing company with his family and a few close friends called “Trixin”, and still continues to make family vlogs.
One thing that most YouTubers have in common is that they are under the age of 30, so they are more relatable to their audiences who are from a generation that prefers watching online videos instead of T.V. So if you’re young and creative this could be a great career path. According to Michelle Phan a YouTuber who said, “I thought, if [YouTube] is going to be the global television of the future, I need to build my brand here.” (Berg) Michelle uploaded her first video and it had 40,000 view in the first week, that’s when she said “I realized I’d found my calling.” (Berg) Michelle does makeup tutorials and is one of the most watched people on YouTube. She said “I’m passionate about being a makeup artist and teaching others how to look and feel fabulous in their own skin.” (Phan) Michelle Phan currently has over eight million subscribers, with a following like that she is doing very well for herself.
One of the easiest ways to earn a lot of money on YouTube is by playing videogames, some of the top paid YouTubers make videos of themselves playing popular video games while they comment on what they are doing. Kids will watch these videos for hours, I have never understood why it’s fun to watch someone else play a videogame. Kids love to watch Stampy Cat and Dan TDM, they both play Mine Craft a popular videogame. Stampy and Dan create worlds and interact with other people online in the game who help create this imaginary world. Stampy Cat works from his home in England, his videos “are watch by more people than Justin Bieber’s or One Direction’s.” (Independent) He is known by parents as “the annoying British man in the corner” (Independent) because he is seen in the top corner of the screen talking throughout the video. As a parent I have always appreciated that there isn’t swearing in his videos, Stampy said as soon as he realized that his fans were young ranging from four year olds to twelve year olds, “As soon as I knew that, I knew I wouldn’t be able to swear and I wouldn’t use too-long sentences. I made sure I put a little more energy into my voice, and that I was keeping the child’s attention.” (Independent) Stampy interacts with his viewers as though he is talking directly to them, which gives his videos a personal feel. Stampy Cat has gone on to create his own television show for kids called “Wonder Quest” which will air in Britain this fall. Stampy works about 11 hours a day on his videos, he said “I spend almost all my time making videos”, in his videos his character, “[happens] to look like a cat but apart from that he’s me, a bigger, brighter, better version”. (Independent) With three million views per episode, I think he will continue to make videos from his desk at home in England.
I think pursuing a YouTube career is a great option and an easy way to make big bucks. Most of the time you are able to make videos while you sit at home wearing your pajamas. This is the career path of the future, anyone with the smallest about of ambition and creativity can make it big on YouTube.
Works Cited
Balyan, Baghdig. A Look Into the Lives of Full-Time YouTubers. 28 October 2014. 22 October 2015. <www.thelink.com>.
Berg, Madeline. The World's Higest Paid YouTube Stars. 14 October 2015. 27 November 2015.
—. The World's Highest paid YouTube Stars 2015. 14 October 2015. 21 October 2015.
Dhawan, Erica. How You Can Use YouTube to Turn Your Passion into a Career. 17 12 2014. 18 October 2015. <www.forbes.com>.
Independent. Stampy Cat: Joseph Garrett's cartoon from Minecraft that is bigger than Justin Bieber- and has just been linked to Disney. 2 January 2015. 23 October 2015. <www.independent.co.uk>.
Miller, Chris. Meet the Shaytards: the story behind the first family of YouTube. 13 November 2014. 3 November 2015. <kutv.com/news/local/meet-the-shaytards-the-story-behind-the-first-family-of-youtube>.
Phan, Michelle. Michelle Phan. 2015. 21 October 2015. <michellephan.com/about-me/>.
Rosenbaum, Steven. What Is VidCon, And Why Am I Here. 22 July 2015. 23 November 2015.