In 2009, YouTube was seen as just a place to post some funny videos, but in the past two years, the video streaming site has turned into a world-wide phenomenon.

Youtube has progressed a lot since its start in 2005. For many people, Youtube has turned into their occupation, or has transformed their whole life.

Of course, there are some videos which have been one-hit wonders which many people have seen, such as Charlie Bit My Finger, David After Dentist and of course, Gangnam Style.

Although Youtube started off with random people posting random videos which had the possibility of getting a few hits or likes, there is now a new generation of Youtube celebrities, including PewDiePie, Zoella, Our2ndLife, Troye Sivan, and Bethany Mota, just to name a few.

These YouTube sensations make a variety of videos. For example, Zoella (Zoe Sugg) and Bethany Mota, in general, make beauty videos, while Troye Sivan mostly makes videos of him singing. PewDiePie makes videos mostly about gaming, and Our2ndLife makes list videos (videos listing things, such as 10 types of fan girls).

These YouTubers have not only made it big on YouTube, but many are branching out and doing other things. For example, Troye Sivan used his YouTube popularity and wonderful singing voice to help start a successful music career. His new album, TRXYE, came 5th on the US Billboard 200, 2nd on the Canadian Albums (Billboard), and sold 30,000 copies after only three days of sales.

Another YouTube star who has made it big is beauty guru, Bethany Mota. After getting bullied throughout most of the 8th grade, Bethany Mota turned to YouTube community. She saw beauty guru’s doing haul and do it yourself videos. She decided that she wanted to do that too.

In a matter of what seemed like nanoseconds, Mota went from being a small beauty channel into a world-wide phenomenon. She has described last year as a “whirlwind”. On top of her 7 million fan-base, who she calls “Motavators”, she has also started a clothing line at Aeropostale and has made her own fragrance, which is on-sale at Aeropostale as well. She is also a contestant on the hit dance competition, Dancing with the Stars. She is paired with the five-time champion, Derek Hough. They have danced three dances so far, and are still in the competition. It is said that she makes $40,000 per month on just her Youtube Channel. Along with everything else she is working on, Mota is on her way to having a very successful future, and she is only 18! Who says you can’t make a living off of making YouTube videos?