VidCon 2012 - What does it mean?
So I just wanted to talk briefly about next year's VidCon. The location is changing to an actual, real convention center, which means that we will actually have to go to another building to sleep/get things we forgot in our rooms. On a more serious note, instead of 3,000 people, I hear that one of the stadiums in this new convention center can hold like 10,000 people. I'm a little horrified of how huge this will be.
I tweeted and got a response from John Green about my concerns for a humongous VidCon a few weeks ago, and I feel a little better that they are also thinking about all sides of this decision. He and Hank feel that it will definitely be different, but they don't want to have to turn people away because of maximum capacity issues. They are enlarging the space only to allow more people to experience the magic of what we call VidCon.
However, this specific kind of magic I speak of cannot exist in the same form once the amount of people begins to change drastically. What I felt was in the air at VidCon 2010 & 2011 was a sense of community and a connection with other human beings who saw things in the same light that you do. To walk to the mall and pass multiple people you admire and to just flash them a bright smile and continue on your way. All of this will disappear, but be replaced with something different. I can only hope that this new kind of magic won't be thousands of fangirls that cause people we love to become inaccessible.
Some people have had security guards already, and some hide out in their rooms *cough Charlie cough* but I really can't blame them for that. I just wish it didn't have to happen this way. On the upside, I'm glad to have friends within the community that will be attending, so I won't get lost in the infinitely large crowds of people. If I think about it too much, I just want to go and hide. I would like to hope that as the numbers grow, instead of a hierarchy being reinforced, we can all treat each other with respect and equality.
It's not just VidCon that's growing in numbers, it's YouTube itself. More and more people are getting involved, and I just would like to think that we can work through this in a positive way.
Now, to end this, I'd like to reinforce that I am in no way complaining about VidCon and how it used to be. I'm just mourning the loss of 2010/2011 in preparation of enjoying VidCon 2012 to the fullest! Just as the Phoenix is reborn from it's ashes, our community will continue to burn and begin again in new forms that are yet to be discovered. I'd also like to highlight the ultimate upside to VidCon 2012 being held in Anaheim: DISNEYLAND!Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, CA, LA, anaheim, angeles, california, center, change, More…
Views: 978
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin Wang on -
I don't think that the magic will be lost pe se. I mean, we all know that the YouTube community is massive beyond belief, and that a lot of YouTubers have thousands and even millions of subscribers. So sure, it'll be hard for one individual to meet a big name partner like Charlie, Mitchell Davis, or Shane Dawson etc, but now those YouTubers with a smaller fan base (like Elmify Hopeontenspeed, or Nerdzrl) not only have the potential to meet a lot more of their fans, but it also gives them a chance to bring more traffic to their pages. Also, as with any big convention there will be some issues with impersonality, but it's always good to remember that the people who go to Vidcon are people who love the content in that special way that only YouTube nerds can understand. In addition, I think the larger attendance will enable for more online friends to meet IRL, which is fantastically awesome. So, I guess it depends on how you look at it.
Also, can you even imagine how fracking sweet a 10,000 person ALL CAPS or Chameleon Circuit concert would be? SOOO EPICCC!
-
Permalink Reply by Megan Cofer on -
I don't think it will be lost, just different. I'm really glad to see representation of the nerds who like being with other nerds, not just fangirling. I know a lot of people already, but it helps me keep faith when it's reinforced like this :)
AND YES, A 10,000 PERSON CROWD JUMPING TO NERDY BANDS. SIGN ME UP! I'm so excited.
-
Permalink Reply by Arijana M on -
I agree with you. I think the "smaller" amount of people might mean that there are more hardcore fans,other that stupid fangirls as you mentioned before. But it doesn't have to be. I wish I could go,but living more than 10.000 km away that is a bit hard and not to mention extremely expensive. :D
© 2013 Created by Hank Green.
Powered by
