Happy Thursday! 

YouTube celebrated its 20th birthday yesterday, so I thought it would be appropriate to take a walk down memory lane today. 

YouTubers built the foundation for modern internet culture. I, like many of my peers in the digital culture space, grew up watching them — and it explains a lot about who I am today. 

I never really felt a lack of media representation because there were so many popular Asian YouTubers I looked up to: Ryan Higa, KevJumba, HappySlip, communitychannel, and Wong Fu Productions, to name a few. I learned how to dance from Brian Puspos and was driven to make my own (shitty) covers because of Tori Kelly. On the style front, Jenn Im influenced me to dabble in fashion vlogging and Desi Perkins taught me how to do a fierce smokey eye. YouTubers helped me explore my own style, interests, and humor. 

People fearmonger over what children watch online these days. While I think there is a lot to be cautious about — radicalization pipelines, AI slop, and constant comparisons to name a few — the internet has always been a mixed bag. Online creators, whether they are making content for kids or not, can have a positive, lasting impact on young people. 

The scrappy little freaks who defined the platform in its early days helped shape a whole generation’s behavior and taste for decades to come. It’s no wonder people often describe younger people as having dadaist humor. (With YouTube becoming a top platform for kids today, I can’t wait to see how my Gen Alpha brothers turn out.)

I saw a comment recently saying how YouTube videos don’t remain relevant as long as films or TV shows. The viral hamster wheel of the internet may lead you to believing this, but there are so many YouTube videos that have endured in the hearts and minds of Real Online Heads for decades. 

I’ve asked a few Extremely Online people what old YouTube videos have stuck with them over the years. Here’s what they said. Rickrolls, offensive jokes, and parodies ahead. Upgrade to the Yapper tier to read the full list.

Kat Tenbarge, journalist at Spitfire News

By the tender age of 15, I had memorized most of this video and permanently etched its impression into my brain. 

This is how the world met Jenna Marbles, who was at one point the most successful female comedian on YouTube. “How to trick people into thinking you’re good looking” is peak 2010 viral internet, with its use of “Never Gonna Give You Up,” the grainy camera quality, and a joke about crying over your unused master’s degree. 

While sitting at my family’s desktop computer after school, Jenna transformed into the cool older sister I didn’t have. Videos like this one became my Bible, with scripture like “Now it’s time to do your eye makeup. I like to use colors like black, because it says ‘I’m a whore.’” Fittingly, Jenna was working for Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports at the time. If I could go back, I’d still watch it. Again and again and again.

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