karma_yeah wrote:Re: the voldy discussion and the nature of their success:
- I can't see them as master manipulators, or ones to stoop so low as to fake a gay relationship. They had several gay friends at the time and I can't really imagine them something so disrespectful
I do think that the "controversy" over the video and the nature of their relationship contributes to their success in that it does get some people hooked on the intrigue, ok, yes i'm one of them although I doubt that's the majority of their fans because we know it isn't their captivating content, fantastic production skills, or their consistent and frequent uploading schedule.
If I were to just consider the time pre-voldy, I'd actually think successfully faking a gay relationship as a PR stunt is something they probably could have and maybe would have done. People were definitely exploiting their sexuality and Youtube was a hotbed for hoax videos (re: lonelygirl15). Things were also a lot less political as they are now, so the right/wrong argument doesn't work as well. Making out with the same sex for attention was super common and considered edgy, and I had never heard the term or concept queerbaiting in my life until 2011.
However, considering their reactions afterwards and the video itself, I doubt it was a PR stunt. I also don't think it is what made them popular at the time (maybe it has helped prolong their current success, though). From what I can remember, from when the video was uploaded, there wasn't as much talk as there is now about them as a possible couple. They were popular because they were like slightly less cringy emo boys, and emo boys flock together, so not super eyebrow raising, though
I'm sure people talked about them in that context, just not so actively for it to be
a thing like it is now.
uglyamerican wrote:This has been bothering me for a while: For those who are complaining about D&P's relative dearth in posting, give them a break. Putting on a tour is time consuming; finding a quiet, well lit place to record while on the road appears to be challenging; and getting lucky enough to stay in a hotel/motel with decent internet good enough to support livestreaming does not happen very often. But they seem to be trying. The argument that they should have banked videos shot beforehand, well that's easy to say, but at the same time they were preparing the tour - not a simple endeavor. D&P doesn't have a production staff like Phil DeFranco or the Fine Bros, etc., and tbh, I would hate that. It would forever change the "look and feel" of their product, in a negative sense. Btw, I work in the traditional media biz in physical production, and it takes an unbelievable amount of work to produce even :30 seconds worth of high quality material... it is not just about turning on a camera and start flapping your lips - there is some thought behind it. /rant
I not so annoyed by their posting schedule as it's mostly the interesting theories about D&P that keep me as invested as I am, but I feel that their content is a bit lacking in substance recently,
for both of them. Sure the video quality is a bit better than it used to be, but I'm starting to find some of their videos quite boring and only watch them to keep up with the conversation here. I actually find their liveshows are the most interesting thing they do now, because there's actually some substance there (Sidenote: Am I the only one that thinks that Phil could take his liveshow, edit together the most exciting parts and they'd be a lot like his old videos).
I find it hard to imagine that they've actually run completely out of ideas for interesting or relatable videos, though. I think for both of them (but moreso for Dan) there's a fear of failure or not living up to a standard, that they'd rather go for thoughtless, easy to plan content, like playing a card game, instead of more planned stuff. I completely understand the dilemma, the more time I spend on something, the more perfect it needs to be. Why do that and risk it not being perfect enough when you can just do something you know will satisfy your current audience enough to keep you in the game a bit longer? I mean, what if their script writing style and humour has changed (as it does) and the audience doesn't like it as much as they did? Can Dan and Phil even make videos like they did in the early 2010's?
This may fit into the discussion about changing their brand, but I've lost track on that conversation
how do I quit my job and get paid to be on this site all day?
adequack wrote:bedhead91 wrote:Are you talking about Pete Wentz, by any chance? Because if you are, I knew it. Sorry, this isn't related to .
Oh man, I worked on the LiveJournal Abuse Team when that happened and everybody posted it (and everybody else reported it) and I saw SO MANY PICTURES OF PWENTZ'S PEEN that I am traumatised FOR LIFE!
As someone who was active on FBR_TRASH when that happen, sorry for contributing to making your life harder.
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dan seems to be embracing his sexuality more, while phil seems stuck in the days of 2012. phil wasn't aggressive like dan back then, but he was just as dismissive of phan in general.