An Update on Our Family

As Episode 1 of "An Update on Our Family" (2025 release; 3 episodes ranging from 43 to 50 min) opens, we are introduced to Myka and James Stauffer, who painstakingly vlog on the YouTube family channel, going back to 2013. After 3 kids of their own, the couple decides to adopt a special needs boy from China. At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the work of director Rachel Mason, who just recently directed the outstanding (if tragic) documentary "Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna". Here Mason examines the phenom that is family vlogging, and as it turns out (wait for it!), things are not quite as they seem. This is not the first documentary looking at this issue. But as it turns out, all of it is just an appetizer for what plays out in Episode 3, when the Stauffers adopt a young boy from China. I won't say more about it so as not to spoil. I must admit I have never heard of this story before, nor am I all that familiar with the multiple family vlogs that apparently exist out there, all hoping to get enough subscribers that YouTube and sponsors will pay them handsomely, but raising the obvious ethical question of what these parents are thinking about making so much of their children's lives available to the public at large without the children's conscious consent. Apart from the interesting ethical issues raised by the documentary, in retrospect all of this could've been handled in far less that the almost 2 1/2 hrs. Running time of the 3 episodes.

"An Update on Our Family" started streaming on Max not too long ago, and I stumbled on it the other night, I watched all 3 episodes in a single setting. This mini-series is currently rated 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is far too generous in my opinion. If you are curious about the phenom that is family vlogging on YouTube or about adoptions of special needs kids from overseas, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

That could have been told in one, 2-hour doc, but instead we're subjected to these incredibly awkward, sincerely troubling parasocial fans that seem very confused as to their 'relationship' with content creators. I'm incredibly troubled by the sheer volume of people who seem to be at least somewhat intelligent, but willfully seem to toss that out the window in order to form false relationships with people who don't exist.

Along with 'content creators' who are so wrapped up in the creation of content and the time it takes to create this unattainable feeling of relatability to portray themselves as something not even remotely resembling real life, that they're all but ignoring that of the very real, very dependent children who are only used as props to convey this ridiculous portrayal to an easily duped public. That our aged Congress is so severely lacking when it comes to social media and that of creation of content that they've allowed this nonsense to fester like an open wound, it's no wonder that there seems to be a new horrifying train wreck surfacing weekly, with children being completely exploited. We have what's referred to as 'Jackie Coogan' laws, but for some reason doesn't apply to any of this, and these creators see no problems with exploitation in the most disturbing and disgusting ways.

The first episode was incredibly disturbing and difficult to consume- there's so many times we felt a need to turn away, yet continues to watch in hopes of a point being made. It's no exaggeration to say that the subjects of this were barely mentioned- and it was more so in passing and in some rather bizarre ways that really shone a light more on those who consume this garbage than that of the creators, themselves. There were some interesting moments but not a single thing pertaining to WHY the filmmakers are there, just weird teases that in supposing are meant to being the viewers back, but plays more like daytime soap operas.

I found a rather comprehensive and interesting article that laid bare the behavior behind this nonsense, and completely finished consuming it within 20 minutes. Skip this and do your own research.

This series is great if you know of online drama but need it to be condensed into an HBO style documentary for you to actually care about any of it. Hannah Cho is the perfect person to lead everyone through it because she explains what's going on through the lens of a fan who had been there from the beginning, but also from the perspective of someone who also lives and breathes social media for her own livelihood. It's like when your bestie is explaining really great controversy happening outside of your social circle that doesn't affect you but is fascinating nonetheless. The perspectives of the journalists covering it vs social media responses in the last episode are part of a larger picture that I'd love to see this documentary team explore more.

When the director was interviewed on TDS, I was excited because I thought there was going to be a brutal balance between the freak show jobless ass-hats and more rational objective people. It's obnoxious, not infuriating due to truth bombs. The editing is awful and I truly wanted to punch my TV while watching this. I had to pull out my phone to answer work emails and schedule a doctor appointment to unburden my growing anxiety and anger. I don't think this director intended this, but she has no distance from the subject matter. There is no story, but rather YouTube vomit clickbait style rabbit holes. You have failed to uncover this and have instead become what you claim to loathe.

The documentary uses many editing cliches that have been overdone by the big streamers for about 10 years now. The ticker showing a video's view count rising rapidly. The breaking of the 4th wall when people are being interviewed. It's extremely boring. The first episode take roughly 50 minutes to say: 1) Vloggers are a thing. 2) People really like this particular family vlogger. 3) They might have enjoyed the attention from vlogging too much. That's it. You just saw the first episode. It is a sad reminder that many YouTubers these days can craft better documentaries than Netflix and HBO, with .1% of the resources.