Goodbye cat videos. Hello stardom. And charity.

Founded in 2005, back in what feels like the “stone age” for technology, YouTube was another social media forum for people around the world to upload and share videos. One year later, Google acquired YouTube. Now, YouTube has become vastly influential in not only providing people with fame but also contributing positively to society.

Consider the story of Tyler Oakley. The 25-year-old Michigan native started making videos in 2007. Due to his positive energy and upbeat personality, along with his constantly-changing hair colors, Oakley now has over six million subscribers on his channel, over three million followers on Twitter and Instagram, and over two million likes on his Facebook page. Type Tyler into a Google search box and his name is the first suggestion. It is safe to say that Oakley has garnered quite a following through YouTube.

Oakley is a strong advocate for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and a big supporter and member of the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is an organization that provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBT teens. Oakley has shown his support for the organization through a series of videos on his channel. In the past two years, he has also raised over $500,000 for the Trevor Project.

He did this with the help of his large following on social media. He asked his viewers to donate to the Trevor Project for his birthday as a gift. Oakley was able to raise $29,000 in 2013 and over $500,000 in 2014. For his efforts, Oakley was given the Trevor Youth Innovator Award in 2014. His involvement with the Trevor Project dates back to 2009 when he interned for the organization and hosted its annual benefit. This YouTuber has displayed his passion for the cause, inspiring his followers and hopefully spreading tolerance.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, three YouTube legends, Zoe Sugg, Joe Sugg and Alfie Deyes, are each making a difference from the United Kingdom. Combined they have a total of over 13 million subscribers on YouTube. In November of 2014, they were part of Band Aid 30, a first for internet celebrities. Started in 1984 to raise money for those impacted by the famine in Ethiopia, the Band Aid 30 concert used musical performances to raise money to contend with the Ebola outbreak in Western Africa. Although the trio is not part of the music industry, its audience (consisting largely of teens throughout the world) is so vast that the three were able to increase awareness and raise money for the critical cause.

Being asked to participate in an event as well known and charitable as Band- Aid demonstra

tes the growing influence of YouTubers. It is also indicative of how social media platforms are influencing society in a beneficial way.

It appears that YouTube has established itself as a significant part of 21^st century society. Even PBS’s award-winning series Frontline dedicated an episode to Generation Next with a focus on the impact of YouTube. Oakley, the Suggs and Deyes are just a few of the thousands of YouTubers who have used the platform in a positive way.

So, the next time you watch a video on YouTube, even if it is a cat climbing up the stairs, consider the charitable consequences of many of these channels.