John Green is an interesting breed of influencer, the kind who would most likely reject the term out of hand. John began his foray into social media in 2007 when he began a YouTube channel, vlogbrothers, which he runs with his brother, Hank. The premise of their channel was simple: two brothers, living on opposite sides of the country, would embark on a year of video-only communication. No phone calls, no texts, no letters – just YouTube videos. Fast-forward 11 years later and the vlogbrothers channel has 3.1 million subscribers, and their fans have created one of the biggest online communities on the internets. Calling themselves “nerdfighters,” this community is tight knit and has often rallied together on creative projects or to support charitable causes.
Once Brotherhood 2.0, their daily vlog communication channel ended, the brothers decided to continue making videos. Their vlogbrothers channel still features weekly vlogs from both Hank and John, and their witty, intelligent brand of “nerd” is what makes them such an authentic, successful channel. As well as vlogbrothers, they also run a number of educational YouTube channels like CrashCourse and SciShow. Each brother has their own field of expertise outside of the social media world: Hank is an environmental scientist and blogger, while John is one of the world’s most successful YA authors.
John Green also has an extremely successful Instagram page, with over 2.2 million followers. He has written 7 young adult novels, a number of which have been made into hugely successful films. His feed mostly features candid photos from his life, as well as posts about his writing, film, and literary projects. What makes John’s Instagram so relatable is that he is rarely trying to sell a product or project the ideal life: if he is endorsing something, it is really something he believes in, which makes him such a genuine Instagram personality. John and Hank also host a number of podcasts and can regularly be found livestreaming on Twitch. Thanks to their friendly personalities, informative videos and authenticity, they have made being nerdy cool.