Why Has Zoella Stopped Uploading?
Since her rise to internet fame in 2009, Zoella has been an ever-present name in the beauty and lifestyle vlogging community. In more recent years it has become apparent that she has all but disappeared from the platform, leaving many of her loyal followers to ponder why has Zoella stopped uploading. From a brief return to the channel in late 2020, it appears that Zoella has decided to take a step back from vlogging and focus on other ventures. In this article, we will take a look at the many reasons behind why Zoella has stopped uploading and why her departure from the platform wasn’t as sudden as some may think.
The Early Years
Before we take a look at why Zoella is no longer uploading videos to YouTube, let’s firstly take a glance at how she shot to such internet fame. Zoe Sugg first appeared on YouTube in the late 2000s, creating content around beauty and fashion. But it wasn’t until 2009 when she started her own channel, Zoella, where she quickly gained a much larger audience. She currently has over 11 million subscribers, as well as millions of likes, shares, and views on every video.
Zoella also created remarkable content that stood out from the crowd and connected with viewers in a way that no other YouTube content creator had previously done. Having achieved such a tremendous level of success, Zoella gained celebrity status and was constantly featured in magazines, documentaries, and TV shows, becoming almost a household name.
Break From Vlogging
However, in recent years, Zoella has become a rare entity in the YouTube beauty and lifestyle vlogging community. In December 2018, about a year after her last upload, Zoella finally released a video entitled ‘The Story of Zoella’ in which she discussed why she took a break from vlogging. In the video, she said the paparazzi were scaring her and that it was hard to keep up with the pressure. She also said that she was “in a really bad place” after the pressure of maintaining her channel for 9 years had started to take its toll.
Reasons for Leaving Social Media
The pressure of maintaining a media profile isn’t just something Zoella has struggled with – many other high-profile influencers have experienced similar anxieties. Studies have reported that while the majority of time spent on social media can be fun and uplifting, it can also be seen as a source of major stress and anxiety. The need to be perfect all of the time can become so suffocating that it can lead to extreme depression and feelings of isolation – something Zoella said she was feeling back in 2017.
Creating an Accountable Platform
In 2020, Zoella made her return to YouTube, with a video entitled How To Be Consciously Accountable, in which she discussed the power of accountability and apologized for not being a better role model in some of her past videos. With this video, she proposed the idea of a platform where she could have more control and accuracy over the content she puts out. The new platform, which is still in development, is set to replace her YouTube channel and will consist of “honest stories, conversations and content that her audience can trust and count on being real and authentic.”
Zzoella’s absence from YouTube has left a void in the beauty and lifestyle community. We can only speculate why she has chosen to take a step back from vlogging, but it’s fair to say it’s likely due to the pressure of fame and the need to create a more accountable platform where she can truly express herself without fear of judgement. While we may not see Zoella’s videos on YouTube anytime soon, we can be sure that she’ll be back with a brand-new and improved platform soon enough.