YouTube personality Caroline Ricke is crafting a genre of her own, one that meets at the intersection of satirical comedy and fabricated reality television. The budding social media starlet transforms herself into a hilariously sarcastic character for each of her videos, each of which follow a spontaneous-yet-intentional storyline that keeps fans (or “Carolers,” as she calls them) entirely engaged. Whether she’s having a fake meltdown because none of her 250,000 subscribers showed up to her non-existent meet-and-greet or bluffing that she was accepted to Harvard University, Ricke fully commits herself to her virtual alter-ego, so much so that viewers initially wonder whether or not she’s acting. 

On the beginnings of her channel, Ricke reflects on a time after her freshman year of college, when she found herself in a rut of boredom. “I didn’t have a hobby and I didn’t like my college major,” she says. “I needed something to do. I was losing my mind.” It wasn’t until her younger brother urged her to start a YouTube channel that she first dug out her camera and discovered her passion for video production. “When I started out, I did more normal videos and I’ve privated most of them since,” she says. “After that, for some reason, I just started spiraling into this character that I didn’t even plan on doing.” Experimenting with different ideas, Ricke ultimately stumbled upon her claim-to-fame persona that she now continues to impersonate in each of her videos. 

Ricke’s passion for video creation started out as a personal hobby, but it only took one viral video to turn that innocent pastime into something more serious. “I came home one weekend from school and I had around 200 subscribers,” she explains. “That weekend, my Harvard video went viral, and I went back to school that next week with 50,000 subscribers and none of my friends knew.” As an overnight sensation with a newfound platform, Ricke’s perception of social media and her online identity was altered entirely. “I had never announced that I was a YouTuber,” she says. “No one knew about it at all except my close friends. All these people who didn’t know I had a YouTube channel now saw me in a different way, in more of a humorous way.”

Officially claiming her identity as a YouTuber publicly, Ricke dove head-first into her craft, brainstorming video ideas with her brother and honing in on her acting abilities. She grew further traction with a video where she fakes her wedding for attention, a mock audition tape for James Charles’ upcoming Instant Influencer competition show, and a ridiculous college morning routine that takes place at 2:30am, among many other original videos. 

As more and more people have tuned in to her various social media platforms, Ricke is mindful of the ways in which she portrays herself to the masses. “I try to keep my social media lighthearted and joking because I know a lot of people take it seriously and a lot of people take stuff to heart,” she explains. Ricke aims to provide comedic relief and a euphoric distraction for her fans through social media; however, sometimes it’s difficult for her to avoid the harmful effects it can have on both herself and others. “The other day, I got a comment saying ‘I wish I looked like you,’” she recalls. “I was like, I hate when people say that. I think that about myself when I look at other people’s pages, but then when people leave that comment on my page, I’m like, you don’t want to be me. Then who would be you?” Aware of social media’s downfalls, Ricke utilizes her playful platform to reverse negative stigmas surrounding online toxicity. 

Now a seasoned resident on YouTube’s platform, Ricke’s character has grown to be an essential part of who she is. “I would say YouTube is half my identity and the other half is the real me,” she explains. “I’m really normal, and I would say I’m kind of boring in a way.” Composed of two opposing parts, Ricke showcases her humorous, sarcastic side through her character on YouTube, while her ordinary, subdued side is one that only her real-life friends and family know. Seeking to give fans a more authentic look into her life, Ricke is releasing a podcast titled “Don’t Be Ugly” at the end of April, where she plans to sit in her childhood minivan with her brother and share more about her life while also providing helpful beauty tips. 

In the meantime, binge Caroline Ricke’s YouTube channel, starting with her latest video, below.