Nov. 15, 2018
By Alicia Henrichsen
Editor
After beginning his social media presence on YouTube in 2008, Shane Dawson has risen to be one of America’s most popular influencers. He started with comedic sketches and short films before moving on to his current docuseries project.
Freshman Claudia Lapinski, who has been a dedicated viewer of Dawson’s docuseries since it began in 2018, said she likes his ever-changing style.
“Shane’s videos have changed dramatically. He has gone from movies and short films to very random reaction videos [and] challenge videos. [This] eventually led to the new, innovative Shane Dawson, who has found his passion: documentaries and understanding others’ lives,” Lapinski said.
He has profiled popular YouTube influencers including Tana Mongeau, Jake Paul and Jeffree Star. Throughout these videos, Dawson analyzes their careers and attempts to take an in-depth look at their personal lives, including their home life, friendships and personal struggles.
While most of his documentaries have gotten a lot of positive feedback, Dawson’s most recent eight-part docuseries “The Mind of Jake Paul,” which was published is September and October, has received backlash. Due to Paul’s reputation as a dangerous prankster, Dawson has received criticism from his followers and other influencers. Nevertheless, Dawson has continued trending on YouTube and has received between 14 and 22 million views for each of the videos in this docuseries.
Junior Jenna Coviello, who has been a longtime viewer of Dawson’s videos, said she does not believe Dawson’s coverage of Paul stems from bad intentions.
“I have been watching Shane for years, and I do not believe he specifically did this just to get talked about. He does videos he is interested in and hopes the viewers like them,” Coviello said.
Dawson is also getting negative feedback for publishing a harsh analysis of Paul’s parents. Although he never interviewed them, Dawson concludes that Paul’s father Greg pushed his sons to compete with one another no matter the cost.
“I do believe Shane has crossed the boundary,’ Coviello said. “He got involved with not only Jake’s but his mother and father’s lives. This was [going] too far.”
Coveillo said she understands that Dawson’s main goal is to entertain, and she said she respects him for succeeding in his goal of becoming a YouTube sensation.
“At the end of the day, I support Shane in the videos he wants to make and will always be a fan of him, but he needs to learn his limits when doing these controversial documentaries,” Coviello said.
Junior Jenna Freitas, who watches Dawson’s docuseries regularly, said she has mixed feelings about his recent work.
“His recent videos aren’t terrible, but they definitely aren’t my favorite that he’s put out. They feel way too scripted and not as genuine as his past videos…. However, Shane has the right to put out the content that he wants,” Freitas said. “He definitely has lost fans, but he has also gained a lot, becoming more well-known in the media.”
Despite the disapproval he has encountered, Dawson has reassured his fans that he will not let the negative publicity bring him down or stop him from publishing controversial videos.
Sophomore David Fonseca has been following Dawson’s videos for about a year. He said he does not like “The Mind of Jake Paul” but enjoys Dawson’s other videos.
He said people who disagree with Dawson should not resort to posting disrespectful comments on YouTube.
“Shane has come so far and worked so hard to get to where he is. He should not let one bad video bring him down or stop him from doing what he loves,” said Fonseca.
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