STATUS

author=mawk
yeah, that's part of it. the way youtube's recommendedations and so on work buoys him up in other ways, but suffice it to say that it's the fluke of flukes and people trying to mimic him to capture some of that popularity is one of the most tragic trends in content creation.

from a sociological standpoint, it's been argued (and I personally agree) that the appeal of pewdiepie and similar let's players (similar in general delivery and demeanour, though not necessarily derivatives) is that they depict and sell the idea of a consequence-free lifestyle. the face in the corner of the screen shrieks rape jokes for ten minutes, and not once does his mom or dad come into the room and tell him to quiet down. this appeals to children and young adults in kind, simply because children long for independence from authority and adults long for the effortless simplicity of a life spent playing video games that the lifestyle of a professional content creator purports to offer. the games and humour are commonly touted, but they're not the actual draw -- instead, the appeal is being able to live vicariously through the man onscreen for ten or twenty minutes at once, and temporarily lose oneself in the illusion that one day, this is what their lives will be like. it's a lotus to eat, and a very effective one at quieting the fears of our generation.