Remember dial-up internet? I sure do. If you grew up in a town or a city, you know that it was slow, but you do not know how slow it could truly be. I grew up on an acreage and when the internet first became a part of our household, we were unable to browse Google while simultaneously chatting on MSN messenger. A song would take a full day, sometimes three, just to download. Watching a full-length video was certainly out of the question as you would get maybe five seconds into it before the internet would buffer. Therefore, YouTube was foreign for me in the beginning.

During my preteen years, I was very close with one of my cousins. I would frequently spend days in a row at her house. She lived in town, so I would use her internet to get a full taste.

We would sometimes watch YouTube together, and there were a few particular videos that were precious to us including a video called RoflBlasTastic, some everyone was very familiar with like Shoes and Salad Fingers, and a couple by this kid a few years older than us who made silly videos that comically taught you how to be gangster or ninja. There was one distinct video by him that we watched thousands of times over, and soon enough, we knew it by heart. It was his spoof of the song “Like a G6” that he titled “Like a Good Boy.”

At the time, due to my limited access to YouTube, I did not know that being a YouTuber was a thing. I thought that these videos I watched were just made by people who got bored or motivated enough a few times to make a few videos, and that was it. I did not realize people could develop a following on YouTube, so I thought these quirky little videos I would watch were just tiny treasures that would remain in my memory in the years to come.

As I got older, of course, the internet got faster and dial-up became obsolete. On our acreage, the speed of the web was still behind towns and cities, but it eventually came fast enough where I could watch YouTube from the comfort of my couch. What a time to be alive.

Nearly a decade after watching those silly little videos with my cousin, I was visiting my sister and her boyfriend, and they were watching a YouTube series called I Dare You. It was a series about a group of friends challenged by commenters online to do outlandish things in competition. I quickly became very invested and continued watching the series at home. After I finished the series, I started watching other videos from the same channel. The YouTuber was charismatic, creative, and kind, and I became hooked on his content. Eventually, I made it back far enough into his older videos to find one he made several years prior titled “Like a Good Boy.” I realized that for the second time in my life, my favorite YouTuber was Ryan Higa.

Ryan Higa captivated my attention for many reasons. He was, in many ways, a symbol of the person I wanted to grow to become. Though I’m certain that most people have probably stumbled upon some of his content at one point or another – whether or not you may be aware of it – I would like to tell you about his videos and the truly wholesome content you have been missing out on.

Ryan started posting videos online with his best friend as a young teenager, and to my understanding at the time, his goal was not to become a YouTuber. He simply got his hands on a camcorder and discovered a passion for creating. Posting on YouTube for him was his way of being able to share his creations with his friends and family, and so he was surprised when he developed an online following. He continued to create, and the quality of his content became greater as he grew.

Ryan promotes goodness in his work in a way that does not feel forced. The bulk of his content could be categorized into two main parts: silly skits that he had written, and authentic fun with his friends.

His skits are often designed to be silly, and they take you through a wacky maze of convoluted thoughts expressed with over-the-top facial expressions and quirky punchlines that eventually draw to a main point. They are bright and bizarre, filled with uplifting energy and they always manage to put a smile on my face. Ryan has a very distinct creative style that eventually becomes predictable, but never boring. His creativity, though, is something I greatly admire. His style is unique to him, and it is inspiring.

The other side of his content, his fun with friends, is filled with all sorts of good-hearted and amusing games. Many of which inspired me to play with my own friends, like SpyFall, Drawful, and Psychiatrist to name a few. They also have more intense competitive series’ like Parkourse, and of course, I Dare You.

Four years ago, I found myself in a deeply unhealthy relationship. I was in this relationship for a little over a year, and as it progressed, I slowly deteriorated and devolved into a broken shell of a version of the person I am. I was weakened and fatigued and empty, and I lost nearly all my joy and motivation. Towards the end of the relationship is when I became the most heavily invested in Ryan Higa’s channel. His videos became a small escape for me.

My true passion for watching his content began with his Parkourse series. I would intentionally stay up long past my boyfriend to have some time to myself, and I would dive into the next video. The series consistently had me on the edge of my seat. The stunts they performed became more dangerous with each new video and it filled me with adrenaline and anticipation. Of course, I eventually found the end of the series, and that is when I really started digging into his other content (which is when I discovered that I had watched him before, many moons ago).

The things that give me the most joy in life are genuine, wholesome, adrenaline-focused fun (with friends), imagination, and creativity. Thus, watching this young adult live out the life I wanted reignited my desire to rediscover and become the version of myself that I love the most.

Ryan Higa does not post to YouTube nearly as often anymore, and honestly, I do not tend to watch YouTube as often myself anymore. Even when I do, I find myself watching content that is vastly different than the kind of content he puts online.

Regardless, I think that forevermore when asked who my favorite YouTuber is, my answer will consistently be Ryan Higa.