Primitive Technology is a content-pioneering channel that focuses on showing how tools and structures may be created with just natural resources, as well as general survival in the Australian wilderness. It’s enthralled viewers all around planet, with close to 11 million subscribers and over 1.1 billion total views as of June 2024. Though his videos offer little in the way of stylish editing, that’s also what helps the channel gain its raw authenticity. Part of the appeal is John’s unprecedented honesty as well, since he makes a point out of not actually living in the outback and eating regular food in a modern home when not creating content, in spite of the massive benefit of the audience believing otherwise. He also clarifies having no Aboriginal background or military experience, staying true to the high reputation he had come to enjoy from the world.
Contents
What draws the fans in
The channel’s content lets viewers follow the development of numerous wilderness projects by showing how to design equipment or structures from scratch using only natural resources, illustrating various strategies and approaches to this aspect of survival. Plant obtains materials like clay, dirt, stone, and plant fibers from his surroundings, utilizing the knowledge he accumulates off-screen to produce more advanced materials, like charcoal. The videos depend on low ambient noises and written explanations of activities on-screen via captions to communicate with the audience, leaving the overall experience as primal as can be. The YouTuber’s wardrobe is consistent, as he exclusively shows cargo shorts in all of the videos. Building houses, tools, weapons, shelters, pottery, and much more, all through completely archaic methods, John was essentially the first person on YouTube to create such content. Every video is a detailed manual showing the whole process, from initial material procurement to the final output.
The videos usually begin with John collecting natural items from his surroundings, like plant fibers from trees, stones from the ground, and clay from riverbanks. He then shows how to transform these resources into useable forms, including pot-shapes from clay or rope-weaved plant fibers. From basic shelters to more intricate houses with thatched ceilings and clay walls, the content also depicts the creation of several kinds of structures. Along with his own experiments and expertise, Plant’s methods depend on careful studying of archeology, history, chemistry and physics, as well as sheer trial and error, as stated in his channel description.
Primitive Technology stands out in particular for lacking any contemporary tools and equipment whatsoever, as Plant depends only on what he can find in nature. He makes cutting tools out of stones, heat from brittle, dry sticks, and binds items together using natural fibers. From basic chores like building a fire to more difficult undertakings such as constructing a wattle and daub home, the projects vastly range in complexity, offering something interesting to almost anyone browsing YouTube.
The channel also explores the development of hunting gear like spears, bows, and traps, showing how exactly they were created, as well as providing a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural value of certain tools and instruments. Thus, the content easily goes beyond simple survival to include knowledge and appreciation of the creative inventiveness of prehistoric human communities. In spite of what most may believe when they look at a massively successful YouTuber, the creator of Primitive Technology is still only intent on sharing his own fascination with the world, while profit is secondary. Even so, he inadvertently teaches his audience the value of sustainability and self-reliance, and inspires viewers to interact with the environment and acquire priceless knowledge inherited over centuries,
The crucial difference
John’s creation is generally seen as one of the few real outlets in the primitive construction movement, which he himself popularized on the internet. Unlike many other channels claiming to highlight simple construction, Primitive Technology painstakingly records every stage of the building process, which fully guarantees that what people see is real. The videos thus have no background music or narrative, centering only on the natural noises and John’s own actions.
On the other hand, a mountain of other channels in the genre have been exposed for fabricating similar content, to the point where the niche itself is considered fake – John Plant being the exception. Most other channels sometimes use fake materials, contemporary tools, and big crews with sophisticated equipment to develop their seemingly amazing constructions. For instance, some channels have been recorded employing excavators to dig massive holes in the jungle, spray paint to indicate building sites, and even industry-grade concrete imported from rivers. These despicable techniques are often concealed behind clever editing and misleading descriptions, providing the false impression that the tasks are finished by a tiny team utilizing antiquated techniques, or usually just one individual, in their best attempt to emulate John.
Testimonials from people who know Plant directly help to further confirm the validity of the channel, and there’s yet to be one credible source claiming that his content is in any way falsified. His videos also highlight practical and attainable tasks, unlike the manufactured and extensively manipulated material of other channels, showing contemporary constructions supposedly completed in an unbelievably short time. John’s works like huts, kilns, and basic tools, are based on real primitive methods, therefore establishing a baseline for what may be done with only natural resources.
Who really is John Plant?
John Plant grew up in Queensland, Australia, and apparently really enjoyed watching TV, especially the Discovery Channel. His obsession with primitive skills started very early on, under the influence of naturalist programs like “Survivor Man” and “Man vs. Wild,” prompting him to seek to survive on his own, even as a developing child. He subsequently grew up enthralled by the concept of living off the land and creating everything out of natural resources, diving into it as early as age 11 by constructing cottages by a stream behind his home using only what was available in the immediate vicinity.
While Plant did in fact obtain a Bachelor of Science degree at an unspecified university, his passion was so strong that it completely diverted him from pursuing any significant employment. He became a lawn mowing contractor instead, which afforded him the means to sustain himself while taking all his free time to work on archaic technology, in a rural area of Australia, on land that he owns. He eventually started uploading to YouTube, posting his first video on 2 May 2015. The uploads slowly became regular, and in the meantime he also started posting explanations and images of his works on a WordPress site, though he discontinued this practice in mid-2018.
What is his net worth?
Reputable sources to date have estimated John Plant’s total current wealth at almost $1 million. He has managed to generate this sum over close to a decade of diligent YouTube uploading, relying on the website as his primary source of income that eventually allowed him to leave lawn moving and focus on his passion full time. According to Social Blade, Plant makes anywhere up to $150,000 per year from ad revenue alone, although the YouTuber doesn’t really employ any other methods of making a livelihood out of what he does. The only exception is his Patreon, which generates close to $35,000 per year as of mid-2024.
