YouTube & Asian Identity

QUESTION

How does Youtube as a media platform act as a prism for Asian representation and visibility? Where can we find the Asian community on Youtube and what videos can we go to see ourselves? Do these videos provide a “clarifying” or “distorted” message about our identity?

It’s no surprise that with the popularity of social media and a growing worldwide interest in creating content, YouTube has been at the forefront for many when sharing their passions with others. Since its launch in 2007, this video-sharing platform has established itself as one of the most popular news, entertainment and everything-in-between media sources everyone loves to watch. Have you ever fallen down a YouTube hole? I certainly have—and will probably continue to do so—because sometimes, it’s just that addictive. YouTube has proven to be more than just another way to watch videos; it’s become a melting pot of cultures, identities and shared creativity. YouTube is a place where anyone from any background can create content, something that has greatly helped diversify and increase representation of minorities in other media sources as well. I know one of the reasons why I love YouTube is because it was one, if not the only way I could see myself or people that looked like me in mainstream pop culture. Asian identity is something I didn’t really care about while growing up until I started watching YouTube. It was through watching videos like Michelle Phan’s makeup tutorials and Ryan Higa’s comedy sketches that made me realize just how important YouTube has been for the Asian community in providing visibility and success. Some of my favorite Asian celebrities are YouTube influencers. However, visibility is a two-way street, and YouTube is no exception. As a social platform, controversy or offensive content is inevitable. Just as there are many videos that showcase Asian Americans in a positive light, there are those that cast a negative light. When viewing videos such as Asians making fun of their own racial stereotypes or news reports of the Coronavirus, I asked myself in what areas has YouTube shaped both the good and bad parts of the Asian American experience? What subgenres of YouTube has the Asian community been particularly influential in? I’ve tried to answer these questions as best as I could by highlighting some of them below, along with some key creators. The next time you’re looking to see more of the Asian community on YouTube, you can start here.

ASIAN IDENTITY

One of the positive ways in which YouTube has highlighted the Asian community is through videos addressing what it means to be Asian American. You’ve probably already stumbled upon this identity genre relating personal experiences with trending topics from channels like BuzzFeed, Jubilee, Refinery29 and even TEDx talks. More and more Asian and Asian American creators are opening up discussions on both their pride and insecurities regarding their race. It’s a good thing. In 2015, As/Is by BuzzFeed, a channel with 10.7 million subscribers, came out with a video titled “I’m Asian, But I’m Not…” In the video, Asian Americans are interviewed about the stereotypes they are faced with but don’t embody, such as being good at math or an aspiring doctor. The video has over 3 million views. Similarly, one of Jubilee’s (4.9m) popular social experiments titled, “Do All Asian Americans Think the Same?,” asked different Asian Americans with opposing viewpoints the same questions about their race. It has over 2 million views. Even Asian American influencers like Domics, Jenn Im and Weylie Hoang, have started a more intimate conversation of their experiences with their viewers with the video tag, “Growing Up Asian (or specific Asian ethnicity) American.” No matter the way into the discussion, what’s important is that it is continuously being made, opening the door for Asian Americans to tell their stories and be heard through YouTube. Here are some other great videos to check out:

“What Does The Word ‘Asian’ Mean To You?” … BuzzFeedVideo “Asian American Women Share Their Body Insecurities” … As/Is “I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype | Canwen Xu | TEDxBoise” … TEDx Talks “Asian Americans Try To Speak Their Native Language” … As/Is COMEDY & ENTERTAINMENT

It’s not every day we see a lot of Asian Americans in the world of entertainment, comedy or general videos of enjoyment. People don’t typically think of Asian Americans at the forefront of creative artwork, whether that be music, stand-up, dance, gaming or just funny content. But YouTube has proven that Asians, given the chance, can be incredibly successful in these fields Channels like nigahiga (21.3m), Markiplier (25.1m), Liza Koshy (17.8m) and Domics (7.1m) have all made household names for themselves on YouTube either through comedy sketches, gaming videos or cartoon animations. Many of them provide Asian representation in multiple ways. The channel Wong Fu Productions (3.3m) has created videos parodying western films and TV shows with Asian characters, such as the “Asian Bachelorette” (5.9m). Some channels have chosen to use stereotypes about the Asian community as a way to humorously relate and connect with audiences, like the Fung Bros’ (2m) video, “18 TYPES OF ASIAN GIRLS” (4.6m) and “THINGS ASIAN PARENTS DO” (8m). Some successful Asian comedians have reached YouTube’s spotlight, including Ali Wong, Ken Jeong and Ronny Cheing, and have all been featured on popular channels like The Laugh Factory and Comedy Central.

MAKEUP & FASHION

My favorite subgenre to feature significant growth regarding the presence of Asian Americans is the makeup tutorial and vlog-style fashion videos of YouTube. Growing up in America, I faced a lot of western ideals of beauty and fashion standards that were heavily centralized around fair complexions and similar-looking models advertising new clothing collections. Only in the past few years has the call for diversity grown in these industries on an international scale, yet YouTube has already made these strides. One of the first YouTubers I ever watched was Michelle Phan. She was memorable not only because of her incredible talent in transforming into characters such as Lady Gaga or Barbie, but also because I saw a woman who looked like me look and feel beautiful, and others thought so too. It was more than just equating self-worth with validation, it was visibility I had never seen before. Every tutorial Phan posted made me, a hopeful 12-year-old sitting in my bedroom, believe that I could be that beautiful too. Her skin tone was my skin tone and her eye shape was my eye shape. With 8.9 million subscribers and her own makeup line, Phan is one of YouTube’s biggest stars in the beauty world and she still hasn’t stopped. Here are some other popular Asian American beauty and fashion influencers to check out:

Patrick Starr (4.4m) Jenn Im (2.6m) bestdressed (2.8m) Nikita Dragun (2.6m) Asian food and culture has become popularized through YouTube in multiple ways. Food, in particular, is something we hold close to our identities. YouTube is allowing us to now see more representation of what can be on the menu, not just a burger and fries. Just take a look at how many mukbangs, a Korean term for eating show where someone eats food in front of an audience or camera, are out there right now (there are a lot, and many from non-Asian creators). Any fan of the ASMR community can attest that this way of producing a good “sensory” experience highlights Asian culture’s influence. The foods that get eaten in videos also span many ethnicities and include Chinese mooncakes, Japanese mochi and ramen, Indian chicken tikka masala and Taiwanese boba. SASASMR, a popular Thai ASMR channel with 8.4 million subscribers, showcases many Asian foods in her mukbang videos. There are also channels that teach viewers how to make Asian food, like JunsKitchen, with 4.5 million subscribers. All of his videos are rooted in his Japanese heritage. If you’re a lover of “food-hunters” on YouTube, you know that some of the most popular foods these videos focus on are from the streets of Asian countries, like the Japanese souffle pancakes that rack up millions of views. Here are some other favorites:

“Korean Street Food” ... Luke Martin “Chinese Street Food Tour in Shanghai, China” ... The Food Ranger “Street Food Japan” ... Street Food World Seonkyoung Longest (Asian cooking show) “Extreme Asian Food Challenge • Try Guys Feast Mode” … BuzzFeedVideo

NEWS

I mentioned before that there are negative aspects of the Asian American experience shown through YouTube, and it would be ignorant of me to gloss over them. Just like any other viral social platform, YouTube has videos that will offend someone, and the Asian community has taken the heat. Most recently, I remember two videos I watched that contained racist content: one being a Global News report on the widespread fear associated with the Coronavirus and the other of President Trump criticizing the South Korean film Parasite’s Oscar win for best picture at a rally in late February 2020. The former, with more than 185,000 views, talks about the damage fear and racist mindset have done on many small businesses in Canadian Chinatowns, most of which are now practically deserted. The video also showed social media’s influence on public attitudes, with trending tweets blaming Chinese food, specifically the consumption of rats, as part of the problem. In the latter video, President Trump seems to go off on a tangent when he talks to his audience about the South Korean film Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho. In the Guardian news video, with over 112,000 views, he can be quoted saying, “...and the winner is a movie from South Korea, what the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea!” among other mocking comments about foreign films in general. Although it is never easy seeing these videos on YouTube, I find it incredibly important that they are there so that we can directly address these problems and spread awareness on how to better these situations. We as viewers can become informed about not only what is happening in the world, but how we can talk about it with others and open discussions. Here are some other recent controversial incidents I’ve watched on YouTube regarding the Asian community: “Asian-Americans accuse Harvard of bias” … CNN “The Chinese students fighting racism - BBC News” … BBC News “Racist Driver Berates Asian-American Family” … HuffPost “‘Saturday Night Live’ fires Shane Gillis amid controversy”... ABC News “Shane Gillis Chinatown” … Jomny Failsunn (podcast) “Watters’ World: Chinatown edition” … Fox News

Written by Isabelle Paquette

Edited & Designed by Phoebe Jacoby