Xxnx 2013 | Photo

Second, transitioned from niche tech forums to mainstream lifestyle entertainment. Channels like Unbox Therapy and Jenna Marbles (who parodied the genre) saw explosive growth. The photo-video hybridity here is key: creators used high-resolution macro photography (to show screen pixels or fabric weave) within a video medium, demanding cameras that could fluidly switch between focal lengths and frame rates—a demand 2013 smartphones began to answer.

2013 codified two visual tropes that dominate current entertainment. First, the "flat lay" —a photograph taken from directly above an arranged collection of objects (jewelry, coffee, magazine, smartphone). This aesthetic, popularized on blogs like A Beautiful Mess and Jak & Jil , turned personal consumption into a graphic design. It signaled that lifestyle was not lived horizontally but curated vertically for the screen. photo xxnx 2013

Although the term "selfie" existed earlier, 2013 was the year it became an entertainment format. Oxford Dictionaries named "selfie" its Word of the Year. More importantly, the selfie evolved from a simple portrait into a performance of lifestyle. The "selfie video" (vlogging) exploded, led by YouTubers like Zoella and PewDiePie, who framed their faces in medium close-up while reacting to products, games, or personal stories. The entertainment value shifted from the event to the personality’s reaction . Photographic stillness was replaced by video’s raw, unedited temporality, creating a false sense of intimacy that became the bedrock of influencer culture. Second, transitioned from niche tech forums to mainstream