While younger demographics already love them, YouTube stars are gaining traction – and credibility – on the national stage.
YouTube has over a billion users, or about a third of all people on the Internet. In the last two years, the number of hours spent watching videos on YouTube has grown 60 percent year over year.
While the statistics are impressive, perhaps the biggest indicator of YouTube’s exponential growth and power came from the White House, when President Barack Obama sat down to talk to three YouTube stars.
Meet the chosen three
These stars aren’t A-list celebrities from hot movies, or news reporters with awards lining the shelves, they’re everyday people who have created their brand on the popular video channel.
Ingrid Nilson, sWooZie and Destin Sandlin were given the opportunity to interview Obama, in person, for about 10 minutes a few days after his State of Union address.
Besides their unique brands, the YouTube celebs have 3+ million subscribers apiece. The White House YouTube channel, by the way, only has roughly 674,000 subscribers. Here’s what the YouTubers asked the Commander in Chief.
sWooZie
sWooZie, known for his humorous “1000 percent true stories,” did ask some funny questions, but asked a serious one about race and how Obama plans to deal with cops “that are developing a superhuman complex.”
Destin Sandlin
Destin Sandlin, an engineer by trade and the man behind Smarter Every Day, talked to the president about deep space exploration.
Ingrid Nilsen
Ingrid Nilsen, a lifestyle vlogger, asked about the president’s plan to cure cancer, something he brought up in his State of the Union.
See the full interview below.
