“Social media are opportunities but affections are the strong point”

“Social media is a great opportunity but we must not detach ourselves from the real world: the people you have next to you are the most important thing.” So Francesca Presentini, in art Fraffrog, illustrator, cartoonist and youtubertells Adnkronos how his online adventure began and what are the pitfalls that hide behind the possibility of easy success. Born in Cortona in 1993Frafrog He started his career for fun in 2010 during a boring Valentine’s Day. “It was February 14th, I was 16 years old and I was very bored. So I decided that the most sensible thing to do was to open a YouTube channel to upload my photomontages. I made a photomontage of Hilary Duff transforming her into an avatar from the film Avatar and that’s how it all started,” he says. Since then the famous YouTuber has come a long way and today his channel for bring young people closer to the world of drawing and creativity It has over one and a half million members.

A career that led her to explore different artistic forms. “The thing I like most is the sum of all the things I do. I really like going from one thing to another and create multimedia content that combines many different forms of entertainment and communications, such as drawing, animation, writing, voiceover and music”. A job that he now carries forward with teams: “Over the years I have learned a lot about the job team”. But as a child Fraffrog dreamed of becoming a writer: “I was a great reader and I thought my future could only go in one direction.” But then came the internet, editing, video, illustration and animation: “Thanks to all these forms of expression I realized that, in reality, what I wanted could not be channeled into just one path.”

Many of his videos are stationery product reviewsa passion that Fraffrog carefully cultivates, carefully selecting the brands with which it collaborates and favoring transparency with its audience. “I really care that when there are collaborations it is made explicit”, he specifies, reiterating that he purchases and reviews many products independently, always maintaining a critical and honest attitude. An important chapter of his career is represented by Gigaciaothe publishing house founded a year and a half together with Sio, Dado and Giacomo Bevilacqua. “It’s difficult to take stock because for the first time I had to deal with many new things, such as no longer being just the author, but also the publisher.”

An experience that Fraffrog defines as “exciting. It was wonderful to be in contact with so many expert professionals in their sector, I learned a lot and the bond of friendship that already existed with all the other colleagues was greatly strengthened.” The aim of this new publishing house is to face important topics such as diversity, equality and bullying. “We would like to tell these stories without paternalism. Young people certainly need support, guidance, help, but they also need someone who can see things with their eyes.”

Aware of the difficulties that young people face today, between the pressure of social media and constant exposure to unrealistic models, Fraffrog is committed to creating content that provides a point of reference and fuels positive passions. “I think it’s very difficult for kids to grow up at the moment. We’re living in a very complex period and for this reason we also need attention when creating content.” According to the YouTuber, “we need to give them a point of reference whether it’s a passion or something they can hold on to.”

About theinfluence of partnersl, and in particular cyberbullying, the artist invites kids not to feel wrong and to give value to real relationships, while recognizing the opportunities offered by the digital world “The Internet has so much to offer but you rely a lot on the people close to you. The people around me are the cornerstone of mine”, he concludes, reiterating the importance of finding a balance between the virtual and the real, between online opportunities and the solidity of human relationships. Loredana Errico