YouTube has one of the largest online communities where original content is uploaded every day. It generates discussion about media texts that are posted between people and leads to parodies and replicas of the same content. I tend to think there is a form of hegemony on YouTube as the creators who are paid to post and those who are of large followings. They tend to disseminate their ideas and formats of what a video should be like, and their followers follow suit. Making the format of daily vlogs, a ShaneDawson video, or make-up tutorials the norm on YouTube.
One YouTuber who came to mind when thinking about Arab youth creating content online is Yousef Erakat the mastermind behind his hilarious channel fouseyTUBE. He is one of the few Arabs on YouTube that I find has appealed to quite a large audience with his own original content poking fun of people from the Middle East and their culture.
Some of his most popular videos include: SH*T DRAKE SAYS, MIDDLE EASTERN PARENTS, SHI*T MIDDLE EASTERN GUYS SAY, MIDDLE EASTERN MISTAKES and SH*T MIDDLE EASTERN GIRLS SAY.
Now the Internet meme Sh*t Girls Say is how three of Erakat’s most popular videos came to be. His version of the famous comedy sketch appealed to his audience who are mainly Arab youth. Sure there are others who must have found a liking to the videos, but mostly people who are from the region will get the humor of some of the text. Now, based on the statistics from his videos the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are almost always the top three countries where the video has been viewed. I hypothesis this is due to the large Arab communities living abroad in addition to the natives of those countries.
After uploading SH*T GUYS SAY and seeing the reaction that he got from it, I’m pretty sure that encouraged him to do the girls’ version. The process that takes place surrounding the message can be explained using a flow chart. The focus is on the message that is in the center. Now, the sender has to come with a way to get that message across to its target receivers. Once the message has been created in the way that suits the senders’ needs it is up to the receiver to interpret the message. The only way that the sender will know if the message was received correctly is by providing a method for feedback. Feedback allows the senders to also be able to better encode their message in the future.
I doubt that Erkat used a flowchart when thinking about his videos. Though I am fairly sure that he sees which of his video formats appeals to most people and continues to grow from there.
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