by Playfuls Staff |
23rd April 2007
A young YouTuber, Ryan Fitzgerald of Southbridge, Mass., has posted on the popular video sharing website a clip Friday, on April 20, asking everybody who need somebody to talk to just[more] call him up on his cell phone for whatever reason, even only to say hi.
The 20-year old, told
The Globe that by Sunday afternoon, he had gotten more than 5,000 phone calls and text messages from around the world. Monday morning at 5 a.m., the free "weekend" minutes on his T-Mobile service were scheduled to run out.
"I haven’t quite figured out what I’m going to do about it," Ryan Fitzgerald said. "But something needs to be done, because I’m going to end up with a $20,000 phone bill."
However, "Come Monday, no way I’m going to just hang up on people and say, ‘I don’t have the minutes'," he said.
"Some people’s own mothers won’t take the time to sit down and talk with them and have a conversation," he said to Globe. "But some stranger on YouTube will ... After six seconds, you’re not a stranger anymore, you’re a new kid I just met."
Ryan talked yesterday in an "Update On The Many Phone Calls I've Received And Rumors" about the mean people who started to harass him, such as "the weirdest call [he] received", which was from a guy standing in line at McDonalds, who called to ask Ryan what he should order.
He goes on mentioning the support he received but obviously he had some trouble with hecklers, who were "hateful for no reason."
I'm doing this for a reason. I'm trying to send a message to people, that there are people in this world, like me, who will listen to you, who do care, you know. I've never met you but I do care." "I appreciate all the support and I appreciate all the negativity, 'cause all the negativity does is drive me, so keep it up guys!"
Ryan is not the first person to intentionally post their number on YouTube. A guy named Luke Johnson posted his number on YouTube last September, just to see how many calls he would get. It turns out he got more than 140k, according to Johnson’s latest voicemail recording. However, Ryan was not aware of Johnson's stunt and has pointed out that his own campaign has a moral purpose, while Johnson's is "just about numbers."
"I love talking to people," he said. "I just love helping people."
His original video, posted Friday and titled "I'm Here For EVERYONE! Give Me A Call! 7742531962" is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-rDqt99eGcIt has been viewed about 120k times and attracted around 400 comments.
His response, "Update On The Many Phone Calls I've Received And Rumors," from Sunday, is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF-Vxc0VC9kOne of the comments on his original post says:
"With all the pain and suffering in the world, it's nice to see someone trying to reach out to other people. I'm also amazed that many people seem to think this is some sort of self-promotional stunt; it seems to me that Ryan is utterly sincere, and his video is short and to the point. We are all so connected, and yet all completely cut from each other by the huge electronic grid we all now share; I say "bravo" to Ryan for trying to reach out in an increasingly impersonal world." - cursewill
