Skip to Main Content
Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

A writer’s goodbye, why we still love YouTube

A writer’s goodbye, why we still love YouTube

By Kaitlyn Fehr / April 20, 2022

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault.  When I was 14, I hugged a YouTuber who would later be outed for having inappropriate...

Courtesy Creative Commons

The rise of the video essay: a study in loneliness

By Kaitlyn Fehr / April 6, 2022

I think we’ve ALL seen the eight-hour-long Victorious video essay on our YouTube recommended page. If you haven’t at least heard of this two-part series,...

Internet trolls rejoice, Trisha Paytas is pregnant

Internet trolls rejoice, Trisha Paytas is pregnant

By Kaitlyn Fehr, Campbell Parish and Katie Redefer / February 28, 2022

Social media exploded with the news of the YouTube star’s pregnancy on Monday, and opinions could not be more divided. In the aftermath of the announcement,...

Shane Dawson, YouTube’s racist old Grandpa

Shane Dawson, YouTube’s racist old Grandpa

By Kaitlyn Fehr / December 10, 2021

Content Warning: This article contains mentions of racism, pedophilia, zoophilia, and sexual harassment.  It’s August 2018, and Shane Dawson’s...

Keemstar, The Bogeyman of YouTube

Keemstar, The Bogeyman of YouTube

By Kaitlyn Fehr / October 21, 2021

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of racism, homophobia, sexual assault, suicide, and pedophilia. YouTube drama trending on Twitter can...

A year without Jenna Marbles

A year without Jenna Marbles

By Kaitlyn Fehr / September 24, 2021

It’s Virgo season, beech, and Jenna Marbles is nowhere to be found. Over a year has passed since Jenna Marbles left YouTube, and as we pass her 35th...

Tana Mongeau / Creative Commons

Tana Mongeau’s dizzy history of YouTube controversy

By Kaitlyn Fehr / July 5, 2021

If you ask a fan, they’ll probably tell you that Tana Mongeau is most famous for her 2015 storytime video where she shouted the iconic line “he fucked...

Image of Jake Paul / Creative Commons

A contentious timeline of Jake Paul’s controversies and crimes

By Kaitlyn Fehr / April 21, 2021

There are two main reasons the name Jake Paul might be familiar to you: one, for his infamously annoying song “It’s Everyday Bro,” and two,...

Image from one of James Charles’ apology videos.

Bye Sister: James Charles needs to be in prison edition

By Kaitlyn Fehr / April 8, 2021

TW: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment, pedophilia, and grooming. In 2021, YouTube will seemingly never know peace, and it’s time...

David Dobrik’s kingdom of bullying

David Dobrik’s kingdom of bullying

By Kaitlyn Fehr, Columnist / March 25, 2021

Trigger Warning: This column contains mentions of racism, homophobia, ableism, and sexual assault. Over the past couple of years, the YouTube community...

Zach Kornfeld '12 and Ella Mielniczenko '13, both known for their contributions at Buzzfeed, participated in an EIV panel on Thursday to talk about their career paths in digital content producing.

Buzzfeed trailblazers and alumni discuss digital content producing in EIV Emerson Revisited panel

By Campbell Parish / October 21, 2020

Two Buzzfeed trailblazers and Emerson alumni offered advice to students entering the entertainment industry in an Emerson Revisited panel Thursday.  The...

Performers at the annual Honk! Festival raise their hands together in celebration.

Somerville-based HONK! Festival invited international partners for virtual blowout

By Joshua Sokol / October 14, 2020

The Somerville-based HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands looked quite unusual this year due to the impact of COVID-19. But the 2020 fest at the intersection...

Sophomores Aidan Ferguson (left) and Bo Feekins (right) debating about soccer on Ferguson's YouTube channel, The Fergie Time Podcast.

Men’s soccer sophomores debate on new joint soccer podcast

By Tyler Foy / October 7, 2020

Men’s soccer sophomore defenders Bo Feekins and Aidan Ferguson have spent the past year creating soccer content for their individual YouTube channels....

Eliot Lee (left) and Gabriel Araujo (right) film and edit videos for viral YouTube channel OKbaby. Tivara Tanudjaja / Beacon Correspondent

Seniors capture viral YouTube family on film

By Grace Rispoli / November 4, 2019

When senior Eliot Lee was in his freshman year at Emerson, a high school friend of his reached out to let him know about an opportunity to work as a video...

Alessandra Guarneri recently reached 13,800 subscribers on her drum cover YouTube channel. Cho Yin Rachel Lo / Beacon Staff

Alessandra Guarneri drums up YouTube success

By Tatum Jenkins / September 18, 2019

When junior Alessandra Guarneri attended a Camila Cabello concert in 2016 at the Orpheum Theatre, two fans recognized her from the Fifth Harmony covers...

Alex Clark '07 wrapped up his nationwide comedy tour on March 31. - Photo courtesy of Alex Clark

Alumnus comedian finds success on YouTube

By Taina Millsap / April 2, 2019

Before going viral on YouTube, Alex Clark ‘07 performed comedy on street corners for tips. Clark started at Faneuil Hall in Boston and ended up traveling...

Keith Habersberger,Ned Fulmer, Eugene Lee Yang and Zach Kornfeld ‘12 of The Try Guys have garnered over 5 million subscribers in six months. • Courtesy of Zach Kornfeld

“Try Guy” Kornfeld ‘12 turns hobby into viral success

By Katie Redefer / January 17, 2019

At the Buzzfeed office in Los Angeles, four men took turns trying on teensy, lace-embellished thongs in front of a thin curtain. What they didn’t know...

Logging on to feel less alone

Logging on to feel less alone

By Andrew Stanton / April 18, 2018

As a confused, gay teenager, lacking any support from family or peers, I did what any other young member of the LGBTQ community would—I logged onto...