Jimmy Wong's "Ching Chong" Video - Youtube
Many people become famous through social media websites, especially Youtube. Celebrities including Justin Bieber have started their careers on this popular video sharing website. Chapter 70 of "How It Feels to Be Viral Me" discusses YouTube stars and the Asian American YouTube vloggers like Jimmy Wong. Wong created a video in response to an offensive YouTube video that went viral.
In 2011, a UCLA student, Alexandra Wallace, created a video that consisted of jokes towards Asian Americans. She made comments about them on the phone in the library by imitating them saying, "ching chong, ling long, ting tong." In response to the video, Wong recorded and shared a song on YouTube. He starts the video holding a guitar with an accent saying that he is not the most politically correct. He then begins singing a song directed towards her referring to her face full of makeup followed by the "ching chong, ling long, ting tong" reference. The song has a good rhythm and satire which attributes to its fame.
The author then discusses other ideas related to YouTube including "International Secret Agents" and "Kollaboration". Kollaboration and ISA are part of a new economic model that connects fans with their vlog idols via live performances. The companies have helped promote Asian American YouTube stars including A.J. Rafael, Ryan Higa, and Jennifer Chung. The success of these concerts shows the rise of Asian Americans in mainstream entertainment.
This article focuses on Asian American stars, but YouTube has helped create stars of all race and ethnicities. The platform allows people to discover talent whether it is related to comedy, music, cooking, make-up, or various other skills. Fans using the internet become familiar with these stars because they can adapt to them since they are typically everyday people and not yet celebrities. People of all cultures can share their talents with the world which is one of the greatest parts about vlogging. People like Jimmy Wong can also create videos to send a message and prove a point which was scene by over 5 million people since 2011.
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