This Bay Area YouTuber makes money in public

“It’s pretty crazy that it all happened,” Boncodin told SFATE. …A lot of it was in the jokes I shared with the world, and I loved it.”

This simple formula has made the YouTuber a rising star in a highly saturated market of video influencers. He has over 780,000 followers on YouTube and over 350,000 followers on Instagram. Boncodin told his SFGATE he declined to reveal how much he makes, but admitted he was able to make it a full-time job three months ago.

Boncodin is part of the exploding video influencer economy, expanding from the wildly popular world of live streaming video games to an ever-long (and sometimes bewildering) list of activities. Viewers watch live streams of ordinary people shopping, playing digital slots, and sleeping.

For outsiders unfamiliar with “A Day in the Life” YouTubers and TikTok stars, how can these influencers do so much despite their frankly boring jobs? It can be disconcerting how it generates strong followers. My first reaction to Boncodin’s video was complete confusion as to why anyone would watch it. However, I saw the second one. And then a third.

He has invented a new vocabulary of hot pot-themed jargon and has developed a following far beyond his YouTube videos. “Fulcrum come in” is his catchphrase, borrowed from a mysterious “Star Wars” character, “Yuuuup. The Yodie Gang.” Yodie Land is his hometown in East Hebay, Antioch, Oakley, and Brentwood, but he tells his SFGATE that “anyone can be in his Yodie Land.” “Fader Than Hoes” is very stony, while “Blinker Hit” is breathing in a vape pen for so long that the battery begins to blink (he advised us to do this for safety reasons). not recommended).

A video tagged “YODIE LAND” has received 240 million views on TikTok. A meme page explains his catchphrase.

Boncodin has an almost familial connection with its audience. He’s the quintessential Gen Z kid of his, with boyish good looks and an ever-present hoodie (in one video, Target’s checkers show how she knows him, even if she doesn’t know where he’s from). I’m sure they are). He plays on America’s most mundane stage. In front of the red-walled target, between the sticky Carl’s Jr. table, and in Wendy’s dirty, tiled bathroom. This homogenous corporate pallet reminds me of Boncordin coughing on a massive e-cigarette hit, Loews walking by his patio furniture or walking into the same fast food bathroom where he smoked Blunt. make you feel like you did.

During this melancholy phase, he delivers a truly uplifting message. His videos are sprinkled with advice, New Age philosophy, and positive affirmations for his viewers. “Each and every one of you is important, worthy, and rich.”

He does nothing and goes nowhere. Yet somehow, he transcends the mundane suburban setting with the confidence of someone living the best life.

This attitude clearly appeals to America’s lonely and isolated youth. Even if you’re just a regular guy smoking an e-cigarette in front of a Bed Bath & Beyond toaster oven.

Boncodin didn’t always have this social trust. I’m trying to get

“Maybe I was stressed and depressed the whole time,” said Boncordin. “I graduated from high school [and] I focused on trying to be the best version of myself. After a lot of meditation and work on myself, I got to where I am today. ”

Generation Z, including those like Boncodin born between 1997 and 2012, are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and stress are much higher for Generation Z than for previous generations. Boncondin says he connects with people going through the same issues he once faced.

“I think that’s why people resonate with my content because we’re all going through the same things, especially people my age, stress, depression, anxiety, etc. said Boncondin. “I’m just trying to show people that you guys are valuable and important. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of you guys.”

Boncodin attributes some of his mental growth to his use of cannabis, a drug that has shown promising results as a treatment for mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. There is a caveat: these results are preliminary, and cannabis has not been approved by the FDA as a treatment for any mental health condition. , is increasing in the United States.

Boncodin said he completely ignored criticism that his heavy cannabis use was unhealthy or that it was affecting his generation. He made it clear that he tries to be respectful whenever he shoots videos in public.

“Unlike a lot of pranksters, I’m out in public and respectful to everyone. If someone tells me to stop, I stop. I don’t try to push any buttons,” Boncordin told SFGATE. Told.

Effortlessly speaking like a freestyle rapper turned motivational speaker, Boncordin has capitalized on his viral fame for his music career. He released auto-tuned glassy emo his raps under the name Fulcrum and spawned a small following on Spotify. His music is full of the same catchphrases and positive messages that remain in his music.

He said it became his life’s purpose to get this message across, by whatever means.

“No matter your age, no matter your body type, no matter your skin color, no matter your gender, you can do whatever you want,” Boncordin told SFGATE. “If you woke up today and you are breathing insane air, you are valuable and important, and you are in this moment right now. and mission is contained at this time.”