"Because Sharing Sadness Halves It"... Why 'Illness Vlogs' Are Increasing

Vlog Sharing Disease and Treatment Journey
YouTuber and Subscribers Support Each Other and Wish Happiness
"Sharing Battle Life Strengthens Recovery Will... A Kind of Declaration Effect"

More YouTubers are revealing their battles with illness. Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] Recently, on YouTube, so-called "illness vlogs" where individuals confess their diseases and share their battle with illness have been increasing. Unlike in the past when people were reluctant to reveal their illnesses, they now boldly confess their conditions and share their pain. Regardless of the improvement in their symptoms, their efforts to live their lives to the fullest today provide subscribers with positive energy, courage, and touching emotions.

YouTuber "Piruppero," who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, currently has 449,000 subscribers as of the 6th. Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a rare incurable disease in which motor neurons are destroyed, causing muscle atrophy. Piruppero honestly shares his treatment process, progress, and natural daily life through videos. The hashtag "#HappyIllnessLifeOfLouGehrigPatient" attached to his videos reveals his positive energy. The comment sections overflow with sincere support wishing happiness for Piruppero and his family. The YouTuber and subscribers share genuine feelings and exchange healing.

YouTuber Saebyeok, who used to upload makeup, beauty tips, and daily vlogs, passed away last year after battling blood cancer for two years. Saebyeok explained the reason for sharing her illness journey as "the greatest comfort is empathy." On March 23, 2019, early in her illness, she said, "When I started worrying about hair loss, I read countless reviews. Reading those writings comforted me and helped me soothe my heart," and she uploaded a video of shaving her head hoping her video would help someone else in the same way. Even after Saebyeok's passing, subscribers who miss her often visit her videos and leave comments like "I love you" and "I missed you."

Besides them, many YouTubers confess various diseases such as cancer, depression, and bipolar disorder. Subscribers who are also battling illnesses say they gain empathy and courage by watching these videos.

In the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, videos sharing the daily lives of quarantined patients in hospitals gained popularity and became a hot topic. People curious about the symptoms of the unfamiliar disease COVID-19, infection routes, and treatment processes in hospitals found help by watching these videos. They also gained tips on how to spend boring quarantine time during the 1-2 week isolation or shared ordinary daily lives to gain empathy.

Experts analyze that confessing diseases on social networking services (SNS) or YouTube creates a kind of "declaration effect." Professor Myungho Lim of Dankook University's Department of Psychology said, "When someone shows it to others, a psychology to work harder to achieve the purpose and result arises. This is called the declaration effect. Through SNS, the exhibitor (YouTuber) and participants (subscribers) have more mutual feedback and influence each other with comfort and support. This leads to showing a developed and grown self." It explains that sharing the difficult illness journey provides willpower and motivation for recovery.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.