Ah … the internet: a place that can bring so much joy yet so much pain, all in one scrolling session. As millennials, Gen Zers and cuspers (the unofficial official term for those who believe they are too young to be a millennial but too old to identify with Generation Z), we have grown up with the internet for the majority of our lives and have been able to see the evolution of technology.
Growing up with access to information at our fingertips has been deemed a major advantage of coming-of-age teens in today’s times. That advantage, however, can sometimes be more harmful than good. YouTuber and fellow self-proclaimed cusper, Tiffany Ferguson, dives into this topic on her YouTube series, “Internet Analysis.”
Ferguson, a 23-year-old California native, began making YouTube videos in 2012 discussing typical high school topics like “Why You’re Still Single” and “Advice For High School Freshmen.” She later used the channel as a place for weekly vlogs and a home for her “How to Be” video series where she would dress up as certain celebrities, such as Lorde, Ariana Grande and even Bernie Sanders, and show her viewers how to act like them.
As Ferguson began attending college after taking a gap year upon finishing high school, she started to document her experience as a college student in New Orleans. The YouTuber uploaded videos on experiences that she was going through that are applicable to many college students, like not making friends, getting rejected from colleges and being afraid to go out. In 2017, Ferguson made the major move from her school in Louisiana to New York City and began attending college there in 2019, majoring in media studies.
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Right around the time that she decided to move to the Big Apple and continue her education, Ferguson started to upload videos about the online habits and trends of both Generation Z and millennials. One of her first videos dived into a popular topic of today, sustainable fashion, and discussed the many reasons why buying clothing from sites like Zaful and Romwe were harmful on several accounts.
Upon receiving several comments from viewers about how the topics discussed were relatable and educational, Ferguson decided to continue making similar content that would not only be informative, but also entertaining and easy to watch. Thus, “Internet Analysis” was born. In the next video in the series, the YouTuber tackled the topic of YouTube royalty, Emma Chamberlin, and other YouTubers with similar aesthetics who have also rose to internet fame in almost no time at all.
This video is a perfect example of how well Ferguson’s knowledge, experience on YouTube and research done on current topics work to create unique content that takes on what other millennials and Gen Zers are thinking. She elaborates upon ideas and thoughts, creating a cohesive and sophisticated digital piece.
Ferguson uses “Internet Analysis” to discuss lighthearted and more pop culture-esque elements of the internet that pertain specifically to more modern generations like Vine (RIP), VSCO Girls, E-Girls and TikTok, as well as family vloggers.
The YouTuber has also spoke about more difficult topics such as mental health, and how it is represented and discussed on YouTube. The content creator handled the discussion of the topic quite well and came from a place of understanding, as she herself has struggled with mental health and has opened up about it in past videos.
Ferguson did not hold back in mentioning the flaws of the mental health community on YouTube, like the fact that many disorders are underrepresented and that the videos of some content creators can be on the verge of oversharing or glamorizing mental illness.
She also made sure to mention that there are several YouTubers who talk about mental health in an open and honest way, allowing insight and discussion without potentially harming viewers by trying to diagnose them or providing them with inaccurate information.
https://twitter.com/tiffanytheprez/status/1179142982878019585
The content creator is also unafraid to call out poor media habits of millennials and Gen Zers. Ferguson has discussed society’s issue with unattainable beauty standards and how apps like Facetune and Snapchat feed into unrealistic standards. She has also made several videos discussing the “shady” and “dark” sides of YouTube that perhaps the average viewer is blind to.
These include the many questionable promotions that some of your favorite YouTubers have done, like Gabbie Hanna’s promotion of cheaply made makeup brushes. Ferguson has, in addition to this, discussed the ever prevalent family vloggers and the many undiscussed issues that arise when being a family vlogger, talking about the stress that can be put on family members and the limited privacy that children have while in the spotlight.
In September, Ferguson uploaded one of her most arguably successful and relatable videos to date on her series “Internet Analysis,” titled, “Too Young for Millennials, Too Old for Gen Z.” The video discussed the age-old question, “Am I a millennial?” In it, Ferguson broke down the definitions of millennials and Gen Zers, listing what experiences made up the two generations.
She also introduced many to the idea of being on the cusp or in the gap between being a millennial and a member of Generation Z. The video became much more than just a typical educational and informative video made by Ferguson. In fact, it led to a deeper conversation in both the comments section and on Instagram about how generations and the events in life that mold a person varies from country to country based on several factors, such as the overall wealth of the country or the frequency of wars.
While Ferguson isn’t the first YouTuber to make commentary style videos on the everyday life and habits of today’s youth, the way in which she approaches her creation and execution of every video is one that results in unique content. Ferguson has this demeanor about her where she’ll make things straight to her viewers in the nicest and least confrontational way possible while still stressing the importance of the issue at hand. Something that can be hard to come by on YouTube these days.
