On March 12th, Casey Neistat, a popular documentarian on YouTube, announced his documentary on “what it means to be one of the most famous influencers in the world” would be premiering at the SXSW Film Festival. Entitled “Under the Influence,” Neistat originally hoped to document one of YouTube’s biggest influencers. The influencer he refers to is David Dobrik, a 25-year-old vlogger popular on YouTube for posting pranks and stunts. With over 18 million subscribers, Dobrik became incredibly popular on YouTube with a group of other social media influencers, forming the group known as the “Vlog Squad.” Every day, a new vlog was posted and edited down to 4 minutes and 20 seconds, impressive to many and addicting to watch. Many believed Dobrik’s vlogs walked a very thin line, especially as the pranks became increasingly more dangerous.
for the last 3 years i have been working on a documentary about what it means to be one of the most famous influencers in the world. i had no idea where exploring this story would take me. today the documentary premieres at the SXSW Film Festival – https://t.co/QHuPYpfxuv
— Casey Neistat (@Casey) March 12, 2022
Casey Neistat, noticing Dobrik’s quick climb to fame and eager to take a chance to build a documentary on being a social media influencer and everything that comes with it, began filming in 2018. In an interview with Variety, he explains that “for better or worse, this young man was going to be the face of this (YouTube) platform.”
This is what drew Neistat into making a documentary about Dobrik. And while the documentary aimed to show his rise to fame and growing platform, it ended up documenting the fall of his fame as well. Last March, Insider reported that a woman said Vlog Squad member Dom Zeglaitis raped her in 2018. The woman, whose pseudonym is Hannah, alleges that she was given alcohol by the Vlog Squad even though she was under 21, and later blacked out and unable to consent.
David Dobrik "..now I'm stained forever with something that I don't necessarily think I should be stained with." Imagine for a minute how victims of crime feel? They have no choice in what someone else chose to do to them. You are not a victim. You made choices, for clicks. https://t.co/XhVcAiX7Ue
— Emily D. Baker ⚖️ ???? (@TheEmilyDBaker) March 13, 2022
And then, in April 2021, former Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek released a video entitled “Don’t Try This at Home” where he explains that he nearly died when swinging from an excavator that Dobrik was controlling unlicensed. He suffers permanent damage to his eye and face, and in the video, he explains he began to resent Dobrik, who did not visit him in the hospital. After these allegations, Dobrik lost 600,000 subscribers. He also lost many brand deals and sponsors, but some wonder if it really is a cancellation, as Dobrik still has supporters on YouTube and his podcast.
Some wonder if this is something that might have been swept under the rug, similar to how we see these “cancellations” playout. But now, with this documentary, some wonder how this will impact Dobrik. When asked this question with Variety, Neistat says “That’s a question that I think about a lot, but I have no idea.” Under the Influence does not have a distributor yet, but many are hopeful it will be picked up, especially due to the warm responses it has received so far. So, although some have seen it, it has not reached all audiences yet and so it is hard to say the impact Dobrik might face.
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It doesn't matter who's idea it was, it doesn't matter who said what. What matters is that David Dobrik was in control of a piece of machinery, and had Jeff died (even by accident), it would have been manslaughter.
— Rapunzerello (@rapunzerello) March 9, 2022
Some also wonder about Dobrik’s involvement. Many of his allegations were against the Vlog Squad and not Dobrik, so some wonder if it is fair to blame Dobrik. Many bring this fact up when it comes out that it was Witteck’s idea to tie the rope to the excavator, but he says that he was so focused on making a great video that he did not think about any possible consequences. Many debated if this was Dobrik’s fault, but many say that it does not matter who’s idea it was, as Dobrik was the one operating the machine with no formal training. And, it is important to remember that Dobrik was considered the “leader” and should have shut down anything that could have harmed anyone, and that means Dobrik is still to blame. Overall, the documentary so far has generated great responses and many seemed to enjoy watching it and thought it was an eye-opening watch. As viewers on the internet, we often do not get a clear view of what happens and how online content can become so dangerous. Many agreed that Neistat’s documentary created this experience for many in the documentary.
