Parasocial? – A Reflection on Dream’s Face Reveal
For anyone in the Minecraft influencer neck of the internet woods, you’re probably aware that Dream, a popular Minecraft YouTuber, recently revealed his face for the entire world to see on the evening of October 2nd, 2022, at 7pm MST. How do I know that exact time? Well… I was there. Or as “there” as one can be, waiting for a YouTube premier with roughly 1.1 million other people. It was… surreal, to say the least, but frightening at the same time.
This all started several years ago. I spend quite a bit of time in the gaming corner of the Internet, so it’s hardly surprising that I kept hearing whispers of some random “Dream” guy and his “Dream SMP”. Cool enough, I supposed, from what I’d seen bits and pieces of, but I didn’t really care until my brother got interested in it… and proceeded to get me sucked in as well. Thanks for that little bro. Ever since, I’ve loosely followed Dream, his friends, and their content.
It didn’t take me long to notice that the subject of Dream’s face, or lack thereof, was a constant hot topic amongst his audience and friends. Literally no one knew what he looked like except his one best friend that lived with him. What? How does someone pull that off with the nosey “sleuths” of the Internet these days? Dream, apparently. The mystery and curiosity practically wrote itself.
Now, there’s an entire backstory to why Dream decided to finally face-reveal that would be an article all its own, but the biggest shock is that it happened. After years of following this creator, the world was going to know what he looked like. That’s one of the first things you notice about a person when you normally meet them, and this strange Internet business had it being one of the last! My brain just hurts thinking about it.
But face reveal Dream did. The guy actually followed through and, if you’ve seen the video, he was just as anxious about it as his audience was excited. Heavens, it was painful to watch that part. Every fiber in my being knew I’d have just given up and disconnected the camera. Camera fright is just as daunting as stage fright, folks.
After an eon (it was only a minute), Dream dropped the mask, the iconic symbol of his channel that he’d always used to cover his face in
the past. And… gosh, I’m telling you, I’ve rewritten this part a dozen times. It was just so bizarre. One minute, you don’t have a face, just this distinct voice you’ve known for years now. The voice that’s sounded in the background while you work through college essays, textbooks, and finals. Then, in a blink, that’s all gone, replaced with this face of a stranger. A guy that’s nothing like your brain envisioned over the years because brains just do that. And then he speaks… It’s not a stranger. It’s actually the creator you’re so familiar with. There’s no going back because your brain is already putting the pieces together and realizing he’s a perfect fit to what little description had been given about his appearance. Oh, also, he’s the uber successful creator that, look at that, is actually your age. Lovely crisis for later, right?
One era ends. Another begins. All in the blink of an eye. You’ve just experienced history.
Isn’t that a crazy thought? History has just happened, and I was acutely aware of just how much I was a part of it. Not technically, but just being there is startling enough for my tastes. In my baffled shock, I’d called my brother after the video premiere, the one who got me into this mess, and he proceeded to get the full wave of my stupefied, late night rambling. Bless his soul.
Honestly, my brain was so shot by the chaos of that one moment that I didn’t really listen to the rest of the video. The audio was weirdly quiet when it premiered and I was trying to watch it with some curious friends, so earbuds were a no-go. My brain was already working overtime. I didn’t have the extra effort to try solving the audio issue. It was probably just something sappy anyways, right? After the video, chat with my friends, and call with my brother, I turned off YouTube and just called it a night.
By the time I woke up the next morning, roughly 13 hours later, the video had already amassed 13 million views. That’s a million views an hour for a video about some guy just showing his face! I didn’t have time to dally with Monday morning upon me and classes to attend, but I came back to the video later that day. I properly listened to Dream’s speech that time… which was when the terror kicked in.
After his reveal and several minutes of mushy rambling, as I’d expected, Dream got off on this tangent about “haters”. It’s no secret that Dream has a history of some pretty nasty people on the internet insulting him for whatever various reasons. I mean, there were even people calling him “ugly” right after the face reveal, gracious. But Dream, in the midst of this tangent, said this: “I feel like I’ve gotten so desensitized to hate that I find a lot of it funny that I probably, maybe, shouldn’t.” He proceeded to tell a story about the FBI warning him of a threat on his life, which he thought was funny while his mother felt anything but. Just… excuse me?!? Rewind that sentence. This is the world that content creators have to face?!? So much that they shrug it off?!?
I’ve been simmering over an idea for a while, but Dream’s comment drew it out of me and into words. It’s going to be pretty “well, duh” as soon as you read it. Yet… we forget so often: these creators, these people entertaining us on our screens, are real people. There is actually someone, somewhere, with hopes and dreams and fears of their own, on the other side of that screen. Weird thought, right? It’s true though.
Every tweet about them, every message in their streaming chats, every “theory” about their lives, makes its way to them at some point. How would you feel if you got a slew of hundreds of random strangers telling you you’re a liar and a cheat? How would you handle a massive leak of personal information, “doxing”, to everyone online who might have a vendetta against you? Not so great, I presume?
I know being “parasocial”, believing that you have a relational “bond” with someone you’ve never met, is nothing new. It’s been a part of culture for as long as celebrities have. But in this age of the internet, our “celebrities” are now expanding to influencers and creators that are… well… pretty much just normal people. “Celebrities” can come from all walks of life now. Which is great, but… people have been taking these parasocial “bonds” to some freaky extents and not everyone has the resources to filter it in a healthy way. An “isolated” problem is now becoming much more corruptive. Isn’t it about time that we start addressing this?
What lives could be saved if we spoke with kindness and love? How many creators could flourish if we respected them as people? Who else could speak, change lives, form entire new communities, just like Dream and his friends, if only they didn’t have to fear for their safety?
Dream ended his video with a message about following dreams. An encouragement that even the most “unlikely” individuals can make it and change the world. That’s what this article should’ve been about: success, joy, hope. Instead, I got sent in a spiral about respecting others online. So… I’ve got a challenge for you:
With every comment, like, post, or message, remind yourself that there’s someone on the other side. If you wish to speak in anger or hurt, put it down and walk away. It’ll still be there later. Nothing ever disappears from the internet. Be a light in this online world, and you will change someone’s life. We rarely ever see it, but the good done is still good, right?
If you wish to watch Dream’s video, you can watch it here. Give the guy a follow if Minecraft content is up your alley. And no, there aren’t any screenshots of his face in this article. That’s his face. It’s his business where that gets posted, not mine.
Dream, in the very unlikely chance that you read this, best of wishes on this next chapter of your life. That’s something to celebrate. Life is always worth celebrating. Thank you, for all the laughter and chaos.
