Is Youtube dominated by men?

With 122 million active users from across the world every day, the success of YouTube is built on the popularity of video. This is driven by YouTubers who create content tailored to their niche audiences. Yet with males making up around 54% of platform users, creators need to ask whether most YouTube videos are influenced by this gender dominance. 

To see if this is true, we’ve taken a look at the work of gaming YouTubers such as KSI, Zoella, TheSyndicateProject, Joe Weller and AshleyMarieeGaming. This article will examine how both male and female YouTubers in this genre use cinematography, editing and narratives to make a judgement on whether the platform is skewed towards men or not. 

How the men do it

Gaming is a genre that’s seen huge growth on YouTube over recent years. This is thanks to the huge amount of funding from sponsors and an increased audience for e-sports and means the industry’s worth is now estimated at $214.2 billion. 

As well as being fast-growing, this genre is also fairly male-dominated. We take a look at why this is by examining some of gaming’s biggest YouTube creators. 

JJ

JJ Olatunji (who also uses the pseudonym ‘KSI‘ online) made his fame on the back of his tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and gameplay commentary of the popular EA Sports console game FIFA. Setting up his account in 2009, he has developed an impressive following of more than 16 million subscribers and earnings of around $24 million. 

More recently though, KSI expanded his channel content to include real-life challenges and pranks as well as releasing an EP and various other music projects. This is quickly looking to become JJ’s new pathway after taking a break from YouTube.

Tom Cassell 

Tom Cassell has a channel known as The Syndicate Project which currently has more than nine million subscribers. Cassell’s main channel content is purely focused on gaming and he has an associated Twitch account which he uses regularly to stream. 

Tom used YouTube as a platform to expand his career and build a persona for himself. His success has led him to create a second channel, Life of Tom which includes daily vlogs that break down the barrier between viewer and producer. 

On this channel, Tom often uses a hand-held camera which gives a high-angle, close-up shot rather than the professional-looking shots we get from a mounted camera he uses in his gaming videos. These techniques help the audience feel welcome and as if they’re being directly addressed. This has helped him create a loyal, strong fan base.

Joe Weller

A man who strays away from the norm of YouTube gaming, Joe Weller is 21 years old and creates content that ranges from comedy skits to vlogs and interviews. This content also includes gaming videos and the other stereotypical male interests of football, wrestling, the gym and women. He also produces content on topics he feels strongly towards such as mental health and depression. 

Though his content veers away from standard gaming videos, Joe gives his audience a glimpse into his own experiences and helps his mostly young, male audience. Though he only has 323 videos on his channel, he has more than five million subscribers. 

Male YouTuber techniques

Similar techniques are used by male creators to self-promote their image and increase their influence on YouTube and other social media platforms. For example, their faces are present in the preview images of all videos. This shows exactly how their personalities are the front and centre of their brand. 

This is part of their efforts to establish themselves as ‘opinion leaders’ on gaming and other topics of interest. Meaning they’re not just YouTubers but wider social media influencers and creators. 

What about women?

Don’t take us the wrong way, YouTube isn’t just a male game. Ashley Mariee Surcombe is a 21-year-old from Cyprus who established her channel with videos about Minecraft, sit-down interviews and vlogs. Ashley’s channel has around 500,000 subscribers and more than 2,000 videos. 

The gaming videos Ashley creates also film her gameplay using a capture card device and place a camera on a tripod to get a still, eye-level, close-up shot or her own reactions. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Popular gaming content creators have tapped into the formula that has proven most effective and it has done wonders for their channels.

How can YouNeek help YouTubers?

YouTubers aren’t just videographers, they’re social media personalities. This means they have to manage a busy schedule of real-life events and social media accounts alongside regular video uploads. Along with managers, PR teams and security, video production teams are key to helping YouTubers maintain their fame and continue to grow. 

YouNeek Productions can help individuals or businesses with an existing following who want to increase their video quality and narratives to attract a wider audience. We have recently done this with a golfing client. We produced a series for their channel which gained more than 40k views over a two-month period. 

However, if you’re starting out in YouTube creation, we would recommend using the tools and resources you have already to find your niche. Then, we can support you to put a real focus on bringing original ideas to your channel and audience.