Determining who the “world’s first YouTuber” is can be a bit tricky, as the platform has evolved significantly since its inception in 2005. However, there are a few creators who are widely recognized as being among the first to use YouTube as a platform for sharing content and building an audience.
One of the earliest and most influential YouTubers was Jawed Karim, one of the co-founders of YouTube itself. Karim’s first video, entitled “Me at the zoo,” was uploaded to the platform on April 23, 2005, just a few months after YouTube was launched. In the video, Karim stands in front of the elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo and talks briefly about the animals. While the video is only 18 seconds long and fairly unremarkable in terms of content, it has gone down in history as the very first video ever uploaded to YouTube.
Another early YouTube pioneer was Shane Dawson, who began posting videos to the platform in 2008. Dawson’s early videos were often comedic in nature, featuring skits, parodies, and other humorous content. Over time, he began to incorporate more personal and introspective content into his channel, discussing his struggles with anxiety, depression, and body image issues. Dawson’s frank and vulnerable approach to content creation helped to set the stage for the more personal and confessional style of content that is now ubiquitous on YouTube.
Yet another early YouTube star was Jenna Marbles, who began posting videos in 2010. Marbles’ content was often irreverent and tongue-in-cheek, with titles like “How to Trick People Into Thinking You’re Good Looking” and “What Girls Do In the Bathroom In the Morning.” Marbles quickly became one of the most popular creators on the platform, with millions of subscribers and views. Her success helped to establish YouTube as a platform where anyone with a camera and an internet connection could potentially build an audience and make a living.
Other early YouTube creators who helped to shape the platform include Philip DeFranco, who began posting videos in 2006 and became known for his commentary on news and pop culture; Smosh, a comedy duo who began posting videos in 2005 and quickly amassed a huge following; and Freddie Wong, a filmmaker who began posting short films and special effects tutorials in 2007.
It’s worth noting that while these creators are often credited as being among the “first” YouTubers, the platform has changed significantly since its early days. In the early 2000s, YouTube was primarily a place for individuals to share short, low-quality videos with friends and family. Today, it’s a global media platform that boasts over 2 billion monthly active users, with creators spanning every conceivable genre and niche. As such, the concept of a “first” YouTuber is somewhat fluid and subjective.
However, what is clear is that the early pioneers of YouTube helped to establish the platform as a place for creative expression, community building, and self-discovery. Their willingness to experiment with new formats and approaches to content creation paved the way for the diverse and vibrant ecosystem of creators that now exists on YouTube. Whether we consider Jawed Karim, Shane Dawson, Jenna Marbles, or any of the other early YouTube stars to be the “world’s first YouTuber,” their contributions to the platform and to online culture as a whole cannot be overstated.
