Why do so many YouTube videos start with, “Hey Guys!”

Is it a greeting? A sign that this isn’t a TV show or a movie and it’s something more intimate. I think it started that way, but now it seems to be a code for a specific kind of video. 

“Hey guys!” is intended to signal that the personality of the person in the video is more important than the content. That this is one of a series of videos, and the person is watching them for the host over the individual content of a single video. The content is secondary to the relationship the viewer has with the host. It says there’s a group of us that meets for these videos, and I hope you’ll join us. 

People say it on their first video as if it’s an incantation that creates a community.

Of course, at this point, if everyone says it all the time, isn’t it the opposite of intimate and meaningful? At this point, doesn’t it just mean, “this is a YouTube video. I hope you like me.”

Smash that like button and smash that follow button! It really helps the channel.