Hey viewers, welcome to my Vlog! a very exciting, welcoming introduction that we hear before we start seeing some videos or content from vloggers. Viewers are always excited about the new videos that are uploaded by their favourite channels. In this article, let us go through a few things about “vlogging“. The term “vlogging” is quite new and recent, and it seems to have covered almost every corner of the world and occupied the internet as well. In simple words, Vlog means video log or can be a video blog as well. The contents of the blog are in video format.
We see that many people love to gather information about a particular topic and create posts consisting of video reviews about travelling, makeup products, food content or events, or even for some educational purposes as well. Some vloggers love to share information based on new performances of music or art they have created. It is a way to share artistic views or provide a guiding tutorial on a creative topic.
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Once the topic is selected and created, vloggers can upload it. online as a new post on their channel or account so that all followers can see their latest uploads. Mental health in our country is still stigmatised and considered a topic that no one is willing to talk about openly. Even if people are trying to create awareness regarding mental health, in some places, people refuse to talk about it, and some even run away.
People who are aware of mental health issues are more likely to find help. It is very important to understand that mental health has its significance and that it needs to be understood and talked about appropriately. Many people who care about their mental health often choose to be involved in their favourite hobbies. Most of them even like vlogging.
People, who create videos frequently, find themselves in a relaxed state, which helps in the improvement of their mental health. Opening up in front of the world can be a huge help. Even introverts who think that they don’t like coming in front of others can share their videos and talk about various informative topics and share them on any video stream.
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Vlogging not only helps in healing from within; but also the person becomes an inspiration to someone. For example, if a person is raising awareness about mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, someone else who is dealing with the same issue may be able to share their stories or problems after watching their video.
Vlogging can help overcome social isolation and help people recover from mental illness. Pointing out the various benefits of vlogging, it makes a person creative, helps in building relationships with the audience online, and helps in demonstrating knowledge or expertise in a related field. One of the truths about a vlog is that it can be whatever we want it to be. We don’t have to exactly follow any rules or criteria or how someone else is doing it.
All we need to do is make our content and people who will find it interesting will follow for more information and entertainment. YouTube is one of the most prominent video streamers with a variety of topics, and it is reported to have an increased understanding of people’s experiences. A person gets access to health information and also receives emotional and mental support through most of the videos.
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Even in making a video or a vlog, the vloggers give the audience a complete understanding of the vlogger’s feelings, interests, and encounters with the situation and the problem. Many of them find it very thrilling to offer their encounters in front of their audience. However, most of the influencers focus their content on earning rather than creating valuable content, which is why they start losing their views and audience.
Somehow, the problem is unnoticeable, and it may have an impact on the audience, resulting in a decrease in viewers. Because of this, the video makers started making content that was least pleasing to the eyes or minds of viewers. Such videos may sometimes contain cringe-worthy or disturbing clips or images, which can affect the viewer’s mental health as well.
In recent years, children have grown closer to video bloggers. A study conducted by Ellis in 2018 stated that young people and children are closer to video bloggers and entertainers as they develop close relationships with their fans. According to O Neil-Hart & Blumenstein in 2016, Google found that approximately 70% of youngsters reported strong relationships and more engagement with YouTube celebrities than with traditional celebrities. And 40% of youngsters believed that their favourite YouTube vloggers understood them more than their real-life friends.
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It has become a source of concern, and researchers have been debating whether this thing has positive or negative aspects; whether it is beneficial or detrimental to mental health. Many mental health researchers have also reported that fear-inducing videos can also harm the viewer’s mental health, but children are more vulnerable to such videos. It may create depression and fear in them and might also affect their brain development as well. In recent times, some video creators even post videos that can be disturbing to viewers and also to those people who have been near those creators.
A video of a mother vlogging about her son’s stomach surgery was uploaded to a video streamer (the channel’s details were kept anonymous). She captured the whole journey of his pain; his visits to hospitals, doctors, and emergency rooms; and lastly, a video inside the OT.
From her video, it was observed that either she created it to gain. More followers or she genuinely cared for and tried to help out her viewers. Many people have now shared their views regarding the video.
Most of them commented on how the mother could even think of making a video during her son’s emergency and also when her son needed prayers and medicine, she kept vlogging the journey, whereas some people commented that she had taken the right step of capturing everything and uploading it on her channel. These people commented that such videos can be helpful for someone during a health emergency and that such videos are not offensive and do not create any kind of mental pressure or affect the feelings of viewers. Now the question is, just because a video is uploaded on the streamer doesn’t always mean it needs to be true, right!?
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This article points out the positives and negatives of vlogging and vice versa. The truth is that video streamers are a platform where anyone can show their talent or important information that has been captured. But the point is that people have started spending too much time on their screens, and many of them have started having problems with insomnia and depression at a very young age.
Not only does it have psychological effects, but it also has physiological consequences, such as the development of cardiovascular problems, obesity, diabetes, thyroid problems, and so on. Children and teenagers have a more significant impact on them. Video streamers are no doubt a way of connecting millions and billions of people throughout the globe, yet they have the opposite effect in most cases.
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The point is, that video streamers are helpful for people who feel shy about opening up and are also a great earning source for creators. Videos can be powerful. TED talks, Questions and Answers with great politicians and great personalities, and an endless number of inspirational videos, but sadly this is quite clear that these negatives still predominantly exist.
Very importantly, it would have been wonderful if all the content on these video streamers was created only by respectable and trustworthy people with good and respectable intentions, but sometimes the scenario isn’t the same. Misinformation is one of the most hazardous things that can be said to be dangerous and mislead people.
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Sometimes it affects the mentality of certain groups of people, making it very difficult for them to understand reality. These people not only change their way of looking but are also unable to adapt to that misleading information, and in the end, they suffer from mental health problems. Some videos’ popularity is unnecessary and indicates poor content quality.
Their content can mislead people. Opinions may differ from person to person, but our mental health is our priority. One person will agree to a statement, while the other one sitting next to him may disagree with the current statement. The great thing about vlogging is that it inspires us to create something new, educates us, teaches us, and provides us with entertainment, but there are also negative sides related to some content, which sometimes leads to misinformation, kills people’s productive time, increases their screen time, and lastly, not all videos advocate for the wellbeing of people.
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