Preston/YouTube
Preston Arsement in his video titled, "I Said Yes to My Little Sister for 24 Hours - Challenge."
- YouTube creator Preston Arsement is sometimes recognized by fans multiple times a day, while at places like Target or the airport.
- Arsement told Business Insider that he will typically wear a hat if he wants to avoid getting recognized. But he said that it can become annoying when the parents of his fans show up, uninvited, to his office with their children.
- He said that one family drove from Missouri to his office in Texas uninvited just to see him.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
One of the downsides to being a popular online influencer with millions of fans is the need to think about your personal security - all the time.
For the YouTube creator Preston Arsement, being recognized by his followers can happen multiple times a day.
Arsement, commonly know as "Preston" to his 10 million YouTube subscribers, creates content primarily for a younger demographic, and because of this, he takes responsibility for his content as a role model, he told Business Insider.
"It's a heavy responsibility," Arsement said. "If you are at the airport, Target, anywhere, you will see kids look at you, and their faces brighten up and it's the sweetest thing ever. But you also have to understand that because you are influencing this generation, you have to always be on your toes and best behavior. Not that we aren't off camera, but we can't always be as 'laxed."
Arsement said he will typically wear a hat if he wants to avoid getting recognized in public. But he said parents of his fans have taken things one step further, showing up to his office uninvited and bringing their children to see him.
"We had parents that drove all the way from Missouri to our office [in Texas] because they found it," Arsement said. "I was like, 'OK- I appreciate that, but also this is a place of work.'"
He said this happens pretty frequently and if he is at Target, he will probably get noticed at least a few times walking in and out.
Although fans don't show up to his house often, when they do it can get annoying. He said he noticed a spike in fans noticing him after he switched his content to vlog-style videos, rather than gaming videos.
"I've been on a plane, going to my anniversary trip with my wife, and the kids sitting next to us knows who I am," he said. "We were just hanging out for 8 hours on the plane - and he's a fan, it happens everywhere."
Many other top creators, like Jimmy Donaldson, who goes by MrBeast online and has 22 million subscribers on YouTube, and the popular YouTube twins Ethan and Grayson Dolan, who have 10 million subscribers, have spoken about their struggles with personal security.
On July 21, Ethan Dolan tweeted: "Hate to say this again but don't come to our house or the cops will be called. No ones home should be invaded."
Donaldson replied: "This is starting to become a big issue for me as well. It's creepy as hell."
Arsement said it doesn't bother him when fans approach him and ask to take a picture with him. But when his family is involved, it gets more complicated. He said his younger siblings are also often recognized from being featured in his videos.
"They can't just be normal students anymore at school because they are known all over the place," he said.
His younger sister was on a two-week mission trip in Israel, and said on her last day nearly 100 kids, and fans of Arsement's content, approached her, Arsement said.
"They were all speaking in different languages and she was a little nervous," he said.
Overall, Arsement hasn't changed much about his lifestyle, but has just become more aware of his general surroundings.
"I've never felt in danger at all, which has been really nice," he said. "I think it's due to the nature of the content and due to the fans that the content attracts. And I really like when the fans are respectful and send a letter."
Arsment has a PO box where fans can send letters, which he encourages and said is a much safer way for his followers to reach out.