12 Dec Social Media Gave Me My Confidence
Niki Albon and his twin brother, Sammy, have been making YouTube videos from as far back as 2013. To watch their videos from 2013, which Niki says some are now privatised due to the embarrassment he faces when others watch, you can see how dramatically they have both changed, especially Niki himself.
The change is in fact a good change. The old videos show a very self conscious, undergraduate student. His voice almost monotone and quiet, because god forbid his parents hearing him talking to a camera. Anyone would find that almost humiliating.
“I think that perseverance is something that has really helped us gain confidence.” Niki explains, holding his coffee close to him. Niki tells me how when he was younger and throughout university he weighed 18 stone, therefore giving him a massive lack of confidence. “I had to worry about things like stepping on other people’s feet and being in the way because I took up too much space”.
Niki during university weighing 18st
When telling me this information Niki took a more serious approach, rather than the jokes and the witty banter he had been exchanging with me throughout the rest of the conversation.
Niki was able to lose a huge amount of weight and then go on to YouTube, which really did change his life.
Niki and his brother now mostly make videos focusing on the music genre, K-Pop, but before that the channel primarily focused on ‘random’ lifestyle videos. Baking, video blogs, Q&A’s, the list goes on.
“We’re both a lot more confident and comfortable with what we do now” Niki’s identical twin brother, Sammy, comments. He only managed to work part time in a library before YouTube became his full time job along with Niki at just the age of 22.
“We bicker a lot, all brothers do. I have definitely noticed the change he has gone through and I’m still so proud of how far he has come.” Sammy says. He showed that compared to his brother, he is a lot more sensitive and serious about most topics.
Their videos have opened up hundreds of doors. The twins were able to present a Radio 1 show, be nominated for Radio 1 Teen Awards, travel to different cities and even countries for events such as Summer in The City, VidCon and Playlist which allowed them to meet their loyal audience.
Niki now in Starbucks
But with good, bad always comes. “Of course we receive hate, we do frequently.” Niki answers with a small eye roll. K-Pop fans in particular view the boys intentions the wrong way. They commonly see some videos as ways to just gain ‘clout’, which is social media language for attention. There is also criticism over the video ideas that are posted on the channel, which will always happen but of course it can be off putting.
Social media stars are stereotypically seen as self obsessed, money hungry and with the easiest jobs in the world, but Niki really disproves that stereotype when you get the opportunity to meet him. To hear and physically see how making YouTube videos has improved his confidence and the way he is as a person is truly inspiring. There has been tons of hard work put in by him and his brother over the last 6 years.
