Penny Parker. Didn't start out a streamer, but I've been watching her for a very long time. She holds a special place in my brain for simply makeing me smile all these years :)
I remember being in the first day and when Jerma started crying, everyone just started feeling really bad even for how goofy it is and then you'd see comments like "guys please vote to shower or play outside"
Hey, so I am one of the people who worked on the Dollhouse stream with the rest of the crew. I was blue pants shadow demon, gorilla, creator of on screen assets, and the guy who shot all of the behind the scenes footage you see used here. This video was incredibly surreal to watch because it touches on a lot of the feelings that I felt being a part of this and what it is like to be a creator nowadays. Full disclosure, I have been a fan of Jerma since I was like 12. The dude shaped the entirety of my sense of humor and his content got me through a lot of times. So as an adult being asked by someone Ive admired for so long to be a part of his most ambitious project yet, was both exciting and horrifying. This video you made touches on a lot of the feelings that I was going through during my experience working on this thing for literal weeks, and how insane and fun it was. I do want to say that the parasocial nature of it was something that was without a doubt an underline of it. Jerma loves interacting with chat while also pushing the boundries of the medium. In the behind the scenes I interviewed him about what exactly his thoughts were about this entire project, and he said he just thought it would be entertaining to have the chat come together as a community and pick the outcomes of the stream. It was a way of getting chat to feel like they were actually helping to take part in the direction of the stream. One of my favorite things I contributed while working on the dollhouse was that I had the idea to help bring Uncle Ted back, and that it would be funny if there was an option to "call death" and have him take him away. What was interesting about all that, was that we still needed two other options in case chat did not pick that option. However, we still heavily planned around the idea of them calling death because we knew that is what they would choose. The same thing goes for when the option was there to "Call Bear" when the Gorilla attacked. We knew that was what the chat would chose, while also having back up options just in case. It brought this parasocial idea to the mix that chat really was creating something all on their own, while we were leaving them to their own devices. None of the options were ever faked. This video essay was really fucking surreal to see, and I loved every second of it. As another video essayist that thinks too much about dumb shit, I really appreciated you dissecting and finding meaning in things that we didnt even really consider. At the end of the day, we just wanted to put on an entertaining and fun show. I'm really glad this dumb as hell project we made allowed you to think this deep about the nature of the internet as a whole.
Wow! Speaking of surreal, it's _incredibly_ surreal to see someone associated with the actual production commenting here. Thank you! I'm really glad to hear that it was enjoyable and even touched on some feelings that you find relatable in some fashion. I also just love hearing about things related to the creative process in general, especially for subjects like this that I was compelled enough to make a video about. The Uncle Ted bit _and_ Gorilla attack bit _in particular_ are probably two of my favorites across the entire three streams, actually, so major kudos there for your involvement in them (but obviously just in general, too). I hope this was just as entertaining from the perspective of someone involved as from that of a general audience member, I'm incredibly appreciative to know that you got something out of it.
another stream similar to this is RTgame’s watching paint dry stream. It initially started as a joke but became the most viewed stream he’d ever done up to that point, for what was literally just watching a youtube video of paint dry while talking to chat. In another series of streams he spent dozens of hours shiny hunting after one joke about getting a shiny wooloo. He is genuinely a great content creator thats ready to run with a bit to see where it goes and an audience thats along for the ride
DougDoug does this sort of thing really often, where a random comment will shift the stream into a different thing. like the time he was gonna do a minecraft stream, and then ended up spending an hour or two just looking up different elements to invest in.
@@ironwraith852 or the 3 hour argument that became a court debate about the spelling of a character’s name from a random 80s Star Wars cartoon spawned from someone in chat saying the word Poob
@@randomstranger9849 i always hated that line. Like I feel it should be switched, instead it would be "boredom is a tragedy" something we all run from on the internet, trying to find the next entertainment to run from the fear of boredom. And "apathys a crime" cause we don't let people be on the fence. You HAVE to have an opinion. Anyways, dabadedabadie I'm blue
_Well, you know the old formula: Comedy equals tragedy plus time. And you have been asleep for a while. So I guess it's actually pretty funny when you do the math._
This dollhouse thing reminds me of immersive theatre, where the audience isn’t an actor, but can sometimes change plot lines. People get weird there, do transgressive things that they would never do because this is a show, not real. Right? But people are still people.
Comedy and horror are two sides of the same coin. And it's the most clear in things like the dollhouse and inside. It's horrific. Fantastic. And strange. And I was gonna say something here but it's indescribable for me. Also, time to go think about this for a entire week. Holy shit that was good
Boy, the concept of the parasocial relationship is genuinely a topic unlike any other. My earliest memories as a child were full of an ambition to be famous on the internet as a youtuber, only to get a glimpse at that life through one of the strangest, monkey paw-twists I ever could've imagined: A youtube comment that would forever link me to a meme - a joke of sorts - based around my favorite video game of all time. Suddenly, a video that I effectively had nothing to do with would now define my entire legacy. Younger TJ, an opportunist, would see this as a means to grow his channel by continuing to produce videos he'd force a sense of comedy into with minimal skill to back it up, but to him, all that mattered is that he put his full effort into them - to a degree of decreased quality. Eventually, losing motivation for all the work I'd put in for video creation, I went to streaming that same video game that made me famous. Fun as it was and as social as I was capable of being to the tens of people who showed up, it started to feel overwhelming. Any time there was a game I had a moderate interest in, I felt unable to play it unless I did so with the eyes if my "fans" to experience it with me. Finally, as I entered college, between having less free time than ever before and these emotions invasively making me feel limited from enjoying what I loved, I decided firmly that this life as a big-name Internet Celebrity is not the life that I want. I would also decide that I don't want to leave any part of my past behind me, nor did I necessarily want to stop creating. The result of all this is that I remain, not as an internet personality, but as an internet person. No longer forcing myself to be or do _anything_ that changes how I must act but simply creating whatever I feel in the mood to create. Be it 6 months' worth of work for a cinematic video of Al Paccino advertising the Dunkin' Donuts in song form, or a stupid video of a touhou cat dancing to the mother 3 soundtrack that I made in 30 minutes. Whatever it is I decide to do with my life, I can be sure that someone will be there to remind me that "An A press is an A Press. You can't say it's only a half"
The permanence of the internet is a blessing and a curse. Once you put something out there, it will likely be preserved forever. We leave past versions of ourselves whenever we post something online, ghosts. We forever live in the shadows of ourselves in this digital space, since every version of ourselves share the same playing field. The internet is weird. Best of luck in your future endeavors!
Hard to believe it was so long ago. I remember checking out your stuff around that time, and yeah. It definitely felt like you weren't really comfortable with it. Glad you decided to let it go and be yourself, though; it's been a pleasure seeing you around in recent years.
I had to go back to read yore name when I got to the second paragraph, because that video meme was so strong in my head I instantly knew who was writing. I hope you've found some peace in maturity. maybe it was less of it being overwhelming, and more of you not being of the right mind set at the time. Either way we support your endeavours
reading the first two paragraphs before reading who this is was a trip. as soon as i looked up i immediately recognized you haha hope you’re doing well, man!
Finally, someone puts my fear of those streams into words. I was the only one riddled with anxiety as the chat starved sim jerma, left him dirty and lonely for comedy. It was funny to me most of the time, but the other times I felt so fearful and couldn’t really word why as a whole. Thanks for this
It’s absolutely wild seeing this in my recommends as I’m currently writing an essay about the similarities between Jerma’s Dollhouse and the Stanford Experiment.
Oh! If you're still writing, I would mention: In both instances, the environments are manufactured. When replications of the Stanford Prison Experiment use different demographics, the results aren't easily replicated. Recordings of Philip Zimbardo, the Stanford psychologist who ran the study, evidences that the guards in the experiment were coached to be cruel. Similarly, Jerma's Twitch chat has an expectation: the chat will abuse Jerma when it is funny. When put in a position of power, they believe their role is to be a (comic) abuser, just as the Stanford Experiment's "guards" were made to assume that "guard" meant "abuser". I think this comparison is really interesting!!
Something also that I noticed is how ironic in a twisted sort of way that after Jerma got evicted that it was specifically Ludwig that moved in and was the new character for chat. Only a few month months prior he did a subathon where he non-stop streamed his life for an entire month. He did everything on camera, from cooking to sleeping and even showering. He was essentially the actual real-life version of the Dollhouse. I don't know if that was intentional or if it was Ludwig is very entertaining but I couldn't stop thinking about the parallels.
oh my god this is the video i needed. i thought the dollhouse was really fun, but i'm fascinated to see a deeper look into some of its intentional or unintentional themes. give me the over analysis i crave thank you so much!!
I feel like the factor that some Crypto thing was funding this is a wrinkle to remember, too. Weird how something like this only happens because a bunch of rich weirdos actively destroying the planet funded it. I really do wish we got to see more from talented, independent creators, tbh.
@@DeathnoteBB the reason NFTs are terrible for the planet is because they use crypto to operate and sell. Cryptocurrency is mined using loads and loads of energy. The blockchain that "secures" NFTs and gives them their unique keys (the receipt), also uses loads and loads of energy per transaction. All part of crypto.
It would've happened anyway Dollhouse was already rolling at that point Ludwig entered in late-stage literally just weeks before it was happening and pitched the Coinbase sponsor who then covered out the rest of the budget So really jerma's battleship bet saved him from certain financial ruin
Hihi! Also a member of the cast/crew here. This was brilliantly done, and I commend you on taking something meant for entertainment and using it to dive deeper into real issues. I think Vinny did a good job in his comment explaining some insight to what we were thinking on set (hiiii Vinny!!!
And thank you so much for commenting! Always lovely to hear from people involved in the things I talk about, and very humbling to know that you guys can get something out of it as well.
One of the lines in Inside that hit the hardest for me was the one where he was like “how about I sit on the couch, and I watch you this time” and I think you really managed to encapsulate what it meant to me the first time hearing it in this video
Damn, you really get to the heart of it. These fears are why I never did pursue a bigger Internet Presence myself. And even beyond that, I need to remember as a viewer that streamers and content creators are people too. And YEAH Inside was so good, not just for the comedy but the realism and commentary on mental health too ;v;
Jerma's large LGBT following is very comforting to me, being apart of that community. His content always feels safe. He always puts tremendous effort to create a safe environment for viewers while also being himself and having fun.
i did not expect to be legitimately infatuated with a video made by someone with a sonic profile picture. all jokes aside, your in depth analysis of this whole…thing… is absurdly beautiful. taking the e-clown jerma and his silly little dollhouse stream where i voted for jerma to seduce ludwig’s character, and dissecting it in such a wonderful way is ultimately astonishing. your music choice was beautiful, and it really sucks you in. keep up the fantastic work, and don’t get too down on yourself. this was amazing, and a stern but hopeful statement on these two pieces of media really makes me happy.
im sorry, but “harrington” sounds WAY too much like “elbertson” for either name to be real. thats just jerma’s brain coming up with a “real-sounding” last name
its so cool to see a video on this when ive been feeling a sort of "parasocial horror" on twitch over the past year. especially during ludwigs subathon when he watched the truman show and the movie felt surreal and horrifying in a way it never had before.
The way I see it, the reason why we feel that we have to be products online is because of how much capitalism has taken ahold of the internet; something that was made for everyone, but is now largely controlled by companies who's commodity are their userbase, and the more they can get people to treat themselves as products, the more money said companies make. Essentially, the only way to fix it is to decapitalize the internet.
this is what i’ve been saying too, like commodity fetishism has somehow extended to the literal people themselves, like it has evolved into an even more warped and disturbing version of what marx himself talked about. not only do we not see the people behind the products we consume, but people themselves are products to consume. it’s so bizarre and wrong, on a fundamental level.
I fucking adore Jerma. His streams never fail to make me laugh and between all the jokes and silly noises he seems like a genuinely good person. His dedication to the *craft* is inspiring. Truly.
There's an interesting similarity between Jerma's Dollhouse and the Stanford Prison Experiment. In both instances, the environments are totally manufactured. When replications of the Stanford Prison Experiment use different demographics, the results aren't easily replicated. Recordings of Philip Zimbardo, the Stanford psychologist who ran the study, evidences that the guards in the experiment were coached to be cruel. Similarly, Jerma's Twitch chat has an expectation: the chat will abuse Jerma when it is funny. When put in a position of power, they believe their role is to be a (comic) abuser, just as the Stanford Experiment's "guards" were made to assume that "guard" meant "abuser". I think this comparison is really interesting!!
I've watched Jerma for a long time, years before he became a streamer and still today. I've always tried to be polite and not mess with him as hard as everyone else. But something about the Dollhouse streams made me do the complete opposite, I joined the tidal wave of people who wanted nothing more than to ruin his simulated life. It was like watching my body do something without my mind's permission and I felt nothing but pure joy during the entire thing.
19:46 oh, absolutely felt. when i moved out of my parents’ house to live with my partner it was only a few months (without internet) before we got forcibly evicted in the winter. we were stuck in between houses, effectively living at her grandparents’ house for half a year before we finally had a place to live again, and even then, it took us months again to finally get an internet service provider. i effectively had not had the chance to stream in a year, stopping in early november 2020 and finally getting the chance to make a comeback last week. when i left last year i had just made the jump to double digits in viewers, and my recent stream had a peak of about 3 viewers at any given time. it feels like all my progress has been wiped out tbh but i’m still going to give it my all 🥺 im relieved to know that i’m not alone in this feeling though.
I feel like a lot of this was intentional. The first idea discussion he said it was creepy, but also funny. I definitely felt for Jerma in a couple spots, knowing the feeling of being empty and forced to work. The whole spot with the completely empty bars then forced to stream, that's just how I go into a lot of work meetings.
Damn this video was INTENSE. I can see why this could have been a tough topic to vocalise since the whole issues of media, and how we make/consume it is incredibly difficult to fully understand, its intensely abstract. Thanks for making this funky video
Jesus this video was really good. Jerma's Dollhouse and Inside already seemed weirdly scary to me but this really put into perspective WHY they were scary. I've been addicted to the internet as long as I can remember and been through having parasocial relationships with content creators when I felt completely alone in reality. I've watched myself spiral into mental illness as I lost touch with real life, and even though I think about that a lot, I guess I've gotten used to not giving my own thoughts much credo. I wish I could've realized myself how horrifying all of this is, and believed my own realization. However, as backwards as it is, this video helped me with that a bit, so thanks, Nezumi, hope things are going well.
What I find unique about the Dollhouse is... Jerma is essentially playing two people. Jerma, the in-character puppet man that the chat controls around, and Jeremy, the person; and it feels like they're both fighting for the same spotlight. Jerma, the character, is at the whims of the "rules" of the Dollhouse, he's always exhausted, he's manic and sad, he's starving... he's... pissing himself because chat won't let him do anything. But Jeremy, the person, is AWARE that Jerma is feeling these things, and in a way he's feeling these things too, but he has the weird, 4th-wall-breaking sentience to SCREAM at chat to give him, Jerma, a break. The breakdown leading up to Jerma streaming CoD in his bathroom is a perfect example, or even when Jerma calls someone outside, then it almost seems like JEREMY says something along the lines of, "Yeah, you know where I live! Cause I'M the only God damn person in this wack neighbourhood!"
I am endlessly fascinated by jerma. the dollhouse streams stirred such a conflicting series of emotions in me that no other piece of media has ever done. the surrealness of it all. the crypto sponsor permeating the whole thing. everything you've described, knowing that jerma is just doing a bit yet the slight discomfort of feeling like he *is* completely at the audience's whim, and in fact his whole career and style of humor is based around humoring people at his own expense. there's that classic situation of jerma *saying* he isn't going to do something that chat is telling him to do, and then, inevitably, doing it. the dollhouse IS kind of just a harrowing metaphor for his career as a streamer and in fact of all internet personalities. that said, I do love the guy. I think he has some level of awareness about all this. it's just all very uncanny, and sometimes while watching his streams I kind of take a step back and realize how bizarre it is that I'll willingly watch a guy I've never met take online quizzes for 5 hours just because I like his personality (or what he chooses to show of it). not to mention the things people will say in chat...it truly goes beyond overly familiar. parasocial horror, indeed.
Completely disagree with your anxiety-filled overthinking that being vulnerable would appear as part of the charade of it all. So as someone who works in this space also and knows people who are legitimately two-faced when the camera is off: there is something about genuine expression that is an effervescent quality. Maybe it's subtle perceptions and body language, tone, etc, but if you're attuned to it you'll notice. And the thing is a TON of people won't notice and think it's real. And sometimes you'll never convince them. So if these liars can make it then someone who's being real absolutely can too. And the other genuine ones will notice. Eventually this wave of chasing after genuine connection will evolve or fade into something else. Stressing yourself so much over it won't do you any good. You really should be yourself and if you feel compelled to be open, you should. Those people calling it a facade aren't worth listening to, and frankly are part of such a minority. I've seen it firsthand. I appreciate you already being open about things here. A ton of people are using the distance and anonymity (like jerma) to their benefit, but it's worth being whatever you feel you should be. Second guessing everything will continuously further yourself from that actual genuine core. This is a great video and I've loved a ton of your other ones too. Not in a great position to support financially as I'm in that same D-list celebrity boat but you're doing the right thing.
I've been obsessed with that interview with Burnham. How kids are easier to relate to now for me as someone trying to make content than other adults my age. Being intrinsically online and performing all the time. It's exhausting and feels like no one sees. How you nit pick at yourself to try and make a palatable, relatable you. When you feel anything but. I hear you loud and clear, and it feels so nice to listen to someone else say this. Your third eye is wide open.
This video isolated an aspect of these streams I've had floating in my head. Jerma is a true pioneer and artist, in my opinion at least, and these streams embody everything that draws me to his content. However, something creepy lurks within the foundations of his projects. He blurs the line between audicence and actor to a frightful degree. He immerses his audience in his own world and then shows us a mirror. He is at once the fool and the straight-man. "Jerma" is at once a characature of Jeremy Elbertson and of ourselves. When the focus leaves him, our own power leaves also. The empty and ransacked sets transform from something chaotic and envigourating to something still and eerie. We realise that we are making him (his character) suffer for our own gratification. He comes back, beckoning us to do things "the right way". The power to change things is once again in our hands and a mental switch is flipped... we, the audience, NEED to see Jerma suffer. MORE CLOWNS! MORE GORILLAS! BURN DOWN THE DOLLHOUSE! Jeremy is a genius because he doesn't emphasise his own comedic excellence but rather he makes the audience itself into his funniest character.
Another thing I noticed toward the end of the video is that the difference between Jerma's Dollhouse and Burnham's Inside is the level of commitment each makes to being "genuine". Each work has the exact same theme but one is hilarious and the other is tragic. How? I think that the difference between the two is that Burnham puts his real self into his work whereas Jeremy actively distances his personal life from it. Jerma is a character, a part who frolics on a stage, but Bo is a person. Jeremy can enjoy his work because he doesn't see himself in it, he sees a performance whereas Bo sees only himself.
One of the things i enjoy most about your videos in general is that you talk about what **you** love. I always get a vibe from your vids that you had a blast making them. Its just really comfy, i dont know how else to phrase that lol. I think my overall favorite thing about your videos is that in theming, they are very coherent, but sometimes there will just be a whole detour from the previous section. For example, the sudden switch to Bo Burnham's works, its just so,,, refreshing. Its almost like having a conversation where you start off talking about how excited you are for breath of the wild 2, and somehow you end the conversation talking about the "i eat little babies icecream" video. Its really special and i enjoy the detours :0 Sorry this may have been a bit of a ramble fest omg, its like 12 am and coherent thoughts arent exactly happening rn
A lot of jerma's content makes me feel the way I think you're about to describe so I'm excited for this. (I don't watch him myself but my boyfriend does and I can't help but be mildly horrified at how sadistic his chat can be.)
Watching this video somehow reminds me of Marina Abramovic's 6 hour performance piece Rhythm 0. In it, Abramovic has placed herself in a room with a table containing 72 objects, among them water, honey, a rose, scissors and even a gun. Basically she stood there for 6 hours, not doing anything and being told the audience could do whatever they wanted with her. Basically it was an experiment to see what humans would do if they did have control over another being. While it did start very nicely, with her being offered a rose, the atmosphere did turn more agressive and hostile during the six hours. Even disturbing at points. After the six hours of being tormented, Abramovic just stood up and left and everyone who was there ran away, not wanting to be confronted with what they've done. I think that's something to keep in mind and why Bo Burnham's piece hits so hard. Burnham definitely confronts his audience. I haven't seen Jerma's stream so maybe he does, but it does make me wonder how his audience would respond to a confrontation like that.
this video was weirdly relieving to see, in a way-- i used to have a decently-sized social media following for my art, but during the quarantine i was in my senior year of high school and had to focus most of my energy just on keeping my grades up, much less applying to colleges and starting to think about the future. i hardly had the time to draw between assignments, and even after graduation when i had the free time to do anything i wanted, i sat down at my desk and found that i just... couldn't. drawing had become an ordeal for me. every piece i started i threw out halfway through the lineart, and i just stopped giving updates on social media altogether. i couldn't stop thinking about how everyone was starting to unfollow me, and that if i didn't post something soon the algorithm would pull my account back into obscurity, and i felt so guilty for just allowing myself to become nobody instead of working harder to build my social media presence back up. i could hardly open twitter without feeling some bitter jealousy towards all the artists on my feed who had the ability to keep going through the pandemic, the artists who built professional careers instead of achieving bare mediocrity and then disappearing forever. i missed the validation of likes and retweets, of having an audience to express some curated version of "myself" to. it's been a while, and i'm only now starting to get back into drawing when i feel like it and not pressuring myself into making it perfect for others, or even showing it to others at all. i'd like to think i'm getting better at that, but man it still fucking hurts and this video hits different at 3 am
@@xemiii he also dated Kim who I believe came out as nonbinary during their relationship? idk i don't tend to pry but Kim's twitter was recommended to me before they broke up and they had they/them in their bio.
One massive thing that got me thinking all throughout watching these sorts of videos is that I've been somewhat on a binge of RU-vidr popularity, interested in how many old/new creators either retired and left behind a legacy of nostalgia and happiness, grew an "invincible ego" and "kept succeeding" and doing what they do with their prideful fans supporting them, or got caught up some drama or mental illness that destroyed them, either their friends/family or their FANS demanded truth, money, entertainment, etc... When I was watching this, I thought a lot about how stressful BEING the entertainment can be. But also, since "getting closer" with fans and celebrities has become a reality, people also seek "genuine" people, like you spoke about in this video. I guess in this day and age, there's a somewhat thin line between people WANTING entertainment and WANTING a friend. Personally, I think that focusing too much on BEING the entertainment, upping the stakes and sacrificing more of your humanity can really also bend your mind into thinking that all you are IS entertainment. A circus animal trapped in a cage. A simple stupid beast designed to be laughed at.
This is something that haunts me as my channel grows, but I can't discuss with friends and family or be met with empathy because it's hard to dodge sounding so full of yourself--"You're worried about fame? That seems conceited." But this. Really helped me feel understood. Thank-you
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was "inspired" by the parasocial nightmare that was this goofy stream, so much so I used as a springboard for a poem I made for a workshop
This video is great. Not just from the quality alone, but also the subject it touches upon. I'm a big fan of Jerma985 and i've been for a while now, so seeing a video about one of the biggest Twitch Streams and funniest broadcasts i've ever seen was really great. But this also made me think and notice some things about that stream and the paralells you explained, and even made me emotional. This is a great video for reflection and even some self thinking, props for that, since it is not an easy task to make something like that, and expecially in this detail. Overall, a great analisys. Keep up the good work! :D
I've been in many stages of public attention over the course of my time on RU-vid. I've been a Nobody(tm), I've been seen by millions of people, I've had more encouragement about things I've always felt self-conscious about, AND have worried about putting out something that doesn't meet the expectations set by a positive precedent. It's an existential nightmare to think that so much can be tied to something that relies on something so completely fickle; public opinion. And I think that it's easy to look on people who have been broken by this culture and go, 'Ugh, they did it for ATTENTION', which ignores the very real psychological process that selling *yourself* as a product does. Anyone who pretends that RU-vid isn't about selling yourself, piece by piece, probably doesn't even know the hundreds of thousands of people they've skipped over because the RU-vidr isn't yelling and overreacting to things. I did Let's Plays for a long time, but they were never blind, which doesn't draw in the attention that blind playthroughs does, and even THOSE get drowned out by the people who jump at every slight noise or yell like their life is on the line. And if you sneer at people seeking "attention", I wonder if you're not someone who has had their work ignored and plunged into a void before-- or worse, someone who was IN the void, had a spotlight, and has to run faster than they're physically capable of just to avoid being pitched back into the void. I'm not saying it's healthy. I agree with this video; it IS scary how easy it is to slip into parasocial dynamics, even being AWARE of parasocial dynamics. I wish RU-vid itself didn't promote this impossible dance through their algorithm. Great video, Nezumi. I appreciate this touch of vulnerability, because it certainly cuts to a truth that not everyone is willing to admit. Thank you for that.
while i see it as all good and fun, i couldnt put into words as to why i wasnt eager to see it. tho seeing theres other people besides him in on it and how everything is thoroughly planned behind the scenes made me feel like hes really the entertainer hes meant to be. seeing him with alot of people was wholesome asf. this was really a bigger and bolder project than the last. at this point i understand him retiring after that but i doubt it since he loves what he does. the dynamic between jerma and the chat is something new to me when i found him back in 2019. his humor with chat is kinda symbiotic in jerma's expense. it can be scary to see if youre not in it like its a club full of lore and inside jokes (that includes me since i dont understand most of his years worth of lore). whenever i feel bad about him, theres always the thought "maybe i just dont get it yet"
dude, hold on i gotta watch this again, im so thankful i clicked on this fucking video cus its so interesting. i usually just click on long ass videos and leave because i use them as background sound while i draw but damn this was so good
This is such an interesting video, and it leads me to ask my own questions as an artist. I feel like two extremes on the spectrum now, to either do my own work completely alone and make art that pleases me, but possibly nobody else, or to get constant feedback and possibly lose my own vision. Being a modern artist, even if its me just making a game in rpg maker, or video creation, or even more “traditional” works like paintings, is such an incredibly weird and honestly senseless thing. All art will be compared to other work because of the sheer quantity that exists today, it could be quickly written off as derivative by people you want to try to touch or make think. I dont really know, and I dont even know why Im writing this. I guess to try to find my own answers? I dont really know what art even is in this modern world anymore, and whats a healthy amount of external feedback when making art
This is interesting because I know I've wrestled with some similar things myself. I'm making a sizable comic and I used to constantly worry about whether or not staying true to my vision will result in a very low readership, or if I would need to sacrifice my artistic intent for the sake of getting some consistent feedback and suggestion. I've sort of just decided it's best for me to make the kind of story or art I would enjoy or want to experience. I also think it can be really good to embrace your influences without overly worrying too much about if it's redundant or derivative. There's a really big difference between using some common tropes and just copy-pasting someone else's story ideas, after all, and everything is sort of just building off of something else. I worried a lot about my own work, but just realizing that I'm never going to appeal to everyone and it's best to dedicate myself to my vision really let me open up new possibilities, stuff a more timid or anxious me never would have shot for. I think it's good to see how people are reacting to it - if you want your main character to be sympathetic or your main romance to be very sweet, it's good to know how people are reacting to those things. If your aim is to unsettle people, hearing their thoughts on those moments can be useful. If they're not freaked out as you had hoped, it's a sign to revamp that sequence. Generally I try to find people who would enjoy what I make, take note of their feedback, and just see if I am getting the desired effect. I don't tend to change my story too much over small suggestions ("I think so-and-so should date this guy instead!") but if someone comes back with feedback like "I feel like the main character is pretty mean-spirited and I don't really like her", and then I hear that from multiple readers, then I know I'm not really living up to my intentions. Having an extra set of eyes on things like politics and representation can be really useful too - people who will tell me if I am misrepresenting someone or something important. Stay true to your vision and use feedback as a marker to gauge your success on that front, I guess, is my tactic. Not sure if any of this rambling made sense, but it's just how I am approaching it now. Best of luck to you and your endeavors.
I was originally going to make a joke like 'You know he's obfuscating his past when he says he's American yet Jeremy Harrington is the most British name ever', but after watching this vid the whole way through, I now feel kinda bad about that
I remember when Adam Sessler did a stream where chat dictated all of his actions and it resulted in him interrupting an office meeting at Rev3 Headquarters.
a beautiful vidio essay that opened my eyes I was invested all the way though this. this reminds me od highschool english class when I was a junior and was forced to analyze exaples of "good" writing , this entire essay feel like it should fucking be in a hall of fame up there with great poets and shit holy fuck man.
This was a really fascinating video. I almost skipped by it, I didn’t want to see another video with a person misunderstanding the word “parasocial,” especially not a video about a stream I really liked. But you hit the nail on the head and brought up concepts that I wouldn’t have connected to parasocial relationships before. I’ll be sure to check out more of your stuff :) You’ve also inspired me to finally watch Bo Burnham’s Inside. I’d been avoiding it for sooooo long because I didn’t want to watch a piece of depressing media all about quarantine, especially since I’d been struggling in quarantine for so long. Plus I think Bo Burnham is a little self-important. But you’ve inspired me to give him another shot. This video was really a fantastic watch. Also, my favorite streamer is prezoh :)
it's weird. seeing parasocial relationships from both sides, it's an odd mixture of blessed and cursed. even with a very small audience, people start to think of you as a friend when you've never met them. there's this expectation that you care just as much. it's harrowing. yet, on the other side, why would you waste so much of your time and energy and money and fanart on a stranger who wont give anything back? who wants to constantly say "im not your friend"? yeah, its true, but it almost feels unfair. like you've supported this person and, in exchange, you'd like them to pretend a little. there almost *needs* to be this false connection for either to benefit from any of it. the creator wants to be seen. the audience wants to see. the creator wants money. the audience wants to give money to someone that means something to them. but the weird irony is that a genuine connection is *literally impossible* for either party. a creator can't befriend a thousand faces. a fan can never really know the actual person behind the entertainer's mask. the creator becomes this weird middle between a real person and a fictional character. like a tomogachi. they have needs and wants and desires and boundaries that must be met, but no real love can ever be given from them or to them. the audience becomes this pseudo-friend that "loves" and supports, but really, can never be known because the human brain simply cant hold that many connections at one time. and even if you become an Ascended Fan and befriend (or date) your beloved content creator, there's always going to be this weird barrier. do you really love the person, or do you love their persona? are you really in this for them, or for what they symbolize? would you have ever loved them if they hadnt been that creator first? maybe it would be less of a burden if there was a common understanding that none of it is real. none of the things either says is true. "you will make art. I will give you money. and in exchange, the two of us will pretend to care about each other." that sort of thing. an acknowledgement of the dollhouse. that the person inside the dollhouse isn't real enough to love, but real enough to bleed.
i absolutely cannot wait for the inevitable Black Mirror episode that rips off the Jerma Dollhouse stream and uses this exact video's interpretation of it as the "metaphor" or whatever.
I'll be honest when you brought up Bo Burnham and segued into the Inside segment I started SCREAMING. The whole parasocial thing already reminded me of Bo's Kanye Rant, so it felt AMAZING when you made the connection. This video was wonderfully made.
God this got real, I was feeling pretty empty today and afraid of something I am working on. But it was nice to know I'm not alone in these feelings. I enjoyed this video thank you for making it
god seeing u paralell inside and having a piano cover of goodbye play really makes me feel some kind of feeling since i just listened to songs from inside
I’ve lost plenty of relationships over the years from people getting caught up in parasocial relationships forgetting it’s not what you think it is though it is a form of connection to people it can easily tear you down and leave you a husk once you get attached to that grinch just running hoping you make something good and than onto the next one just to make sure people see it once done repeat until you pass out thanks for making this genuinely great video essay
It was a great set of introspection that I enjoyed both agreeing and disagreeing with certain aspects. Your analysis is quite good and you kept it up for over a half hour and multiple parts/topics. That is no joke in difficulty! I cheered when you made the connection of modern internet parasocial relationships going back to celebrities, it is something I don't see many people catch. Of other interest is it goes further back to that with gods (I suspect it would be easiest to see in the greek pantheon or others that have gods being the 'paragon' of certain traits, a worshiper could easily create an identity around being a devotee of particular things or aspects.). There are some minor hiccups near the end, when reflecting on Inside that you could also be emotionally honest and express vulnerability and fears about content creation and what it means, you seemed to talk about it from the perspective of 'I can't do that because it is now part of the new structure of creation, I could be accused of just following the path and I don't even know how I'd refute that.' seemingly forgetting that you just spent about 20 minutes opening up about Jenma's dollhouse and how that relates to your own personal feelings about creating, and your personal struggles with the success/failure of the algorithm. I know that's probably due to the parts being done at different times and you weren't really connected to it, but watching it all in one go felt surprisingly blind to your own actions just prior after so much more precise introspection. Hmmmm, the only other one was sometimes you treated Jenma's dollhouse as real to make a point and sometimes acknowledged it as fake to make a point. I think as a matter of cause and effect it is difficult to do both and remain consistent. It feels like someone saying "Yes, but no but yes". Muddies the water a bit and makes it seem you're not confident in your conclusions/beliefs. My personal perspective is that it was a live action sims, with sims-like UI, it isn't surprising it received a sims-like reaction and played out sims tropes. Chat as a mob will happily drive a sims-like experience to sims-like ends, but would be actually somewhat shy about causing intentional harm. I think chat hooked up to the Milgram obedience experiment would perform much more morally than the individuals that were tested in the same situation. Sitcoms work similarly where market forces make the main character's life often bizarre or hellish, this has more similarity to that I think. there is very little story to peaceful banal lives. 'dog bites man is not news, man bites dog is news' and all that. Regardless it was a great look and a fun way to spend thirty minutes and some change. Keep on keeping on, algorithms or no, your introspection and content are good, it's hard to have only a few inconsistencies over such a long analysis. Double thumbs up to you!
Fantastic video. Jerma's dollhouse is one of the most interesting things ever done on Twitch and it really does stand as a piece of performance art. I think the chat antagonism with many popular streamers is interesting because it doesn't usually end up personal. I think everyone in chat knew this was a performance and so were okay with torturing Jerma the same way they would any other stream. But when Jerma gets serious, chat gets serious usually. It's obviously kinda fucked that the relationship even exists though. You see it with some of the vinesauce streamers as well, especially Joel.
Hey yo, that line about caring about youtube comments got me. This is good stuff and i'll be one of the million voices to say that to give ya a lil boost in your day. Make sure you treat yourself well with your self talk cause ya got talent.
This was all so amazingly put. My friends and I often discuss the nature of modern parasocial relationships and what today’s standards of that makes of the various forms of social media influencers; you have just cultivated my own otherwise messy thoughts so perfectly!
Its so good to see this more thought filled perspective of the Dollhouse, and i really loved your comparison to Inside, its really fitting We basically got 2 videos in 1, and yet, these parts complement each other You got yourself a new sub mate, cant wait to see more of your content, Old and New
one of the cool things about art is how every audience member could interpret it in a way that would be informed by _their_ personal experiences. it's like looking into a mirror, in a way. so I'm glad you made this video, it was a very interesting look at a seemingly innocuous project.
we sometimes forget creators in the end are human and i feel that as a creator of any content you should make what you want and have a healthy relation whit your CONTENT instead of your audience. (Btw great video i cri)
Well on the upside: I found this from the algorithm so maybe this is an uptick? Seriously though; I was unsure about this about this in the first half but you really stuck the landing.
Never apologize for sharing such deeply thought provoking ideas and perspectives, especially if your heart is in the right place. People could always use the insight, it helps us grow and understand each other, and ourselves.
I don't really know what to comment that isn't just another extension of parasocial interaction. I want to express my gratitude for your making this thought-provoking video that I enjoyed, because I did enjoy it! But then that's the illusion, isn't it? That implied expectation that somehow a stranger on the internet should care about a stranger's opinion. That little heart you get when you make a good comment isn't friendship, or indicative of anything beyond the creator's attention. It's confirmation that someone saw you, sure. But we don't know anything about each other, so it's about as meaningful as getting a thumbs-up from a passerby. Even knowing that though--even as a full-grown adult--it's tricky not to get addicted to that illusion of empathy, especially with the isolation we've all felt this past year and a half. Sorry, just been thinking a lot about this stuff lately. Thank you for grabbing my attention for a while. I needed that today.
> That implied expectation that somehow a stranger on the internet should care about a stranger's opinion. I don't think this is new or even unique to the internet, fwiw. Strangers' opinions are a carrot and a stick in pretty much every society -- the internet is simply a tool which enables those opinions to be conveyed and received with extraordinary ease and at extraordinary scale compared to what could be achieved with previous technologies. How we act, how we speak, how we dress and to whom we speak -- these have all always been been influenced by fears or wishes regarding "what would everybody think".
I just wanna say, I know how u feel when it comes to caring about comments even from strangers. When I got very 'minorly' popular on social media a few times, I remember getting a few negative comments and being extremely sad about it. I don't know why it impacted me so much, but I just emotionally reacted to them very strongly. Even though there were so many positive comments, it was the few negative ones that affected me the most. I've only watched a few of your channels videos, but I really liked the ones I watched! They felt very well thought out and I've related to a lot of what youv'e said. I'm def becoming a subscriber :) I hope you get a lot more subscribers in the future!
I really loved this look on things! I am always happy to see people doing new and intresting things, even more when someone else can take that and really think on it. even if the media isnt "that deep" I love seeing what it makes people think about. I really loved this please keep up the good work!
