‘Come With Me…’ In Defence Of The Daily Vlog

Have you ever pondered why someone could be bothered to get out of bed to place their camera on a tripod to just get back into bed, and record themselves awakening from a seemingly rejuvenating slumber? Because we have.

Fair play to those who do it, your commitment is inspiring, and if we were getting thousands of views and a decent cashflow from it you could nearly guarantee we would happily lose out on a few extra z’s to catch those supposed first minutes of the morning when your eyes first flutter open.

Daily vlogs and plogs are all the rage at the moment with viewers waiting religiously each day to watch that one creator post what they got up to on a very normal Wednesday. So, what makes us gravitate so much to this genre of blogging? Some (ahem, the older generation) may say we are delusional for wasting our time watching Sarah from Dublin restock her pantry, but the audience is there… and there to stay by the looks of it.

So, this is a case for the vloggers, ploggers and Reel aficionados who are inspiring and making bank from their content-thirsty audience.

A brief history

The roots of the OG daily vlog can be traced back to the good old YouTube days when we would watch the likes of Zoe Sugg’s ‘vlogmas’ series.

Now in 2024 these videos have been cut down to less than a quarter of the length and have been transported to a whole new platform. TikTok has brought this phenomenon to a whole new level and opened it up to a wider group of people who may have felt afraid to produce their own content on YouTube.

TikTok has succeeded in making vlogging accessible for anyone who has a phone and a vision.

The fact that many of these ‘a day in the life videos’ come in at fun sized lengths (around one to three minutes) makes them a lot easier to consume in today’s busy world. The popularity of these videos has increased so much that no matter what career or stage of your life you are in you will most likely find someone making a video about it.

‘Day in the life as a nurse’, ‘come to university with me’, or ‘spend the day with me traveling to Australia’ – no matter what you are up to someone else is doing the exact same and putting it online.

@alena.muux timestamped original sound fall morning routine asmr getting ready for the day 🍁☕️🍂 #fallmorning #autumnvibes #fallaesthetic #dailyvlog #morninginmylife #dayinmylife #morningvlog #minivlog #asmrvlog #asmr #thatgirl #cleangirlaesthetic #asmrmorningroutine #asmrmorning #asmrsounds #skincare #cleangirlskincare #skincareasmr ♬ original sound – ALENA

Why are we so obsessed with the daily vlog?

Relatability is one of the factors that draws people into this very mundane content. Watching someone spend their day very similarly to you can create a kind of parasocial relationship with the creator.

Romanticising making a coffee, going for a walk or the daily commute can often be inspiring and motivating to watch. Social media savvy creators are able to create these really beautiful videos which make these very normal activities seem much more exciting.

This kind of content seems to be the most popular amongst women in their 20s. A survey by Statistica in 2024 found that 35 percent of women between the ages of 16 and 24 watched vlogs.

It isn’t really surprising that vlogging seems to be thriving amongst this particular age group. Often your early twenties is a time of change and sometimes loneliness, so filming your day can allow you to feel more connected to others in the same stage of life as you.

@maudecpion WFH👩🏽‍💻 @ergonofis #fyp #inspiration #foryou #homedecor #dailyvlog #lifestyle #dayinmylife #motivation #mindset #aesthetic #work #wellness #mindset #selfcare ♬ drivers license x ocean eyes – carneyval

Of course, there are potential downsides to this digital lifestyle including not living life in the moment. If you have ever attempted to make one of these daily vlogs you probably learned that it takes quite a bit of commitment, remembering to film all the bits from your day and editing it can be quite a time-consuming process. There is also the issue of comparison, as they say, ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ and the seemingly innocent daily vlog can escalate this issue tenfold.

Often, creators may unintentionally only film the highlights of their day, and although the market for ‘real’ and ‘raw’ content is absolutely there, filming the good bits rather than the downsides can be a lot more attractive.

On a more positive note, the daily vlog can hold you accountable. Whether you have 20 followers or 20,000, if you commit to posting a daily vlog about your fitness, language or any kind of journey it can motivate you to stay on track as no one wants to be seen slacking on social media. These kinds of vlogs often see people opening up about mental health issues in their life and their journey to overcome them, which can be helpful and inspiring for others in the same situation.

At the end of the day, if posting that silly little video is making you happy and motivates you to be the best version of yourself then that is all that matters.

Just be mindful that just because Sarah from Dublin has a super organised pantry doesn’t make you less of a person if you don’t.

• Vlogging