This week, I attended VidCon for the very first time. What is VidCon? You may want to ask your kids..they’ll tell you after they squeal with delight. It’s a conference for anyone who works in online video, but more recently it’s become a fanboy/fangirl festival for kids who worship YouTubers. So, of course I was there! Actually, I was there to up my video game (you’ll see the sparkling evidence soon enough) but for now, let’s recap this spectacular freak show. The first thing to know about VidCon is that most of the attendees are REALLY into it:
They dress up, dye their hair and put on their favorite unicorn onesie for the occasion. It is really great. This officially the best outfit I saw, due to its subtlety, and because it clearly illustrates the fact that VidCon is also a festival of lights:
As I walked through the madness that was in and outside of the Anaheim Convention Center I was really struck by the spectacle of it all:
In my day, that would be called an orgy. At VidCon, it’s called a Group Nap. Kinda sad actually, I think the only winners there are the bedbugs..but I digress:
Oh hell yeah there was a Ferris Wheel! Doesn’t every professional conference have one? As I struggled to find a way to convey the complexity of the attendees to you, dear reader, I realized there was only one thing to do– head to the parking lot. And, of course, that did not disappoint:
Did I mention that I was the only person over 30 who wasn’t manning a promotional booth or accompanying a child? It was really odd. I felt like they were going to ask for my AARP card any minute. Also, when people asked me what I make videos about and I said “cars”, it was as though I said “rotary telephones” or “plungers”– the kids had ZERO interest. It was amusing, considering I watched approximately 800 of them being dropped off by their minivan moms in the parking lot. But lucky for us, a few of them were old enough to drive, like the gamers:
The stoners:
And the guy who is so devoted to his daughter’s beauty vlog, that he drove down from Oregon. Way to go Daddy! Now have your little Contour Queen buy you a new set of tires. Please!
And then there was this guy:
Because everyone knows that the one thing that will boost your YouTube views is..wood! Don’t miss the PostIt reminding him what kind of car he’s driving. That’s pretty rad.
So is VidCon the greatest? Only if you like cotton candy, live-streaming and glitter-filled jumpy houses more than you like free time. But seriously, VidCon had some great workshops, with industry insights and social tutorials. It is also a great way to realize that the future is going to look very different than the world we see today and based on what I saw at VidCon, it’s going to be online, hot pink and covered in glitter.