'It’s Everyday, Bro': YouTube, 'Authenticity,' and the Psychopathology of Late Capitalism

Within Theatre and Performance Studies, terms like “liveness” or “(co-)presence” are keywords that encapsulate entire debates within the discipline that have played out over time; negotiations of meaning enacted through academic, performative usage. I want to examine the medium of YouTube (2005+) and, more specifically, Shane Dawson’s YouTube video documentary, The Mind of Jake Paul (September 25, 2018–October 18, 2018). I assert that in attempting to psychoanalyze fellow YouTube star Jake Paul—and answer the (de facto) question, “Is Jake Paul a sociopath?” (perhaps a timely question in the age of Trump)—Dawson somewhat unwittingly gives us a meta-analysis of YouTube’s “authenticity” obsession, a subtle critique of performance-labor and a warning about the perils of engaging with a digital platform that demands the continuous production of novelty. YouTube presents a bit of a paradox: it is a medium that is profoundly mediated and performative, yet one where users desire (and often demand) the absolute authenticity of their social media icons.