Is Originality Dead on Youtube?

In my case, since my channel is GTA 5 specific, I know I'm drowned out by Let's Plays / Stunts / Trailer recreations which it feels like there's an endless amount of them out there.

That being said I have seen one guy, who does a lot of stunt videos, go from a few thousand subs in January to over a 100k just the other week, so there is an appetite / market there for channels to go with a popular formula if you have the chops to give your own twist to it.
 
ProfKranc said:
Is it? Left and right I see Let's players, reviewers, commentators, etc. And it seems like the only way to get any notoriety on YouTube is to attach yourself to an already successful product.

In comparison, people who try to create short films or sketches without relying on piggybacking have a much harder time staying relevant.

I think it may even be much harder to keep your original content at a good level of quality to maintain interest.
What do you guys think?
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Nothing IS original. Everything on YouTube is based on something. Every skit or shot film uses elements from different things. If anything, you shouldn't throw commentaries with reviewers. If I made a commentary about my day, would that not be "original"?

I get your point. A lot of YouTubers would not be as popular without the content they make. But you also have to understand that YouTube is a hobby. YouTube isn't professional. You can easily get a few hundred views rambling on a blue yeti. (Me :D) But the reason why that is popular is because its relatable. When I watch a short film or sketch, even if it has relatable comedy, it is still something new. But if I watch a King of the Hill review commentary or a GTA Let's Play, not only do I get the satisfaction of watching another opinion on an interest I know, but I also can find someone (or a community) that also have that interest. This is coming from someone who did film/broadcasting in an Arts Academy all my high-school life.

That's just the game. Look who's #1.

Even if your goal isn't to be #1, then this wouldn't be a problem. I don't see my stuff as unoriginal. However, again I understand your point, which is why sometimes I detach myself from products and create original content which has nothing to do with my main content. So even if someone were to take the "you're nothing without _____" card, I have videos which prove otherwise.
 
Originality isn't something that can be dead. It is the potential for original things to exist. Even if no one on the site was creating original content, originality is still possible, and thus still alive. But I don't think originality is really that important of a point. For example, the whole existence of Fair Use is to promote creativity, which means a lot of creativity involves reusing others' content. I just watch what entertains me and I make videos about what I like and what is easy for me to do. I don't really analyze it beyond that.

My channel could be considered less original than even Let's Plays. I copied a meme I liked that other people were doing and made changes to it for my own videos. The premise of the meme itself is to take existing content and apply filters to it and alter the look and sound. So my channel only consists of videos that are copies of copies. And yet, it is common for people to tell me that my channel is very unique and original.
 
I don't believe originality is dead but I do admit its a lot harder to find now a days. I almost felt like originality was fading away when I started to see a bunch of "reaction" videos popping up on YouTube. Can anyone please tell me why these "reaction" videos/channels are so popular?
 
Well think about it, how often do you find a channel that is doing something different unless they have some sort of following? You really don't because of the way Youtube's algorithm works. Once they have a following, a content creator can do whatever they want.
 
There is originality out there, but it gets pushed aside and the usual stuff gets popular mostly. I think a lot of people are afraid of trying new things and being original in a sense, because it can be risky and not pay off in the end. So a lot of people stick to the usual stuff, that is easy to digest for a lot of people as well.
 
How do you define "original"? I'm not sure at this point how many things you can do that someone else hasn't done before. I think the hardest part is infusing your own personality into your work without coming off as trying too hard or trying to copy other YouTubers.

Personally, it's been a struggle for me to just be myself. I mean, I love so many fun YouTubers like PeanutButterGamer and SpaceHamster that their own brand of humor has definitely influenced me, and I worry that I copy them. But I know that I want to be natural, and I really want my viewers to connect with me and I want to be open with them. And therin lies the rub, I think: trying to express yourself and show others that the you they hear is the real you.
 
Originality will only die once humans become extinct. ^^ There are so many undiscovered possibilities out there still! All we need to do is think of them. I remember a business guy came into my school once and talked about originality. He said that the easiest way to think of original ideas was to think about stuff that annoys you, and then think about the easiest and most logical way to fix it. Supposedly that's how nifty inventions like those wood stickers that cover screw holes are invented (at least according to him..lol)... Think about the dude who invented voicemail! Missing a call is annoying, and he thought of a way to fix it by letting the caller record a message. ^^ It's easy to look at stuff in hindsight and forget the originality behind it, and it's easy to think there aren't any more ideas out there... but there are loads of ideas just waiting to be thought of! : D

And the same thought applies to youtube videos. ^^ I think there are tons of ideas that could become "a thing," but haven't yet. ^^
 
I think that with sixty years of TV, more than a century of cinema and millennia of drama, originality might have been dead since a lil' bit before YT coming :tongue:
 
Well, to be honest, everyone can be talented, funny and hard working, it takes a good amount of dedication and a good amount of random to be original.. beeing original happens most often by accident..... but people get drawn to different personalities and perspectives,... Be yourself and do what you love is a golden rule! If you do that and work hard, it will pay off at the end:)
 
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