Tyler Oakley: popular champion of the YouTube confessional

American vlogger has thousands of fans - online and in real life - who watch him discuss being gay, eating disorders and attacking small-town life and religion

If you're over the age of 16, Tyler Oakley might be the most famous person you've never heard of. But this 26-year-old, from a small town in Michigan, has more accolades to his name than most. He's interviewed Barack Obama, made a health vlog with Michelle Obama, can claim over 500m views on YouTube - and now has penned a New York Times bestselling book.

Oakley is among the new generation of celebrities who have made their name entirely through YouTube. Posting videos of themselves from their bedrooms, discussing everything from pop culture and shopping to their own sexuality and mental health, teenagers across the world obsessively consume the content, interacting with the internet stars through comments, twitter and Snapchat. It is a highly profitable occupation - some of the biggest YouTube celebrities, Oakley included - are thought to earn six figure salaries through sponsorship and advertising alone.