Inspired by a New York Magazine article by Caitlin Moscatello, An Update On Our Family takes a deep dive into the popular and very complex world of family vlogging. It’s intriguing, lucrative, and unregulated, which went relatively overlooked until the Stauffer family took over the industry.
Family vlogging is a popular arena where parents post a steady stream of lifestyle videos on their social media channels (mainly YouTube) for the consumption of their subscriber base. Often times, the content creates a sense of community and thanks to their fanbase, can generate a substantial income for the vloggers. The series focuses on one family in particular, the Stauffers, and how Myka went from a single mother to the matriarch of a vlogging empire.
Myka and James Stauffer appeared to be living the sweetest of sweet lives. Thanks to their vlogging empire, they moved into a bigger house, their kids seemed happy, and they brought their subscribers everywhere they went, from school to Disney vacations. Women became attached to Myka as she shared everything from how she kept her house clean to the difficulty of having a miscarriage. She would go on to have multiple kids and life couldn’t seem better. Things started to take a turn after she decided to adopt… From China.
There’s statistical evidence to prove that baby announcements and adoptions brought the most views to videos, which drew ire from skeptics because of a few things. A two-and-a-half-year-old boy from China caught their attention and they decided to name him Huxley. Seemingly the whitest name imaginable, the move was seen as a first step in erasing whatever culture or past he would bring with him back to the U.S. Their millions of followers kept up on every post and Huxley himself became an audience driver for their channel. The ultimate eyebrow-raiser came three years after his adoption when he suddenly disappeared from their channel. Erasing his online presence from their page brought a whirlwind of speculation about his whereabouts and safety.
Firsthand accounts and interviews from other family vloggers and some that befriended Myka were used in the series as well as insight from adoption specialists, parents, and others who followed the Stauffers. The film successfully creates points of conversation about online privacy and trans-national adoption. The other piece of the puzzle is the issue of vlogging. Is it ethical to monetize one’s family? Should it be illegal? That will vary by perspective. But one thing is certain, because of the potential danger of exposing one’s family online for profit, there needs to be some regulation. Death threats and online hate/bullying were just a sample of what the Stauffers had to endure.
An Update On Our Family gets a 9 out of 10. Having so many specialists, parents, and varying perspectives onboard for the series was a solid move. There was so much to learn and to consider, even beyond the potential of making money. Very few consider how vlogging impacts their children, their safety, and other factors introduced by the docuseries. The series first drew attention at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival where it premiered.
The first episode of An Update On Our Family premieres Wednesday, January 22, at 9:00 PM/ET on HBO and is available to stream on MAX.
-Jon Jones
Photos: HBO
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Three Episodes; 60 mins.
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: Jan. 22, 2024.