YouTube is giving us something new…better
- Kiara Aggarwal
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
By Irintsoa Rakotomamonjy
We’re in the midst of the era where being an “influencer/youtuber” is a convenient job for many. We know ones like Mr. Beast, who has turned their channel almost as big as Hollywood, gaining around a million subscribers daily as he rents an island for a content. It is no secret that on social media, the bigger, louder, and more clickable you are, the more you matter. And now, with the rise of short-form content (TikTok, YT Shorts, Reels), the game has reached its pinnacle. These bite-sized dopamine hits have rewired how we consume, favoring quick gratification over sustained attention. Of course, this is goldmine for creators: more views, faster feedback, and algorithmic boosts. Have we let the joy of creating become a race for relevance?
The new wave of YouTubers many don’t know about
While many creators still seem to prioritize algorithms over authenticity, there has been a new wave of YouTubers finding their place on the platform. In the last five years, creators like Riza (Life of Riza), Colt (Colt Kirwan), Simon (Wholesome Simon), Natalie Lynn, Aidan ( Valspire Family ), and more newcomers had their rise. Considering that they are not just making YouTube videos but paving the way for young indie filmmakers, it is a well-deserved rise.
There’s a saying that “What’s real will prosper.” These new creators challenge the fast-paced retention approach, and instead focus on authentic storytelling, showing the ingenuity of creation. They are crafting videos that feel more like personal short films than viral content. Rather than flashy edits and trendy video challenges, they blend narration, music, and deliberate camera work to build emotional resonance, not just engagement.
Authenticity is the root of human connection, and in this world where people scream to have their voices heard, the right audience will find their way to you by staying true to your art. Perhaps these creators may not be pulling in a million subscribers a month or dominating the algorithm’s favor, but their growth is etched into the intentionality of their craft. What they’re building is slower, yes, but also more enduring.
The future of filmmaking
The next generation of filmmakers are now starting on YouTube. Take Natalie Lynn, for instance. From 2022 to 2024, she released an indie documentary series titled Borderless, a two- year chronicle of her life on the road, living in a van. One of the most prominent episodes, The Adventure That Saved My Life, now with over 1 million views, opens with a silhouette of Natalie and a friend laughing in front of her van. The sound is muffled, dreamlike. It creates this nostalgia that immediately draws the viewer into her memory. Then comes her narration: “I didn’t know it at this moment, but everything was about to end…” That single line reframes the
joy with a more saddened tone, casting the story in a retrospective light. Ensued after the poignant opening, the episode stretches over 25 minutes, in which Natalie expands a memoir of a specific moment of her life cinematically. Through match cuts, soft lightning, stop-motion animation, and real-time footages, she was able to capture not just the journey, but the fragility and beauty of human connection. She delivers what big crews and huge budgets often aim for – yet she does it alone, with rawness and artistic precision.
Now with nearly a million subscribers, she has been recognized and invited at events like CAMP Film Festival to share more about her filmmaking process. In an interview, when asked what part of her life is tended to be shared publicly, she explained: “In putting raw clips and talking about raw things […] if I feel like it can help other people or if other people can relate/connect to it, it definitely feels intentional to put it online.” This is what these new creators aim for: building resonance with the audience, rather than just chase virality.
Give them a chance?
Rick Rubin discusses, in his book The Creative Act, how being an artist “is a way of being in this world.” He expands on how their role (artists) is not to chase recognition or avoid failure, but to serve the creative work itself. He puts it as “redefining sensitivity to tune in to more subtle notes,” in order to bring something new into the world, yet not completely far from reality. It takes us back to the wave of new creators who’s doing just that: creating space for honesty and
connection with intentionality.
As for viewers, these long-form content still matters, as it asks us to slow down, watch with intent, and feel deeply, in which perhaps we recognize ourselves in another’s story. This is not to say we should stop watching other YouTubers but to ask you to give this niche side of YouTube a chance to flourish.
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