Ministering to YouTubers YouTube Video Blogs

YOUTUBE VIDEO BLOGS

YouTube Video Blogs: Ministering to YouTubers

Brief

This text concerns itself with three young YouTube bloggers. Owing to the fact that I am female, all three bloggers selected were female. The said bloggers are; Baby Kaely (16 years), Lilliana Ketchman (13 years), and Elliana Walmsley (14 years). While Lilliana Ketchman is in junior high school, Baby Kaely is a high school student. For this reason, the choice of bloggers meets the specific assignment/essay standards. Combined, all three bloggers have a subscriber base of more than 5.5 million subscribers.

Discussion

Lilliana Ketchman

On her YouTube channel, Ketchman boasts of a total of 3.18 subscribers. In her profile, she is described as an aspiring actress/singer, model and dancer. It would be prudent to note that at age 13, Ketchman happens to be in her early adolescence. In this stage, one would ordinarily expect her to experience quick growth and notice a wide range of body changes. In this context, the said changes are inclusive of, but they are not limited to, breast development (Coleman 2011, 137). The said changes could trigger some level of curiosity amongst those at this stage. (Coleman 2011, 138) As the author further points out, it is also at this point that the desire for independence could be further enhanced.

In seeking to further evaluate Ketchman, we could make use of Osmer’s four core tasks of practical theological interpretation (Perrin 2007, 69). To begin with, when it comes to descriptive-empirical task, the all-important query to be answered would be; what’s going on? In the present context, an assessment of Ketchman’s blog reveals that she is keen on documenting certain aspects of her life and her passions. Examples on this front include her morning routine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHaNXuDQ2Gc), getting Starbucks without her dad knowing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dtdn2NX2yQ), and happenings during her birthday (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6buTZ0V3msQ). Her yoga prowess is also on display (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT9tr4I2iUg).

With regard to the interpretive task, the issue of greatest relevance is; why is this going on. It is important to note that given the number of subscribers that she has managed to amass over time, and the fact that her parents appear to be actively involved in the behind-the-scenes happenings, Ketchman could be in this for both enjoyment and financial gain.

Normative task seeks to address the query on what ought to be going on. In the present scenario, we could seek to ask ourselves what the Creator’s will is - with regard to the content that Ketchman shares. In my opinion, God would be pleased with Ketchman’s sharing of content that in line with biblical teachings. In Micah 6:8, we are called upon to “walk humbly with [our] God.” Lastly, in relation to the pragmatic task, we could interrogate our response. To a large extent, our response should in this case be to mold this particular youngster and align her with God’s purpose.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Reach out to Ketchman’s parents (particularly her mother) owing to their significant involvement in her YouTube channel. Ensure that the said parents are aware of the reason and need to reach out.

Engage Ketchman on her passions and likes. Indicate to her that God loves her and would be interested in using her to advance the good news agenda.

Get Ketchman to embrace the Gospel and identify its relevance in her life.

Explore ways through which Ketchman could use the platform she has, as well as her talents and gifts, to advance the Gospel.

Table 1: Four week ministering plan for Ketchman

Baby Kaely

Next, we have Baby Kaely. As per her bio, Kaely has a passion for rapping. Indeed, as she indicates, she has been raping for the last one decade (i.e. since she was only 4-years-old). It would be prudent to note that in this particular channel, Kaely seeks to showcase some of her musical creations over the last few years. It would, however, be prudent to note that upon closer scrutiny, some of the songs she has created in the past appear to contain lewd and explicit lyrics. Good examples of the said songs would be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; Issues (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nmi_TeTTjU), Honey Bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CTZZbeSgJI), and Jacked (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OMlJFNXpI).

At 16 years of age, Baby Kaely happens to be in her Middle Adolescence. This is to say that the physical changes that begun during her early adolescence are new largely complete. At this stage, one would also expect her periods to be regular. It would also be prudent to note that it is at this stage that most youngsters “become interested in romantic and sexual relationships” (Laursen and Collins 2012, 304). This could help explain some of the explicit lyrics featuring in some of Kaely’s songs.

In relation to the descriptive-empirical task, which happens to be one of Osmer’s four core tasks of practical theological interpretation, Kaely’s musical content and approach appears to be largely aligned with that of certain heavyweights industry – i.e. Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliot. In relation to the interpretative task, she is positioning herself to be the next big thing in this space. Kaely appears to be keen on creating a name for herself in the rap arena. She could be attracted by the money and fame. When it comes to the normative task, Kaely ought to be composing songs which make God known to her generation of youngsters. Thus, she needs our spiritual guidance to embrace a role of this nature (i.e. in relation to the pragmatic task).

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Make God’s purpose for humanity known to Kaely.

Explore biblical teachings of relevance with Kaely

Explore ways through which Kaely could serve God using her God-given talent of music. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, we are called to ensure that all that we do is for God’s glory.

Consult on pending issues with Kaely – especially in relation to her being a born-again Christian and serving God in a unique manner

Table 2: Four week ministering plan for Kaely

Elliana Walmsley

In her YouTube channel, Elliana Walmsley makes use of just the name Elliana. Of all three bloggers that I have highlighted in this text, she has the lowest number of subscribers on the channel, i.e. at just over 800k subscribers. In her bio, she welcomes viewers to what she calls her “crazy” life. She does not give a description of her preferred genre content. However, an assessment of the videos she has uploaded in the past indicates that her preferred content revolves around pranks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aWO7lQiUQI) and her romantic relationship (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqSrVIkuEyY). At 14 years, Elliana is in her middle adolescence. In essence “at this stage, many teens become interested in romantic and sexual relationships” (Coleman 2011, 139). This could explain Elliana’s obsession with posting videos centered on her boyfriend. We could come to the conclusion that she is essentially exploring her sexual identity. Further, adolescents at this stage start to develop keen interest in independence and as a consequence, they could have arguments with their parents and guardians from time to time (Coleman 2011, 137).