Views from VidCon

What happens when you throw a bunch of semi-relevant influencers in a convention center for a week?

VidCon.

This summer, I am working for a creator firm that sponsored a hospitality suite at the event, and I had the opportunity to help plan and attend. I went into the role without any expectations. I have taken classes on the creator economy and this changing digital age, but I was blown away.

Here are some of my takeaways from the event:

Creators are awesome

I grew up watching YouTubers and thought VidCon was the coolest thing in middle school. I imagined meeting Bethany Mota or Brooklyn and Bailey at the conference, idolizing their lifestyle, beauty, and DIY tips. Flash forward 7 years and I thought the event would be comical, potentially still reaching a younger target audience. I expected creators to be pretentious, but I formed genuine connections with hard-working young people hoping to make an impact. I'm sure there are some people who let the social media attention get to their heads, but I met some awesome and authentic creators. They are all just real people who happened to figure out the algorithm and are now in a unique opportunity of relevance. I got grilled cheese with a notable creator, shared film pictures with another, and was told I was another's "type". What a world we live in.

BIG money at the intersection of tech and social media

I was also blown away by the grand activations and presence of huge companies looking to market within the booming new-age media economy. Our suite was nestled in between activations from Amazon Prime and Amazon Live, with TikTok, Meta, and Discord down the hall. Creators were able to attend expensive happy hours, customize crocs, pick out free clothes from Boohoo, and were gifted dozens of other promotional products. It felt exciting to be included in the trend-setting realm and to realize how much money is following these digital creators.

Money and power are at the hands of these kids blowing up on TikTok, in more ways than most may realize. Just look at the record-breaking Minions movie, just because it became a joke and a trend on TikTok.

I want to work in a career that values human interaction

My final takeaway is a realization of the joy I experienced simply from being incorporated into a setting of human interaction. Networking with people from other companies was fun, instead of the intimidating chore of doing so in a remote setting. I was proud of my ability to form connections within our company and outside of it, with notable industry guests that I admire. I genuinely had so much fun introducing myself to everyone who entered our suite, and was even making friends in the bathroom! The collaborative environment was exhilarating for me, helping me to realize my potential and desire to work in person with people in the future. Even if my future job is remote, the balance of meeting everyone in person for special events was so rewarding.

Whether or not daily amounts of screen time are healthy for young people across the country, creators can provide comfort and even friendship to the loneliest of kids. I worry about the addictive nature of digital media, including for myself, but for the first time, I noticed many of the positive aspects as well. While many creators want to make money, some of them genuinely do want to make an impact and connect with their following.

I'm super grateful for the opportunity to attend VidCon and immerse myself in the influential world. I might just have to become an influencer myself... They got a lot of free stuff!

x fight on