When it comes to those lazy days off, I find myself falling into that YouTube spiral. I end up spending countless hours watching anything from Christine Gambito‘s latest vlog to the newest Mike Song choreography. What I find most compelling about the creators of these YouTube videos is that they are people who I can simply relate to. They are people who eat, breathe and sleep just like everyone else. They possess passion for their endeavors and most importantly, they understand what it means to be Asian American.
The feature length documentary Uploaded: The Asian American Movement not only explores the life of familiar Asian American YouTubers, it also addresses the social influence their videos have on viewers.
When YouTube first started in 2005, no one could’ve anticipated the massive growth it acquired. Also, what no one could foresee was the underlying Asian American movement that came with the influx of Asian American content creators. No longer were we represented as one-dimensional characters like “Long Duk Dong” or foreign martial arts masters. Without a doubt, the creators who take command of their own content and put themselves out there for the public consumption are fearless. In return, the experience and personal expression of Asian American YouTubers have inspired younger generations to be even more outspoken. Those 5+ minute videos have helped shape and form a collective identity amongst Asian Americans.
From MTV picking up Better Luck Tomorrow to the creation of Kollaboration, we see that the internet has played a huge factor in the progression of Asian Americans in the media. Now, Asian Americans all over can connect with each other and expand their communities beyond limits. Essentially, we are carving out a space (and cyber space) to call our own.
You can learn more about Perry Shen, Mike Song, Paul “PK” Kim, KevJumba, Happy Slip and other YouTube artists’ personal experiences and growth by watching the feature length documentary Uploaded: The Asian American Movement here.
Want to see Mike Song live? Check him out at Audrey Fashion Show 2015 this weekend!
Featured image courtesy of 8asians.com.