Free Nugget Friday: The Sketch Real
“What’s up, brother?”
I was recently made aware of a streamer who has made some new waves through the youth culture space. Let me tell you about a new kid on the social media block, The Sketch Real.
“Tuesday, Tuesday!”
You might be thinking that because he is a streamer that your kids don’t know who this guy is, but the reality is that his videos and clips of his videos are beginning to go viral and move from the Twitch and TikTok spaces over to YouTube and Instagram.
The short wikipedia-like description would illustrate The Sketch Real as an up-and-coming streamer, who’s real name is Kylie Cox and is 25 years old. He is notorious for playing Madden online with some friends and has become well known for his catch phrases and his overall intensity while playing.
“Special Teams! Special Plays! Special Players!”
Sketch has become more and more popular as big name athletes and other social media personalities take on some of the catchphrases and mannerisms. I’ve personally seen some college basketball athletes and NBA players making videos with these phrases and mannerisms in them. As I have throughout this blog post. Yes, there was some meaning to that madness.
Sometimes when these things come about, I test the waters with trusted students to get a feel for where I should land on viral things like this. I’ve done some minor research with the constituency around me and I have a few observations:
After watching some “funny moments” videos featuring Sketch - I can see why his stuff is viral. Frankly, I was rolling pretty hard at some of the antics that this guy records himself pulling off. The viewer is clearly waiting to see how Sketch “blows up” or what he is going to say when his team scores. It’s one of those “waiting-to-see-the-carnage” kind of anticipation pieces of content.
The content will naturally trend down, age wise, as the platforms and the game that he is known for is marketed, primarily, to younger audiences. While he might be 25, Sketch’s content will mostly be consumed by teenagers.
One of the things that comes with social media stardom is being given access and invited to meet-ups and gatherings that are filled with all kinds of activities intended at creating content to collaborate on and drive up views, followers, and ultimately drive revenue. This is where I begin to grow concerned, but not entirely alarmed. The content from the collaborations, even in the recap videos, features marijuana use, social drinking, and some slightly suggestive content meant to push the line of appropriateness to keep the viewer engaged.
Sketch is 27 and has the mouth to prove it. Although, he is often quick to say, “Sorry for cussing” (one of his catch phrases) after he uses a cuss word. Some of the things that come out of his mouth are so over the top that it gets interpreted as funny, but there would be quite a few *bleeps if it was on a broadcast channel.
Based on the things I have seen, I get the sense that we are at the START of The Sketch Real “experience” in the youth culture soup. Students can quote his stuff to me and most, not all, were instantly aware of what I was doing if I made one of his comments with his signature finger in the air move.
My encouragement to parents with this one is to engage this so you can actually exposit the things that you want your students/kids to be able to decipher when they come across this and other content like it. For the most part, Sketch is pretty tame in comparison to the tactics that have been used by past social media icons.
Even in the conversations I have had with students, they are able to recognize the things that don’t align with a lifestyle that is informed by and pointed toward Jesus. Ultimately, helping them understand how to navigate this cultural moment will only happen by first seeking to ascertain their understanding of this personality.
