YouTube fame refers to recognition received through uploaded videos that become viral on the video sharing website YouTube. Some videos become famous and rack up hundreds of thousands of views. Many videos of docile things such as the singing of a popular song or a comedy routines achieve YouTube fame, but the desire for such fame has led to dangerous undertakings and incidents such as the making of fight videos.
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Many Internet celebrities gained their fame through YouTube.
Risks
The desire for even non-profit YouTube fame has led to several incidents such as the pulling of dangerous stunts. One incident involved a teen from Ontario high school who was set on fire after being doused with Axe Body Spray by a fourteen-year-old accomplice. He suffered from third degree burns. The accomplice was charged with assault causing bodily harm.
New York Fight Club
A violent street gang, the "Union Square Spartans", that began holding public fights in New York City earned YouTube fame for videos uploaded depicting street fights. Their publicity has led to the fights becoming an organized event to which crowds of hundreds sometimes attend. Many of the fighters are homeless and use nicknames.
Indiana University
In Indianapolis, two teens from Kokomo, Indiana, wielding a camera, went around the campus of Indiana University trying to pick fights in an attempt to post an attack video on YouTube. For five days the teens visited the campus, doing such things as yelling out their vehicle windows trying to harass people into fighting. At 2 am they got into a fight with Drew Langhals after he responded to their taunts by yelling back. One of the teens pushed him into a bush and the other began punching and kicking him. Langhals then pick up his long board and hit both teens in the head. Police caught the teens, who were charged with battery and illegal consumption.
Unwanted fame
A South Korean student, Lim Jeong-hyun, was uncomfortable with the fame he received after being discovered as the "star" of multiple videos depicting him playing guitar, which were uploaded by someone other than himself. The most popular video was one of him covering Johann Pachelbel's Canon.
Manipulation
Some users go as far as to manipulating YouTube system to gain exposure. This can be achieved by artificially boosting views rank in order to get more attention from users.