Something my kid said to me about YouTube last year (when he was 10) has always stuck with me, even if it was just a kid's throwaway comment:
"There are basically four generations: the grandparents, the parents, the YouTubers, and the kids."
The YouTubers seem to occupy that niche of ephemeral stardom previously occupied primarily by pop musicians, movie actors, and professional athletes.
The athletes, actors, and musicians are still there (and some of them are of course YouTubers too), but I'm sure my son and his friends know far more 'native' YouTubers than other celebrities.
Not sure what this all means, although it did make me start paying much more attention to YouTube and led to some discussions with my son about what "infotainment" is and the dangers implicit in it.