Post by milowent on Mar 9, 2007 9:32:15 GMT -5
I had some trouble last night finding articles (its not in Wikipedia) and such about EmoKid21Ohio, a "fake" YouTube vlogger who predated Bree (by maybe 2 months?). He was an English guy pretending to be a self-absorbed emo teen from "clevie" (i.e., cleveland) ohio. He also recruited a female friend to be EmoGirl, who also posted videos. Many people were duped before he was outed. Thus, when Bree and Danielbeast emerged there were many comparisons to the EmoKid saga. But Youtube grew exponentially in 2006, and EmoKid seems to be a footnote at this point, though I think an important precursor, to Bree.
emokid's youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=emokid21ohio
emogirl21's youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=emogirl21
Seleted Vids:
My First Video Blog (April 3, 2006 - is this original posting date? It only has just over 50K views right now, but that's not impossible because it took far fewer views and subscribers to be a youtube sensation in April 2006)
My video blog (April 4, 2006 - first vlog from emogirl)
So I'm Not From Ohio Eh (April 12, 2006) (shows his Soc. Sec. card, and a IRS tax form - but whoops, one for non-residents of the United States, and some random Illinois license plates he had)
The Death of EmoKid21Ohio (April 26, 2006) Matt comes out, someone found his real myspace!
The Return of EmoKid21Ohio (Nov. 1, 2006). EmoKid comes back post-LG15 outing. Only 8,000 views for this one.[/url]
I Made YouTube What It Is Today (Nov. 2, 2006)
Below posts from last night that reference EmoKid21Ohio:
I have to imagine they did feel hunted. I mean, they really were being hunted and analyzed, just like the creator of the Gore video which Terry cited above, and just like so many other internet hoaxes. (to wit: The Teen Virgins (1998) - ulterior motive was to promote abstinence; The Tourist Guy (2001); EmoKid21Ohio (early 2006)
- perhaps Miles' inspiration for the lg15 format )
The Creators deliberately set out to do this covertly, so that people would think Bree was real. It was a great plan, to be honest. It was the key to their success. They capitalized on the fact that youtube videos can be posted under a pseudonym and they didn't need to say whether they are real. It was deceptive, however, and deception on the internet is an unstable state.
I also agree it was hard to predict that the show would continue on so favorably. I believe that a critical mass of fans of the show, who had already decided it was fiction, but loved good stories, saved the show. this includes the cove and people like renetto. It was a grassroots thing, and it had to overcome the press meme that bree's fans were pissed. EmoKid21Ohio, which was the biggest youtube hoax before Bree (and we're talking maybe 2 months prior), died completely when he was outed.
Also funny is how he was sort of outed by his accent too. Of course, Bree added in NZ to her story which explained it away, however EmoKid, being a regular guy from Ohio, was mighty suspicious the way he'd slip into a semi-British accent at times.
Also while this was no big deal as he had been long exposed, I watched one or two of his videos and noticed numerous dead giveaways he wasn't in England. He was pretty bold with some of them! In one he visits his granny who can only speak in non-sensical mumbles. I guess it really was he grandmother and that's really the way she talks, and he was able to have her on it because the mumbles kept you from being able to tell she doesn't have an American accent.
In that same scene though I noticed on her chair one of the biggest British newspapers. What would that be doing in Ohio? Also on the way to her house it shows him driving (an all too famous shot), and while it cuts off part of the car you can tell he's driving on the right side. Might have even reversed it, but you could still tell.
At the time I thought he was full of it in his claiming that HE was the original lonelygirl and such, but now I wonder if Miles really did get the idea from seeing his or not. Even if Miles did get the format idea from him, EmoKid gave himself too much credit I think because I was drawn in by the witty writing and of course the actress herself with her delivery of it. Just because his show was in a similar format doesn't mean it was equally as entertaining as Bree nor destined for the same path, something which he seems to think it would have been if only he had come along a few months later.
It's amazing he even lasted as long as he did. There was an "expose" video done about the Tax Form, it was just too easy.
emokid's youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=emokid21ohio
emogirl21's youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/profile?user=emogirl21
Seleted Vids:
My First Video Blog (April 3, 2006 - is this original posting date? It only has just over 50K views right now, but that's not impossible because it took far fewer views and subscribers to be a youtube sensation in April 2006)
My video blog (April 4, 2006 - first vlog from emogirl)
So I'm Not From Ohio Eh (April 12, 2006) (shows his Soc. Sec. card, and a IRS tax form - but whoops, one for non-residents of the United States, and some random Illinois license plates he had)
The Death of EmoKid21Ohio (April 26, 2006) Matt comes out, someone found his real myspace!
The Return of EmoKid21Ohio (Nov. 1, 2006). EmoKid comes back post-LG15 outing. Only 8,000 views for this one.[/url]
I Made YouTube What It Is Today (Nov. 2, 2006)
Below posts from last night that reference EmoKid21Ohio:
milowent said:
buckwheat said:
Don't agree with you on this one Temp.....I do know that [The Creators] indeed "felt" hunted, and that they were terrified that when the truth came out the whole show could die, so the stakes were very high ...tho, as it turned out, the opposite occurred, but no one could have predicted that. I have to imagine they did feel hunted. I mean, they really were being hunted and analyzed, just like the creator of the Gore video which Terry cited above, and just like so many other internet hoaxes. (to wit: The Teen Virgins (1998) - ulterior motive was to promote abstinence; The Tourist Guy (2001); EmoKid21Ohio (early 2006)
- perhaps Miles' inspiration for the lg15 format )
The Creators deliberately set out to do this covertly, so that people would think Bree was real. It was a great plan, to be honest. It was the key to their success. They capitalized on the fact that youtube videos can be posted under a pseudonym and they didn't need to say whether they are real. It was deceptive, however, and deception on the internet is an unstable state.
I also agree it was hard to predict that the show would continue on so favorably. I believe that a critical mass of fans of the show, who had already decided it was fiction, but loved good stories, saved the show. this includes the cove and people like renetto. It was a grassroots thing, and it had to overcome the press meme that bree's fans were pissed. EmoKid21Ohio, which was the biggest youtube hoax before Bree (and we're talking maybe 2 months prior), died completely when he was outed.
hyemew said:
EmoKid is an interesting story. I only heard of him after LG15, when he reuploaded his videos in an angry huff exclaiming I MADE HER WHO SHE WAS! SHE COPIED ME!Also funny is how he was sort of outed by his accent too. Of course, Bree added in NZ to her story which explained it away, however EmoKid, being a regular guy from Ohio, was mighty suspicious the way he'd slip into a semi-British accent at times.
Also while this was no big deal as he had been long exposed, I watched one or two of his videos and noticed numerous dead giveaways he wasn't in England. He was pretty bold with some of them! In one he visits his granny who can only speak in non-sensical mumbles. I guess it really was he grandmother and that's really the way she talks, and he was able to have her on it because the mumbles kept you from being able to tell she doesn't have an American accent.
In that same scene though I noticed on her chair one of the biggest British newspapers. What would that be doing in Ohio? Also on the way to her house it shows him driving (an all too famous shot), and while it cuts off part of the car you can tell he's driving on the right side. Might have even reversed it, but you could still tell.
At the time I thought he was full of it in his claiming that HE was the original lonelygirl and such, but now I wonder if Miles really did get the idea from seeing his or not. Even if Miles did get the format idea from him, EmoKid gave himself too much credit I think because I was drawn in by the witty writing and of course the actress herself with her delivery of it. Just because his show was in a similar format doesn't mean it was equally as entertaining as Bree nor destined for the same path, something which he seems to think it would have been if only he had come along a few months later.
milowent said:
hyemew said:
Oh and one more entertaining thing which a lot of people not just me picked up about EmoKid. He "proves" he's American by showing his US income tax form... except that a quick look-up of the form number he shows revealed that it was one for Americans abroad who need to file from another country! So essentially the American tax form he showed is the one you can only get in OTHER countries. Thought that was pretty funny.It's amazing he even lasted as long as he did. There was an "expose" video done about the Tax Form, it was just too easy.