What message for young people?

Young YouTuber Inoxtag has just reached his Everest, in every sense of the word. With a documentary recounting his adventure that reached 11 million views on YouTube in 24 hours on Saturday, what message does this influencer convey to young people?

Inoxtag, the friendly 22-year-old successful YouTuber, has achieved the goal he set for himself in front of his fans a year ago: to be part of the select club of those who have climbed Everest. Released as a preview in a few theaters and then mis online, Saturday September 15, a feature film recounting this ascent was viewed 11 million times in 24 hours.

Real name Inès Benazzouz, Inoxtag is a social media star, with eight million subscribers on YouTube, 6.1 million on TikTok and 5.6 million on Instagram. Her his beginnings were in Orgeval in the Yvelines, where he quickly became known with his YouTube channel, on which he posted videos in duet with his friend Michou, a member like him of the “Team Croûton”, a group of young content creators with millions of subscribers. At only 17 years old, he signed his first contract with an online media group and also got noticed for having temporarily broken the record for simultaneous viewers for a French-speaking stream on Twitch. The record was previously held by Squeezie. That day, in front of 450,000 spectators, he made particularly sexist remarks, but apologized immediately.

Last year he set himself a challenge: to reach the summit of Everest, which is not not won for an amateur who never does sport and sleeps on a spare bed in his parents’ bathroom. He then began an intensive training program, during which he cut the number of his monthly videos in half – from four to two. Then, supported by a mountain guide, he discovered the heights, the extreme cold, crampons. And from April onwards, he disappeared from circulation. At the end of the summer, a trailer puts an end to the suspense. Inoxtag has indeed managed to reach the roof of the world. And, since Saturday, September 14, the date the documentary telling its story was posted online, the number of views by fans has also reached new heights. More than 11 million views on YouTube in 24 hours.

But when watching this documentary, many, especially mountaineers, regret that Inoxtag ignores the issue of overtourism and its consequences: accidents, destruction of natural spaces, pollution, mountains under attack. He is criticized, through the story of this climb, for only talking about his individual exploit. But most fans, for their part, ask him above all “and now Ino, what are you going to do ?” When you’ve reached Everest and come down at 22, what do you do next?