PewDiePie...YouTube / Social Talent...HATE?!

Felix Kjellberg or PewDiePie...for most, this name means nothing. For 12-16 year olds, he's the new celebrity - the people young generations aspire to be. 

A lot has been made this week of PewDiePie (YouTube Gamer), after newspapers revealed he'd earned $7 million in ad revenue in 2014 through his YouTube Videos. There's been controversy and all sorts of hate thrown at him.

I thought I'd throw my two cents into this debate. 

PewDiePie, has amassed (at the time of writing this) almost 38 million YouTube subscribers, an incomprehensible number of people and almost 10 billion views. He has more subscribers than One Direction, Rihanna, Eminem, Justin Bieber, you could say, he's one of the most influential social personalities on the planet.

He's built his fan base from nothing - people seem to forget, that he started his YouTube channel from 0. He wasn't just given 37 million + subscribers, it's churning out content daily, that people watch, share and talk about. It's understanding what works, what doesn't work, when to post and how to relate with this audience.

He has an army of followers, who have gravitated towards him, because they enjoy his content. If you don't like it...don't watch it - you have a choice. You could say its luck and be jealous or you could appreciate the dedication, hard work and faith in his project.

"Oh he's only in it for the money"

People have forgotten the $1 million he raised for charity, the press hardly wrote about it, sticking the knife in about how much he's earning from ad-revenue instead. PewDiePie started his channel because he loved video games, he dropped out of college because he didn't want to follow the conventional employment route. He took a huge risk and he's reaping the rewards. 

Sure his content isn't for everybody, but nor is One Direction or Rihanna's music. For me, he's firmly mastered his art and from the outside looking in, he's having an amazing time doing it. 

Isn't everyones dream growing up to do what they love as a career?

YouTube is now a viable career option for anyone, there's no interview or job qualifications to apply...you can start today. I only have admiration for people like Felix and the hate is unwarranted.