By Jenna Koch, entertainment editor 
While on the way to the world series Cubs victory parade, senior Emily Lasky decided to take on a long-time interest in vlogging. She had been meaning to start vlogging for a while but needed the perfect opportunity to kickstart her channel, Lately Lasky on YouTube.
Lasky expected to have a normal day at the parade, but a student she knew invited her to his uncle’s penthouse in the city. Lasky had feared the vlog would be boring, but after going to a penthouse—complete with a basket ball court and a full view of the parade—she decided to edit and upload her first vlog.
“We could see the entire parade from the top. It was ridiculous, and it was so beautiful,” Lasky said. “It was awesome and the fact that I had the entire thing on camera was awesome. I’m so obsessed with documenting my life now.”  
Vlogging rose in popularity after YouTube got started in 2005. Vlogging adds a visual aspect that allows vloggers to let viewers almost live the vlogger’s experiences.
Sophomore Sarah Depa likes to watch David Dobrick’s vlogs showcasing “risky” experiences, such as visiting an abandoned hospital and ominous forest. Depa also thinks vlogs are a good way to keep up with YouTube celebrities.
Vlogging became popular as demand for online video entertainment went up. According to eMarketer.com, time spent watching online content has increased 120% from 26 minutes per day in 2012 to an hour in 2016. Additionally, 17 out of the 100 most subscribed-to channels on YouTube are vloggers.
Vlogging has become more than a job for some YouTubers, but there has been much speculation over how much money they make. While Lasky does not see vlogging as a career, she believes this type of work with videos is something she’d like to pursue in the future. She considers majoring in integrated strategic communications, which, simply put, is social media marketing. Lasky said her dream job would be “running an instagram for [Cosmopolitan] or another big company.”
Lasky’s friends remark on how her life is “unreal” because of her bizarre and cool stories and unique daily experiences.
“The weirdest stuff happens to me—just like the craziest stories,” Lasky said.  “I have so many stories and people are always like ‘oh you should make a YouTube channel.’”
In addition to the Cubs parade, Lasky has also vlogged prom, Lollapalooza, and places she went to with friends. She’s recently experimented with a different vlog style on a trip to South Haven, Mo. Over summer break, she uploaded only footage of the town and music in the background. Her usual vlogs consist of clips of her day while talking into the camera.
Lasky plans on doing more vlogs such as this one. She did a video called “A Kooky Reflection of 2016” about how 2016 went for her. She’s planning on doing another one for 2017 and a video when she turns 17 that will be done in a more artistic form.
Lasky thinks the best part about vlogging is how she and her friends are able to look back on fun memories and almost relive them. She promotes her vlogs on her instagram and thinks it’s fun for her friends to “watch [their] experience.”
Ultimately, Lasky makes vlogs for herself. She believes documenting her life will always be a love of hers and plans to continue for a while.
“I think it’s really cool to witness somebody’s day-to-day life from across the country. That was always a really cool concept to me,” Lasky said. “I mean, all you need is your life and a camera.”