The internet is everywhere. But how did it start? How has it changed? And what will it look like in the future?No development in human history has changed the world as radically, or as quickly, as the advent of the internet. There’s almost no aspect of 21st-century life that it hasn’t shaped or fundamentally altered, for better or for worse. But the history of the internet is longer than you might think. Its foundations stretch as far back as the 1960s, decades before it would become an accessible and inescapable part of everyday life.In this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series, author and journalist Chris Stokel-Walker traces the internet from its (relatively) humble beginnings to the ubiquitous force that exists today, from email and dial-up to social media and the metaverse.Breaking down complex concepts around how the world wide web works, how it has changed over time, and the effects it has had on the world as we know it, as well as explaining key terminology and spotlighting important figures, The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks explains everything you need to know about this era-defining technology in short, easy-to-digest chapters.

The internet is everywhere. But how did it start? How has it changed? And what will it look like in the future?No development in human history has changed the world as radically, or as quickly, as the advent of the internet. There’s almost no aspect of 21st-century life that it hasn’t shaped or fundamentally altered, for better or for worse. But the history of the internet is longer than you might think. Its foundations stretch as far back as the 1960s, decades before it would become an accessible and inescapable part of everyday life.In this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series, author and journalist Chris Stokel-Walker traces the internet from its (relatively) humble beginnings to the ubiquitous force that exists today, from email and dial-up to social media and the metaverse. Breaking down complex concepts around how the world wide web works, how it has changed over time, and the effects it has had on the world as we know it, as well as explaining key terminology and spotlighting important figures, The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks explains everything you need

More than 100 YouTube insiders spoke to the author 'Absorbing and highly illuminating' – The Bookseller'A must-read book for anyone who wants to understand the future of media' – MEL MagazineYouTube didn’t just disrupt television — it quietly reinvented fame, creativity, advertising, and power itself. YouTubers by Chris Stokel‑Walker is the definitive, deeply reported account of how a scrappy video‑sharing website became one of the most influential cultural forces of the 21st century, creating a new generation of stars, entrepreneurs, and global media brands.From the very first shaky upload to today’s billion‑view channels, YouTubers explores how ordinary people turned cameras on themselves and built vast audiences, lucrative businesses, and devoted fan communities. Through vivid storytelling and behind‑the‑scenes access, Stokel‑Walker follows the rise of vloggers, gamers, pranksters, beauty creators, child stars, and influencers — and reveals what success on YouTube really costs. This is not just a book about internet celebrities. It is a sharp, authoritative guide to the creator economy, unpacking how YouTube actually works: the algorithm that decides what goes viral, the metrics that govern visibility, and the hidden systems that reward some creators while quietly burying others. You’ll learn how watch time, recommended videos, monetisation, demonetisation, and brand safety shape online video — and why creators are often forced to adapt at breakneck speed just to survive. YouTubers also examines the business of influence. As traditional advertising faltered, brands moved to YouTube, fuelling the rise of influencer marketing, sponsored content, and creator‑led brand deals. The book explains how creators make money through ads, partnerships, merchandise, Patreon, and live events — and why relying on any single revenue stream can be dangerously unstable. The “Adpocalypse,” burnout, and platform crackdowns expose the fragile reality behind the glamour. Crucially, the book doesn’t shy away from YouTube’s darker side. It investigates extremism, conspiracy content, children’s programming scandals, and the ethical challenges of algorithmic recommendation at scale. As YouTube grows more powerful, YouTubers asks urgent questions about responsibility, regulation, and what happens when a private platform becomes the world’s most influential broadcaster. Inside, you’ll discover: How YouTube’s algorithm and recommendation system shape culture and attention The rise of vloggers, influencers, and internet celebrities How monetisation, ads, sponsorships, and brand deals really work Why burnout, authenticity, and parasocial relationships define creator life The global expansion of YouTube across languages, countries, and cultures The battle between YouTube, traditional TV, Facebook, and emerging platforms Written with clarity, insight, and narrative drive, YouTubers is essential reading for content creators, marketers, entrepreneurs, media students, parents, and anyone curious about internet culture and digital media. If you want to understand how YouTube reshaped entertainment — and what that means for the future of creativity, influence, and power — this book is your indispensable guide.Reviews'No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker. His reporting on the platform and its creators has been groundbreaking and unparalleled.' – Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic 'For anyone trying to understand the bonkers world of YouTube, this is essential reading. Full of entertaining dispatches from the front line of streaming, Stokel-Walker has written the preeminent guide to the new celebrity world - and what it means for the rest of us.' – Sam Parker, Esquire 'Brilliant, witty and extraordinary... This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to truly understand the future of media, as well as the internet itself.' – Hussein Kesvani, MEL Magazine 'If you want to understand the inner workings of your favourite YouTube influencers, or perhaps if you want to understand why your children are always talking about them, you should read this book. It is smart, sweeping, and significant.' – Simon Clark, YouTuber About the AuthorChris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Newsweek. He is known for breaking major news about social media and often reports on YouTube and TikTok for television, radio and podcasts. For YouTubers he travelled around the world, speaking to behind-the-camera producers and powerbrokers, including creators KSI, Hank and John Green and Emma Blackery. His follow-up books are TikTok Boom and How AI Ate the World, both published by Canbury Press.First Chapter Extract Jake Paul: cars, money and a burning swimming pool Make your way the 100 metres or so up the gated driveway of a mountainside home in California and your eye is drawn to the rust-coloured statue in the middle of the front yard. Cast in metal, a stick man holds up four large boxes that appear to be toppling out of reach. Look left and you’ll see a newly installed skate ramp on the front lawn. To the right of that you’ll see the dirt ramp where the owner jumps his luxury cars, among them a Lamborghini Huracán Performante, a Tesla Model X P-100 D (nicknamed Bloodshark), and a tie-dyed Ford Focus RS called Rainbro. But don’t get distracted by the flashy motors and the general hullabaloo taking place in the grounds of this three-and-a-half acre property. Otherwise you’ll miss the 15,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom mansion, which has a custom-designed fish tank in the master bedroom and a ‘merchandise shop’ (which the public can’t visit) showcasing a custom line of T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts. The owner of this $6.9 million mansion is a high school dropout with a short attention span. A decade ago Jake Paul might have been consigned to a low-wage future scanning groceries in a supermarket in his native Ohio. Instead, he is the modern face of YouTube; a boisterous millionaire with a frenetic lifestyle and a booming business. His story shows how YouTube is throwing jokers into the pack of modern media...Buy the book and start reading

‘Essential reading.’ – ESQUIRE ‘Both absorbing and highly illuminating’ – THE BOOKSELLER ‘No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker’ – THE ATLANTIC Two billion people watch YouTube and it reaches deep into everyday lives. Its creators start new trends, popularise new songs and games and make and break new products. Yet while they are famous to billions of mostly young people, they mostly remain a mystery to the general public and mainstream media. What is the secret of their appeal? How do they cope with being in front of the lens – and who is behind their success? More than 100 insiders spoke candidly to teach journalist Chris Stokel-Walker for this first in-depth independent book on YouTube. YouTubers is the only book you need to understand YouTube, its ownership by Google, its deal for stars and its ecosystem of talent managers, advertisers and marketers. It is a richly-layered deep dive into YouTube brimming with lively characters, engaging facts, and influencer case studies. It is an ideal guide for any media studies students, advertisers, brand managers and business people who need to understand YouTube professionally. And for any non-fiction reader interested in a gripping business and technology saga dripping with big money, ruthlessness, determination and ambition. YouTubers starts by charting the platform's launch in a boring 19-second video of the elephant enclosure at San Diego Zoo – which has now had 242 million views. YouTubers then moves onto the first oddball videos before the site found success by showing comedy clips from the TV show Saturday Night Live. YouTubers reveals how YouTube saw off its emerging rivals in the online video battle of the 2000s and was bought by the search engine specialist Google. With Google's billions and boosted by smartphones, YouTube became the dominant video platform. Bloggers started to create engaging, fast-cut videos that capitalised on the intimate relationship between creator and user – a 'parasocial' relationship stronger than the bond between TV presenter and viewer. By ceaselessly urging their followers to tap the like, comment and subscribe buttons, these creators helped YouTube's rise to global domination. YouTubers speaks to YouTube stars KSI, Hank and John Green and delves into the lives of child star MattyB, the training camp for aspiring teenage bloggers, the YouTube stunts that go wrong and the increasing efforts of creators to earn money from Patreon. And it tackles the platform's Muslim extremism, red-pilling, and its content guidelines and censorship. YouTubers asks how YouTube can take on the threat from other big platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. In short, YouTubers tells the riveting story of the exponential growth of YouTube from single home video to global tech phenomenon. It is the best and only book you need to read on YouTube. Extract

Introduction

One spring afternoon Casey Neistat uploaded a video lasting five minutes and twenty-two seconds to YouTube. In the style of so many YouTubers, he looked straight into the camera and aired his opinion on a matter of importance. As the elder statesman on the platform, Neistat’s words carry weight. He can make or break products and careers — and this video was no different. Seconds after he uploaded his video to YouTube via his superfast broadband at his creative headquarters in New York, it was available worldwide to four billion people: everyone on Earth with an internet connection. Millions of Neistat’s subscribers instantly received a notification telling them that one of YouTube’s most influential stars was again speaking directly to them. Across the world in apartment blocks, restaurants, bedrooms and bathrooms, phones pinged, buzzed and beeped. Hundreds of thousands of people instantly watched what Neistat had to say. Wearing dark glasses, his hair streaked blond, Neistat vented his frustration at the way the media was second-guessing the motivations of YouTubers; and he wanted to single out one journalist in particular. In the comments section underneath his video his fans began discussing the question he posed: did people post videos on YouTube for the fame and fortune — or just to express themselves? YouTube is a kaleidoscope of visual and audio content that mimics the richness, quirkiness, beauty and madness of human life. Every day its users upload videos on everything from pop music to politics, fashion to plumbing, and cars to fishing. The topics are as diverse (and as random) as the world itself. Want to watch racing pigeons, cut a perfect bob, discuss Che Guevara, speak Mandarin, or play guitar? YouTube can offer that, instantly. Want to relax while seeing boiled sweets made the old-fashioned way? Load up Lofty Pursuits. Have a hankering to watch a man meticulously scratch away the foil on 200 lottery playing cards to see if he can win back his outlay? Type ‘moorsey scratchcards’ into your search bar and reap the rewards. Whether giving sex advice, posting football clips or simply splicing together footage to create an action-packed vlog, video makers want to communicate with and be seen by YouTube’s 1.9 billion registered users. Some hope that, like Casey Neistat, they too will one day set off pings across the world. For a few, notifications mean that millions of fans are watching them and their view counters are whirring upwards, along with their bank balances. Elite influencers are creative and dynamic and get to do what they want all day long. Unsurprisingly, becoming a YouTuber is the job children most covet. They understand the platform’s extraordinary growth. YouTube is expanding so fast that outsiders can’t accurately measure its size. An estimated 576,000 hours of video are added daily to YouTube – vastly more than the new releases on Netflix. In October, November and December 2018, Netflix added 781 hours of original content, while 53 million hours of footage likely went onto YouTube. It would take you 35 days to watch the new Netflix content non-stop. You’d still be watching the YouTube uploads in the year 8069. YouTube’s rise has been swift. In little more than a decade, it has moved from an oddity broadcast on bulky grey computer monitors to mass media entertainment viewed on ultra-thin, wall-mounted 55-inch televisions. In the past five years, YouTube viewing has rocketed from 100 million hours a day to one billion hours a day. Buy the book and carry one reading

'It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.' – Azeem Azhar, Exponential View 'Vital to understanding how [TikTok] works and the impact it's having.' – Damian Collins, UK politician 'TikTok Boom is a must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers.' – David Craig, Professor, USC Annenberg In just a few years, TikTok has stormed ahead of its rivals to become the world's biggest app. Where did it come from and how did it overtake its rivals? Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker delves deep into the origins of China’s viral video app. He yields new insights into its culture, addictive algorithm and influencer ecosystem. And he reveals the influence of its owners ByteDance on hundreds of millions of users worldwide through the policing of little-known guidelines, including those on physical appearances. TikTok is the emerging battleground for a geopolitical tussle between East and West for control of social media. It has already been banned in India. TikTok Boom is a rollercoaster business story bristling with ambition and drama. Find out where TikTok came from, where it's going, and what it can do for you. Reviews 'A careful, detailed teardown of the people, culture and technology behind the world's most dynamic social network. It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.' – Azeem Azhar 'Stokel-Walker... knows the product, the people, and the entire ecosystem inside and out, and it is this familiarity that makes his telling so compelling because he knows how to make you feel like you, too, are an insider in this strange new world.' – Rui Ma, Tech Buzz China 'Blending journalistic narrative with state-of-the-art academic research, no other author comes close to weaving this epic tale of the rise of China’s first global platform threatening Silicon’s Valley hegemony... A must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers.' – David Craig, USC Annenberg Extract Ask most people what ByteDance is and they’ll likely meet you with a blank stare. Yet it is the owner of TikTok and a host of other world-leading apps. Founded in March 2012, it’s worth about $180 billion. Despite the fact its apps are used by two billion people worldwide, earning it $34 billion in revenue in 2020, ByteDance deliberately keeps a low profile among the general public in the West. It wants its products to take centre stage. It’s a strategy devised by its low-key founder, Yiming Zhang. Whereas his fellow Chinese rival, Musical.ly’s Alex Zhu, is creative and flighty, Zhang is measured and focused. Compared to his more brash counterparts in China, such as Jack Ma, the former boss of Alibaba Group, who’s known for his exuberance and outgoing personality, he is even a little dull. Considered. He practises ‘delayed gratification.’ He’s rational – though his choice of clothing, T-shirts and jeans, makes him more laid back than the average Chinese executive. Imagine the slightly underwhelming disappointment of Mark Zuckerberg, rather than the zany pinball personality of Elon Musk. Born in 1983 in Longyan in the coastal province of Fujian with the highest proportion of emigrants to the Western world in all of China, Zhang is fiercely independent. While many people entering China’s tech sector are comfortable landing a job at one of the pre-existing Chinese tech giants, Zhang ignored that route. He was not after the quick buzz of instant success: he played the long game. Buy the book and start reading

'It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller - this one does.' - Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View'Vital to understanding how[TikTok] works and the impact it's having.' - Damian Collins MP, former chairman of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee 'TikTok Boom is a must read for students, scholars, and policy makers.' - David Craig, Clinical Professor, USC AnnenbergTikTok is the new force in social media. Just a few years after its launch, TikTok has one billion accounts.Every day hundreds of millions of teenagers are gripped by its brief videos, powered by a secretive algorithm that can propel a meme or or a user or a product to global stardom within minutes. Multi-national businesses are scrambling to harness its raw marketing power.TikTok is a cultural hurricane, making instant hits of new and long-fogotten songs, books and TV shows, and a constant political and social commentary, playing out every minute of the day in tens of millions of videos.TikTok is also the first app outside the United States to challenge Silicon Valley's dominance of social media. Aware of the Chinese app's challenge to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok. TikTok is already banned in India.TikTok Boom reveals how TikTok has spread exponentially in the West since its launch in 2017. Its owner, ByteDance, wants to become China's answer to Google and has rolled out TikTok using smart tactics revealed for the first time in the book.Using a range of sources deep inside and outside ByteDance, TikTok Boom reveals the story of its founder Yiming Zhang and its origin in another app in China, Douyin. It follows the social media battle between short-form video apps and TikTok's final triumph after its merger with Musical.ly. It offers never-before-seen insights into TikTok's new influencer ecosystem. And it charts the increasing superpower tech rivalry between China and the West which is posing questions about TikTok's safety.TikTok Boom's author Chris Stokel-Walker has interviewed scores of people connected to the world's hottest app, including current and former employees, and some of TikTok's biggest names in front of and behind the lens. He explores the culture of ByteDance and finds out what has happened to its founder, Yiming Zhang, as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to reel in the country's runaway tech industry.TikTok Boom is a nuanced, informed and incisive read on the characters and strategies behind the world's new tech order, in a gripping read that has won plaudits from technologists. It's rich peopled with characters. TikTok Boom is the essential book for anyone who wants to know what TikTok's success means for culture, technology, geopolitics, marketing and advertising.Find out where TikTok came from and where it's going. Find out how TikTok Works and whether it can work for you.Reviews'A careful, detailed teardown of the people, culture and technology behind the world's most dynamic social network. It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller - this one does.' - Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View'It's clear that Stokel-Walker's strength is that he's not just TikTok-literate, he's TikTok-fluent. He knows the product, the people, and the entire ecosystem inside and out, and it is this familiarity that makes his telling so compelling, because he knows how to make you feel like you, too, are an insider in this strange new world.' - Rui Ma, founder, Tech Buzz China'Blending journalistic narrative with state-of-the-art academic research, no other author comes close to weaving this epic tale of the rise of China's first global platform threatening Silicon's Valley hegemony while operating as inflection point around the rise of one globe two Internet systems. This is a must read for students, scholars, and policy makers.' - David Craig, Clinical Professor, USC Annenberg'This book charts the story of an app on the rise that's changing the world of tech, charting the future of culture, and creating a new world of work: the creator economy... it breaks down some of the biggest questions for the future of work and culture.' - Li Jin, Atelier VenturesExtract: ByteDanceAsk most people what ByteDance is and they'll likely meet you with a blank stare. Yet it is the owner of TikTok and a host of other world-leading apps. Founded in March 2012, it's worth about $180 billion - up from its $75 billion in 2018 when the Japanese technology investors SoftBank Group bought into the company. Despite the fact that its apps are used by two billion people worldwide, earning it $34 billion in revenue in 2020, ByteDance deliberately keeps a low profile among the general public in the West. It wants its products to take centre stage.It's a strategy devised by its low-key, but intensely-driven founder, Yiming Zhang. Whereas his fellow Chinese rival, Musical.ly's Alex Zhu, is creative and flighty, Zhang is measured and focussed. Compared to his more brash counterparts in China, such as Jack Ma, the former boss of Alibaba Group, who's known for his exuberance and outgoing personality, he is even a little dull. Considered. He practises 'delayed gratification.' He's rational - though his choice of clothing, T-shirts and jeans, makes him more laid back than the average Chinese executive. Imagine the slightly underwhelming disappointment of Mark Zuckerberg, rather than the zany pinball personality of Elon Musk.Born in 1983 in the city of Longyan in the coastal province of Fujian that's known for having the highest proportion of emigrants to the Western world in all of China, Zhang is, however, fiercely independent. While many people entering China's tech sector are comfortable to land a job at one of the pre-existing Chinese tech giants, Zhang ignored that route. He was not after the quick buzz of instant success by piggybacking onto a pre-existing victor: he played the long game.Buy the book to carry on reading

We live in a hyper-connected world: anyone can go online and share their view with potentially millions of people. The result is an era of radically democratised (dis)information. And it's a threat to democracy itself. But fake news has a surprisingly long history. This book traces its evolution through rumour, conspiracy and misinformation, from Ancient Greece to Donald Trump and then beyond, asking the question: how do we make sense of a post-truth world?

The internet is everywhere. But how did it start? How has it changed? And what will it look like in the future?No development in human history has changed the world as radically, or as quickly, as the advent of the internet. There’s almost no aspect of 21st-century life that it hasn’t shaped or fundamentally altered, for better or for worse. But the history of the internet is longer than you might think. Its foundations stretch as far back as the 1960s, decades before it would become an accessible and inescapable part of everyday life.In this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series, author and journalist Chris Stokel-Walker traces the internet from its (relatively) humble beginnings to the ubiquitous force that exists today, from email and dial-up to social media and the metaverse.Breaking down complex concepts around how the world wide web works, how it has changed over time, and the effects it has had on the world as we know it, as well as explaining key terminology and spotlighting important figures, The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks explains everything you need to know about this era-defining technology in short, easy-to-digest chapters.

The internet is everywhere. But how did it start? How has it changed? And what will it look like in the future?No development in human history has changed the world as radically, or as quickly, as the advent of the internet. There’s almost no aspect of 21st-century life that it hasn’t shaped or fundamentally altered, for better or for worse. But the history of the internet is longer than you might think. Its foundations stretch as far back as the 1960s, decades before it would become an accessible and inescapable part of everyday life.In this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series, author and journalist Chris Stokel-Walker traces the internet from its (relatively) humble beginnings to the ubiquitous force that exists today, from email and dial-up to social media and the metaverse. Breaking down complex concepts around how the world wide web works, how it has changed over time, and the effects it has had on the world as we know it, as well as explaining key terminology and spotlighting important figures, The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks explains everything you need

More than 100 YouTube insiders spoke to the author 'Absorbing and highly illuminating' – The Bookseller'A must-read book for anyone who wants to understand the future of media' – MEL MagazineYouTube didn’t just disrupt television — it quietly reinvented fame, creativity, advertising, and power itself. YouTubers by Chris Stokel‑Walker is the definitive, deeply reported account of how a scrappy video‑sharing website became one of the most influential cultural forces of the 21st century, creating a new generation of stars, entrepreneurs, and global media brands.From the very first shaky upload to today’s billion‑view channels, YouTubers explores how ordinary people turned cameras on themselves and built vast audiences, lucrative businesses, and devoted fan communities. Through vivid storytelling and behind‑the‑scenes access, Stokel‑Walker follows the rise of vloggers, gamers, pranksters, beauty creators, child stars, and influencers — and reveals what success on YouTube really costs. This is not just a book about internet celebrities. It is a sharp, authoritative guide to the creator economy, unpacking how YouTube actually works: the algorithm that decides what goes viral, the metrics that govern visibility, and the hidden systems that reward some creators while quietly burying others. You’ll learn how watch time, recommended videos, monetisation, demonetisation, and brand safety shape online video — and why creators are often forced to adapt at breakneck speed just to survive. YouTubers also examines the business of influence. As traditional advertising faltered, brands moved to YouTube, fuelling the rise of influencer marketing, sponsored content, and creator‑led brand deals. The book explains how creators make money through ads, partnerships, merchandise, Patreon, and live events — and why relying on any single revenue stream can be dangerously unstable. The “Adpocalypse,” burnout, and platform crackdowns expose the fragile reality behind the glamour. Crucially, the book doesn’t shy away from YouTube’s darker side. It investigates extremism, conspiracy content, children’s programming scandals, and the ethical challenges of algorithmic recommendation at scale. As YouTube grows more powerful, YouTubers asks urgent questions about responsibility, regulation, and what happens when a private platform becomes the world’s most influential broadcaster. Inside, you’ll discover: How YouTube’s algorithm and recommendation system shape culture and attention The rise of vloggers, influencers, and internet celebrities How monetisation, ads, sponsorships, and brand deals really work Why burnout, authenticity, and parasocial relationships define creator life The global expansion of YouTube across languages, countries, and cultures The battle between YouTube, traditional TV, Facebook, and emerging platforms Written with clarity, insight, and narrative drive, YouTubers is essential reading for content creators, marketers, entrepreneurs, media students, parents, and anyone curious about internet culture and digital media. If you want to understand how YouTube reshaped entertainment — and what that means for the future of creativity, influence, and power — this book is your indispensable guide.Reviews'No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker. His reporting on the platform and its creators has been groundbreaking and unparalleled.' – Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic 'For anyone trying to understand the bonkers world of YouTube, this is essential reading. Full of entertaining dispatches from the front line of streaming, Stokel-Walker has written the preeminent guide to the new celebrity world - and what it means for the rest of us.' – Sam Parker, Esquire 'Brilliant, witty and extraordinary... This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to truly understand the future of media, as well as the internet itself.' – Hussein Kesvani, MEL Magazine 'If you want to understand the inner workings of your favourite YouTube influencers, or perhaps if you want to understand why your children are always talking about them, you should read this book. It is smart, sweeping, and significant.' – Simon Clark, YouTuber About the AuthorChris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose work regularly appears in WIRED, The Economist and Newsweek. He is known for breaking major news about social media and often reports on YouTube and TikTok for television, radio and podcasts. For YouTubers he travelled around the world, speaking to behind-the-camera producers and powerbrokers, including creators KSI, Hank and John Green and Emma Blackery. His follow-up books are TikTok Boom and How AI Ate the World, both published by Canbury Press.First Chapter Extract Jake Paul: cars, money and a burning swimming pool Make your way the 100 metres or so up the gated driveway of a mountainside home in California and your eye is drawn to the rust-coloured statue in the middle of the front yard. Cast in metal, a stick man holds up four large boxes that appear to be toppling out of reach. Look left and you’ll see a newly installed skate ramp on the front lawn. To the right of that you’ll see the dirt ramp where the owner jumps his luxury cars, among them a Lamborghini Huracán Performante, a Tesla Model X P-100 D (nicknamed Bloodshark), and a tie-dyed Ford Focus RS called Rainbro. But don’t get distracted by the flashy motors and the general hullabaloo taking place in the grounds of this three-and-a-half acre property. Otherwise you’ll miss the 15,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom mansion, which has a custom-designed fish tank in the master bedroom and a ‘merchandise shop’ (which the public can’t visit) showcasing a custom line of T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts. The owner of this $6.9 million mansion is a high school dropout with a short attention span. A decade ago Jake Paul might have been consigned to a low-wage future scanning groceries in a supermarket in his native Ohio. Instead, he is the modern face of YouTube; a boisterous millionaire with a frenetic lifestyle and a booming business. His story shows how YouTube is throwing jokers into the pack of modern media...Buy the book and start reading

‘Essential reading.’ – ESQUIRE ‘Both absorbing and highly illuminating’ – THE BOOKSELLER ‘No one understands the intricacies of YouTube like Chris Stokel-Walker’ – THE ATLANTIC Two billion people watch YouTube and it reaches deep into everyday lives. Its creators start new trends, popularise new songs and games and make and break new products. Yet while they are famous to billions of mostly young people, they mostly remain a mystery to the general public and mainstream media. What is the secret of their appeal? How do they cope with being in front of the lens – and who is behind their success? More than 100 insiders spoke candidly to teach journalist Chris Stokel-Walker for this first in-depth independent book on YouTube. YouTubers is the only book you need to understand YouTube, its ownership by Google, its deal for stars and its ecosystem of talent managers, advertisers and marketers. It is a richly-layered deep dive into YouTube brimming with lively characters, engaging facts, and influencer case studies. It is an ideal guide for any media studies students, advertisers, brand managers and business people who need to understand YouTube professionally. And for any non-fiction reader interested in a gripping business and technology saga dripping with big money, ruthlessness, determination and ambition. YouTubers starts by charting the platform's launch in a boring 19-second video of the elephant enclosure at San Diego Zoo – which has now had 242 million views. YouTubers then moves onto the first oddball videos before the site found success by showing comedy clips from the TV show Saturday Night Live. YouTubers reveals how YouTube saw off its emerging rivals in the online video battle of the 2000s and was bought by the search engine specialist Google. With Google's billions and boosted by smartphones, YouTube became the dominant video platform. Bloggers started to create engaging, fast-cut videos that capitalised on the intimate relationship between creator and user – a 'parasocial' relationship stronger than the bond between TV presenter and viewer. By ceaselessly urging their followers to tap the like, comment and subscribe buttons, these creators helped YouTube's rise to global domination. YouTubers speaks to YouTube stars KSI, Hank and John Green and delves into the lives of child star MattyB, the training camp for aspiring teenage bloggers, the YouTube stunts that go wrong and the increasing efforts of creators to earn money from Patreon. And it tackles the platform's Muslim extremism, red-pilling, and its content guidelines and censorship. YouTubers asks how YouTube can take on the threat from other big platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. In short, YouTubers tells the riveting story of the exponential growth of YouTube from single home video to global tech phenomenon. It is the best and only book you need to read on YouTube. Extract

Introduction

One spring afternoon Casey Neistat uploaded a video lasting five minutes and twenty-two seconds to YouTube. In the style of so many YouTubers, he looked straight into the camera and aired his opinion on a matter of importance. As the elder statesman on the platform, Neistat’s words carry weight. He can make or break products and careers — and this video was no different. Seconds after he uploaded his video to YouTube via his superfast broadband at his creative headquarters in New York, it was available worldwide to four billion people: everyone on Earth with an internet connection. Millions of Neistat’s subscribers instantly received a notification telling them that one of YouTube’s most influential stars was again speaking directly to them. Across the world in apartment blocks, restaurants, bedrooms and bathrooms, phones pinged, buzzed and beeped. Hundreds of thousands of people instantly watched what Neistat had to say. Wearing dark glasses, his hair streaked blond, Neistat vented his frustration at the way the media was second-guessing the motivations of YouTubers; and he wanted to single out one journalist in particular. In the comments section underneath his video his fans began discussing the question he posed: did people post videos on YouTube for the fame and fortune — or just to express themselves? YouTube is a kaleidoscope of visual and audio content that mimics the richness, quirkiness, beauty and madness of human life. Every day its users upload videos on everything from pop music to politics, fashion to plumbing, and cars to fishing. The topics are as diverse (and as random) as the world itself. Want to watch racing pigeons, cut a perfect bob, discuss Che Guevara, speak Mandarin, or play guitar? YouTube can offer that, instantly. Want to relax while seeing boiled sweets made the old-fashioned way? Load up Lofty Pursuits. Have a hankering to watch a man meticulously scratch away the foil on 200 lottery playing cards to see if he can win back his outlay? Type ‘moorsey scratchcards’ into your search bar and reap the rewards. Whether giving sex advice, posting football clips or simply splicing together footage to create an action-packed vlog, video makers want to communicate with and be seen by YouTube’s 1.9 billion registered users. Some hope that, like Casey Neistat, they too will one day set off pings across the world. For a few, notifications mean that millions of fans are watching them and their view counters are whirring upwards, along with their bank balances. Elite influencers are creative and dynamic and get to do what they want all day long. Unsurprisingly, becoming a YouTuber is the job children most covet. They understand the platform’s extraordinary growth. YouTube is expanding so fast that outsiders can’t accurately measure its size. An estimated 576,000 hours of video are added daily to YouTube – vastly more than the new releases on Netflix. In October, November and December 2018, Netflix added 781 hours of original content, while 53 million hours of footage likely went onto YouTube. It would take you 35 days to watch the new Netflix content non-stop. You’d still be watching the YouTube uploads in the year 8069. YouTube’s rise has been swift. In little more than a decade, it has moved from an oddity broadcast on bulky grey computer monitors to mass media entertainment viewed on ultra-thin, wall-mounted 55-inch televisions. In the past five years, YouTube viewing has rocketed from 100 million hours a day to one billion hours a day. Buy the book and carry one reading

'It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.' – Azeem Azhar, Exponential View 'Vital to understanding how [TikTok] works and the impact it's having.' – Damian Collins, UK politician 'TikTok Boom is a must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers.' – David Craig, Professor, USC Annenberg In just a few years, TikTok has stormed ahead of its rivals to become the world's biggest app. Where did it come from and how did it overtake its rivals? Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker delves deep into the origins of China’s viral video app. He yields new insights into its culture, addictive algorithm and influencer ecosystem. And he reveals the influence of its owners ByteDance on hundreds of millions of users worldwide through the policing of little-known guidelines, including those on physical appearances. TikTok is the emerging battleground for a geopolitical tussle between East and West for control of social media. It has already been banned in India. TikTok Boom is a rollercoaster business story bristling with ambition and drama. Find out where TikTok came from, where it's going, and what it can do for you. Reviews 'A careful, detailed teardown of the people, culture and technology behind the world's most dynamic social network. It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller – this one does.' – Azeem Azhar 'Stokel-Walker... knows the product, the people, and the entire ecosystem inside and out, and it is this familiarity that makes his telling so compelling because he knows how to make you feel like you, too, are an insider in this strange new world.' – Rui Ma, Tech Buzz China 'Blending journalistic narrative with state-of-the-art academic research, no other author comes close to weaving this epic tale of the rise of China’s first global platform threatening Silicon’s Valley hegemony... A must-read for students, scholars, and policymakers.' – David Craig, USC Annenberg Extract Ask most people what ByteDance is and they’ll likely meet you with a blank stare. Yet it is the owner of TikTok and a host of other world-leading apps. Founded in March 2012, it’s worth about $180 billion. Despite the fact its apps are used by two billion people worldwide, earning it $34 billion in revenue in 2020, ByteDance deliberately keeps a low profile among the general public in the West. It wants its products to take centre stage. It’s a strategy devised by its low-key founder, Yiming Zhang. Whereas his fellow Chinese rival, Musical.ly’s Alex Zhu, is creative and flighty, Zhang is measured and focused. Compared to his more brash counterparts in China, such as Jack Ma, the former boss of Alibaba Group, who’s known for his exuberance and outgoing personality, he is even a little dull. Considered. He practises ‘delayed gratification.’ He’s rational – though his choice of clothing, T-shirts and jeans, makes him more laid back than the average Chinese executive. Imagine the slightly underwhelming disappointment of Mark Zuckerberg, rather than the zany pinball personality of Elon Musk. Born in 1983 in Longyan in the coastal province of Fujian with the highest proportion of emigrants to the Western world in all of China, Zhang is fiercely independent. While many people entering China’s tech sector are comfortable landing a job at one of the pre-existing Chinese tech giants, Zhang ignored that route. He was not after the quick buzz of instant success: he played the long game. Buy the book and start reading

'It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller - this one does.' - Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View'Vital to understanding how[TikTok] works and the impact it's having.' - Damian Collins MP, former chairman of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee 'TikTok Boom is a must read for students, scholars, and policy makers.' - David Craig, Clinical Professor, USC AnnenbergTikTok is the new force in social media. Just a few years after its launch, TikTok has one billion accounts.Every day hundreds of millions of teenagers are gripped by its brief videos, powered by a secretive algorithm that can propel a meme or or a user or a product to global stardom within minutes. Multi-national businesses are scrambling to harness its raw marketing power.TikTok is a cultural hurricane, making instant hits of new and long-fogotten songs, books and TV shows, and a constant political and social commentary, playing out every minute of the day in tens of millions of videos.TikTok is also the first app outside the United States to challenge Silicon Valley's dominance of social media. Aware of the Chinese app's challenge to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok. TikTok is already banned in India.TikTok Boom reveals how TikTok has spread exponentially in the West since its launch in 2017. Its owner, ByteDance, wants to become China's answer to Google and has rolled out TikTok using smart tactics revealed for the first time in the book.Using a range of sources deep inside and outside ByteDance, TikTok Boom reveals the story of its founder Yiming Zhang and its origin in another app in China, Douyin. It follows the social media battle between short-form video apps and TikTok's final triumph after its merger with Musical.ly. It offers never-before-seen insights into TikTok's new influencer ecosystem. And it charts the increasing superpower tech rivalry between China and the West which is posing questions about TikTok's safety.TikTok Boom's author Chris Stokel-Walker has interviewed scores of people connected to the world's hottest app, including current and former employees, and some of TikTok's biggest names in front of and behind the lens. He explores the culture of ByteDance and finds out what has happened to its founder, Yiming Zhang, as the Chinese Communist Party seeks to reel in the country's runaway tech industry.TikTok Boom is a nuanced, informed and incisive read on the characters and strategies behind the world's new tech order, in a gripping read that has won plaudits from technologists. It's rich peopled with characters. TikTok Boom is the essential book for anyone who wants to know what TikTok's success means for culture, technology, geopolitics, marketing and advertising.Find out where TikTok came from and where it's going. Find out how TikTok Works and whether it can work for you.Reviews'A careful, detailed teardown of the people, culture and technology behind the world's most dynamic social network. It is rare for a business analysis to read like a thriller - this one does.' - Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View'It's clear that Stokel-Walker's strength is that he's not just TikTok-literate, he's TikTok-fluent. He knows the product, the people, and the entire ecosystem inside and out, and it is this familiarity that makes his telling so compelling, because he knows how to make you feel like you, too, are an insider in this strange new world.' - Rui Ma, founder, Tech Buzz China'Blending journalistic narrative with state-of-the-art academic research, no other author comes close to weaving this epic tale of the rise of China's first global platform threatening Silicon's Valley hegemony while operating as inflection point around the rise of one globe two Internet systems. This is a must read for students, scholars, and policy makers.' - David Craig, Clinical Professor, USC Annenberg'This book charts the story of an app on the rise that's changing the world of tech, charting the future of culture, and creating a new world of work: the creator economy... it breaks down some of the biggest questions for the future of work and culture.' - Li Jin, Atelier VenturesExtract: ByteDanceAsk most people what ByteDance is and they'll likely meet you with a blank stare. Yet it is the owner of TikTok and a host of other world-leading apps. Founded in March 2012, it's worth about $180 billion - up from its $75 billion in 2018 when the Japanese technology investors SoftBank Group bought into the company. Despite the fact that its apps are used by two billion people worldwide, earning it $34 billion in revenue in 2020, ByteDance deliberately keeps a low profile among the general public in the West. It wants its products to take centre stage.It's a strategy devised by its low-key, but intensely-driven founder, Yiming Zhang. Whereas his fellow Chinese rival, Musical.ly's Alex Zhu, is creative and flighty, Zhang is measured and focussed. Compared to his more brash counterparts in China, such as Jack Ma, the former boss of Alibaba Group, who's known for his exuberance and outgoing personality, he is even a little dull. Considered. He practises 'delayed gratification.' He's rational - though his choice of clothing, T-shirts and jeans, makes him more laid back than the average Chinese executive. Imagine the slightly underwhelming disappointment of Mark Zuckerberg, rather than the zany pinball personality of Elon Musk.Born in 1983 in the city of Longyan in the coastal province of Fujian that's known for having the highest proportion of emigrants to the Western world in all of China, Zhang is, however, fiercely independent. While many people entering China's tech sector are comfortable to land a job at one of the pre-existing Chinese tech giants, Zhang ignored that route. He was not after the quick buzz of instant success by piggybacking onto a pre-existing victor: he played the long game.Buy the book to carry on reading

We live in a hyper-connected world: anyone can go online and share their view with potentially millions of people. The result is an era of radically democratised (dis)information. And it's a threat to democracy itself. But fake news has a surprisingly long history. This book traces its evolution through rumour, conspiracy and misinformation, from Ancient Greece to Donald Trump and then beyond, asking the question: how do we make sense of a post-truth world?