Kandee Johnson Explains How Much YouTube Has Changed
Almost a decade after getting her start on YouTube, and nearly 4 million followers later, beauty influencer Kandee Johnson reflects on how much the platform has changed.
“When I first started, people were still going there to watch cats water skiing,” she told Cheddar. “It wasn’t what it is now.”
Thirteen years since its inception, YouTube boasts more than 1 billion users and 1 billion hours of content watched daily.
And the site has become a life-changing, but competitive, platform for those who can find the right mix of content to build a following.
And it’s not as easy as it used to be to find what resonates.
Johnson jokes that back in the day, viewers would watch “her turn into Edward Scissorhands or something.”
But now, “you don’t know what is going to work. You don’t know what YouTube likes, what is working right now.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/youtube-beauty-superstar-judges-new-makeup-competition-show).
Members of the Kappa League mentoring program at Wyandanch Memorial High School in Long Island, NY are preparing for an educational trip to Ghana. Principal Paul Sibblies is on a mission to enrich his students' lives to put some of them in touch with their roots. "When you invest in young people, then it's the greatest investment you can make," he said.
A group of 15 students recently graduated from SANYS U., a six-week program held by the Self Advocacy Association of New York State. The course helps people with disabilities to advocate on their own behalf, learning more about their rights, legislation and issues that matter most.
The minivan is turning 40 years old this year. While it made up just 1.8 percent of the car market in 2022, that number could begin to tick up, as more families increase interest in the car's advantages. Cheddar News' senior reporter Michelle Castillo takes a deeper look at the minivan's lineage.
Cheddar News correspondent Shannon LaNier rings in the Thai New Year at 11 Tigers in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The restaurant is one of the only locations in New York City to celebrate.
