This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
YouTube’s and TikTok’s premiere cultural commentary creators discussed the changes and challenges they’ve faced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic at a VidCon panel Thursday.
YouTubers Jarvis Johnson, Eddy Burback, and Jenny Nicholson joined TikToker Michael (HePetty) and former YouTuber Lindsay Ellis on a panel moderated by journalist Mara Schiavocampo. The group discussed evolving audience behavior, conceptualizing content, mental health, and advice for aspiring creators.
With everyone stuck at home at the start of the pandemic, there was nothing to do but watch content and connect through phone screens. Ellis, who quit YouTube last December, said that this made social media more lucrative—but made audiences more toxic.
“Nobody had anything to do and everyone was just trapped in front of their social media,” she said during the panel. “So I think the reactions from audiences got more emotional or intense.”
