The YouTubers and TikTokers embracing cringe to explain everything

polygon.com:

In the last couple of years, a type of fandom-exploring YouTube video essay has become popular. Take, for example, Izzzyzzz’s overview of the history of Neopets controversies. Maybe you remember the virtual pet site, or spent hours on it as a kid. You still might not have known of some of the stranger goings-on at the site, which Izzy digs into, like the black market for rare Neopet designs, its multiple giant data breaches, or its connections to the church of Scientology.

Izzy is one of numerous YouTube, TikTok, and Tumblr creators who have been combining nostalgia with education to explore 2010s web and fandom history. Through these videos, creators have reembraced the concept of cringe and encouraged viewers to be unashamed of their fandom, past or present.

“I collect fandom and internet stories,” said Izzy. In a series of viral YouTube videos, they’ve recounted moments like the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons crossover fandom or the history of internet chain letters and copypastas.

With 420,000 subscribers and many videos breaking a million views, Izzy shares these stories with a large, curious audience. These might be topics viewers have never heard of before, giving them something new to learn about internet history. Or videos might touch on situations that creators were once involved in, letting them share how their experiences fit into a bigger picture. A number of these creators grew up online, spending time on sites like Tumblr in the early-to-mid-2010s. And they tap into that extensive knowledge base to make their videos.

“[That] was such a unique and specific era,” said Sarah Z, a YouTube creator who applies their background in sociology to exploring fandoms as subcultures. (Both Izzy and Sarah prefer to