The vlog genre is an exceedingly common mode of user participation, and includes numerous subcategories. Vlogs might include product or media reviews, or demonstrate special talents. Others are made in response to other videos to engage in a discussion, parody the video, or win a prize. More negative vlogs, in which the user complains about 'random' things ranging from television shows, to the use of hyphenation, are called 'rants'. An interesting trend in the YouTube vlogger world, recently covered on Slate.com, is the 'haul' video in which the vlogger shows off recent acquisitions from a shopping trip. There are also a huge range of vlogs that essentially constitute support groups in which users document personal struggles with things like weight-loss, depression, and living abroad. There are vlogs in which the user describes his or her day in a diaristic fashion, and tend to include 'random', or stream-of-consciousness stories. It is this type of vlog that defines YouTube to many outsiders, including the mainstream media and draws accusations of narcissism (Keen, 2007). Each of these variations within the vlog genre offers a glimpse into the function that online communication through YouTube serves in a user's life. |