They have created new ways to express themselves, have fun, relate to others, and even new ways of living. Some of them publish videos on a monthly or weekly basis, but the most active ones, publish videos almost every day. The list of issues they talk about is huge, from fashion to videogames, they achieve to capture the attention of their hundreds to even thousands and millions of followers. I am talking about Youtubers, people who have innovated the forms of information and entertainment, especially for young people.

Many Youtubers have become very popular and received recognition in their cities, countries or at a global level. This has led to many communication and media experts criticizing the concept of fame over the last few years. Most Youtubers used to be ordinary people, who one day just decided to record themselves and post videos about their daily lives or their personal opinions on the internet. Using this channel, they gained the same or even greater influence on their perspective audiences as traditional famous artists.

The relationship between Youtubers and their subscribers is quite remarkable! According to a study by Google, 4 in 10 Millennial subscribers say their favorite Youtuber understands them better than their friends. 70% of teenage YouTube subscribers say they relate to YouTube creators more than traditional celebrities. This close relationship gives YouTube content creators the opportunity to influence the lives of young people. The same study indicates that 70% of Millennials believe that YouTube creators influence and shape culture. 

The contributions of Youtubers to migration:

The Youtuber phenomenon has one particularly interesting characteristic: most of them are migrants! For many of these Youtubers, talking about their experience in their host country has become a popular topic for their videos. They talk about cultural differences and similarities, new traditions they learn about, their general experiences as migrants.

They confirm that migrants are not only strong, resilient, compassionate and dedicated, but also creative. Hundreds of Youtubers tell their stories on how they arrived in their host country through creative videos. These clips show their best side, the best of their culture and the ties they create with the people who welcomed them with open arms. Their videos indirectly inspire the fight against xenophobia and discrimination.

Alejandro Velasco is one example of those migrant YouTube influencers. He is from Mexico and he went to Chile to pursue his Master’s Degree in 2012. Through his “Un Wey Weón” project he has created a series of short videos on his experience as a Mexican living in Chile. These clips have gone viral and they have been broadly relayed through the main Chilean media channels.

His YouTube channel has more than 15.000 followers and his Facebook account has over 80.000 followers. Alejandro highlights all the linguistic and cultural differences between Mexico and Chile. His videos have helped to bring Chilean people closer to the Mexican culture and vice versa.  

#IamaMigrant Challenge

Just like Alejandro, there are plenty of other migrant Youtubers who are playing a key role in combatting xenophobia and discrimination against migrants. The impact they have on young people is what makes their videos profoundly valuable in building more inclusive societies. Fully aware of this opportunity, the IOM Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean launched a campaign for migrant Youtubers. 

 

 

The #IamaMigrant campaign is intending to combat negative discourse against migrants through the creativity of migrant YouTube influencers, who are digital ambassadors of their countries of origin. To participate in the campaign, Youtubers have to create a video in which they tell us about their migration experience based on three objects. This is expected to increase sensitization and empathy for other migrants living in the perspective of host countries.

Erika Sinning, a Venezuelan citizen currently living in Canada, was one of the first Youtubers to join the campaign and she told her experience as a migrant based on a pair of shoes and her cellphone. In her video, Erika tells us:

“Migration is like a second chance at life, because you migrate to improve your life, but also to make progress and evolve as a person”

 

 

Alejandro Velasco, “Un Wey Weón”, shared his experience by using a Mexican hat, a picture of his family and all the bags of dried hibiscus flower he was able to bring from Mexico. So far, his I am Migrant campaign video has already reached more than 23.000 views on YouTube.

We hope that many other YouTube influencers will join this campaign and continue to foster a positive message about migrants. For further information on the #IamaMigrant Challenge click here.