Invitations for the children’s birthday party, Christmas presents for the parents, homemade jewelry – or a new living room cabinet made from grandma’s old dresser? Anyone who wants to get creative with their hands doesn’t have to look far for instructions and ideas these days, because video platforms like YouTube and social media apps like Instagram are full of DIY pros who are happy to share their ideas and instructions: DIY influencers.
DIY comes from the English “Do it yourself”. And they really do everything themselves, from cakes to winter jackets to racing bikes, explain the work steps – and usually have the right product tips in their luggage.
Anyone who has taken a look around the popular platforms knows that you can do almost anything yourself. With enough patience, motivation and the right materials. Accordingly, there are DIY channels on all kinds of topics, we present three.
Sally Özcan for example, has turned her passion for sweets into a profession. On her account “Sally’s World,” Sally bakes everything from cookies to elaborate themed cakes – and everyone can join in. The fun of pretty desserts has already attracted 2 million YouTube subscribers, so in addition to video and her blog, Sally also runs a podcast and her own store.
If you prefer wood and stone instead of flour and sugar, you’ll find the perfect solution at Easy Alex you’ll find lots of ideas and instructions. The do-it-yourselfer fills his Instagram account with ideas on home remodeling, room makeovers and more, appealing to some 250,000 followers.
And when the house is finished and the decoration is still missing? Then there are a whole lot of “decorating” channels where home and life design ideas never seem to run out.
Linda Seel
for example, shows us all kinds of creative ideas for occupation, from embroidery to IKEA hacks to complete room design, and has thus reached 130,000 users on YouTube.
Subscribers found.
While crafting with mom and dad usually drops significantly in the coolness ranking at some point in elementary school, DIY with a tablet is suddenly all the rage. For children and young people, the DIY explainers on the Internet are sometimes real stars and role models. Because here everyone will find exactly the niche they enjoy. Whether it’s elaborate cupcakes or cardboard artwork, the palette is almost inexhaustible. Young creatives can find exactly the instructions and ideas they like and enjoy – even far beyond their parents’ repertoire. Here, children and young people can learn and create something that they themselves are proud of. Often they are elaborate things that even the adults can not do, and therefore admire them all the more. In a phase of life in which young people are constantly searching for their own talents, themes and identity, this can be meaningful. And as a nice side effect, there are sometimes gifts for the whole family.
Parents can basically rejoice once when their own child discovers his creative side via online craft book. Nevertheless, there are a few points to discuss here as well:
Not all instructions are actually implemented as easily with a snap of the fingers as it seems in the video. So that your child is not quickly frustrated and loses the desire to do it yourself again: Support your child in finding instructions that match the level of difficulty of your child’s ability and experience.
What’s more, DIY influencers are like others in the industry: they make money from their content. They recommend products or content that they get paid for by companies as an advertising partnership – but not necessarily because the content is actually convincing. Promote your child’s media literacy by helping them understand these connections and critically question the videos accordingly.
