20 years of YouTube: In 2007, we all empathized with iJustine and her 300-page iPhone bill

In February 2025, YouTube turned 20. The video site has gone through a lot over the past two decades, including an acquisition, an earnings glow-up, and multiple generations of star creators. In our 20 Years of YouTube series, we’ll examine the uploads, trends, and influencers that have defined the world’s favorite video site — one year at a time. Click here for a full archive of the series.

On August 13, 2007, iJustine posted a minute-long clip that vaulted her to a higher tier of internet stardom. But to her, it was just “another day, another video.”

That’s how Pittsburgh native Justine Ezarik describes the origins of the “300-page iPhone bill,” a vlog that found the perfect audience at the perfect time. Ezarik’s complaint about AT&T‘s wasteful mailers ultimately had an impact beyond its 3.8 million YouTube views. It showed that the profession then known as “lifecasting” could have considerable cultural sway.

In an email to Tubefilter, Ezarik described her breakout hit as a “perfect storm.” It arrived at the peak of iPhone mania, when consumers couldn’t wait to get their hands on the first generation of Apple’s now-ubiquitous smartphone. The absurdity of a 300-page phone bill made the vlog “a perfect shareable video,” according to Ezarik. Her clever use of editing techniques and background music identified her as a creator to watch.

Even before she shared her iPhone bill with the masses, Ezarik was already on her way toward becoming an online video pioneer. She was one of the first users to go live on Twitch precursor Justin.tv, and she also found audiences on bygone platforms like Revver and Yahoo.

With her response to AT&T’s excessive packaging, she authored a breakthrough for herself. She told Tubefilter that the 300-page iPhone bill “gave me some proof to show people the power of the internet, even if they didn’t believe me at the time.”

That power can be seen in the video’s mix of personality and creativity. The woman known as iJustine took a relatable scenario and presented it in an eye-catching format. The vlog was one of the first YouTube videos to affect significant change thanks to a groundswell of popular support. Ezarik’s “favorite response” to the clip was AT&T’s decision to eliminate its bulky bills in the wake of her viral sensation. “Even though it was such a simple video, it portrayed the absurdity of sending that many pages when it could have been an email,” she said.

Ezarik, who was part of the vanguard of online video stars, exemplified the cultural shift facilitated by platforms like YouTube. Older hosting sites like Newgrounds and Albino Blacksheep tended to emphasize videos themselves rather than the creators behind the content. For Millennials, animated hits like “Charlie the Unicorn” and “End of Ze World” are more recognizable than their uploaders (Jason Steele and Jason Windsor, respectively).

On YouTube, creators took center stage. Without Ezarik’s affable personality attached to it, would the 300-page iPhone bill vlog have taken off in the same way?

It’s hard to say for sure, but since 2007, Ezarik has proven that she’s far more than just a one-hit wonder. Nearly 20 years after launching her YouTube channel, she’s still reviewing the latest tech for an audience of more than seven million subscribers. She has also started uploading to YouTube Shorts, where her witty editing choices continue to shine through.

“As a viewer, [Shorts] is my favorite type to consume because it’s quick and to the point! It’s also given a voice and career to so many people who never would have had the opportunity to create without it,” Ezarik told Tubefilter. “As for long-form content, [YouTube] is still the top platform for monetization and my favorite for community building.”

Ezarik’s 19-year YouTube career has allowed her to witness the rise and fall of numerous industry paradigms. She’s outlasted most other first-wave YouTubers, experienced MCNs and NFTs and plenty of acronymic trends in between, and seen first-hand the diversification that platforms like TikTok and Instagram have brought to the creator economy. “It’s definitely difficult to stand out,” she said, “but there are so many creators in various niches that there is someone for everyone to watch now.”

That wasn’t the case when Ezarik first got her start. The internet’s attention was far more focused back then, with fewer creators sharing the screen. It was the perfect environment for a charismatic twentysomething Yinzer to stand out, and with her oversized billing statement, she did exactly that.

The internet culture of that era is unlikely to ever return, but Ezarik doesn’t mind — she no longer chases the high she experienced in those days. “I would say for the first five years after, I felt a lot of pressure to recreate that type of vitality and exposure,” she told Tubefilter. “Now, I know that’s not possible to achieve every single time you post. It’s always hard to predict when a video may do well, but I do know for the most part the type of content that my audience likes, and I always experiment and post fun things when I want.”

Viewers who are old enough to remember what YouTube was like in 2007 may pine for the days when the likes of iJustine, Smosh, and Ryan Higa ruled the platform. Fortunately, that era lives on thanks to the impact it had on future vloggers. Who knows what online video would look like if Ezarik had never told her 300-page story. Her career may have turned out differently — and AT&T customers may have had to deal with far more snail mail along the way.