The Internet has changed a lot about the way we consume media, and if Netflix has taught me anything, it’s that television doesn’t have to be confined to television. YouTube is full of growing, independent projects that have as much, if not more, entertainment value than big-budget network shows. Two prime examples of YouTube entertainment at its finest are the Emmy Award-winning series “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” and “Emma Approved.”

Produced by Pemberley Digital, a web entertainment company founded by Bernie Su and Hank Green (yes, THAT Hank Green), “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” and “Emma Approved” are modern vlog adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma.”

“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” chronicles a year in the life of Lizzie Bennet (Ashley Clements), a broke graduate student studying mass communications and filming the “diaries” as a part of her graduate thesis with her best friend Charlotte Lu (Julia Cho) and her sisters Jane (Laura Spencer) and Lydia (Mary Kate Wiles). Lizzie is the perfect version of Jane Austen’s most famous heroine, and Clements portrays Lizzie’s spunk and determination to perfection.

All of the well-known characters have been flawlessly adapted to the modern era: Mr. Darcy is a young, up-and-coming CEO, Bingley is now Bing Lee, a friendly and sincere medical school student, and Lydia is a college student who speaks like a poorly written text message, but she is so entertaining you can’t help but love her. Even Kitty, the most irrelevant sister in the book, is updated for today: She’s an actual cat.

It can be hard to relate to characters in older stories and period dramas, but “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” is a crash-course on taking the themes and stories of the past and relating them to a new generation in a way that truly resonates with them. People nowadays might not completely understand having to marry to ensure a home, but we can certainly relate to massive student loans and the conundrum of privacy on the Internet.

And even with the cell phones, social media and video calls, “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” still feels like “Pride and Prejudice.” It remains a tale of first impressions and misunderstandings, of love and hate. It’s still the classic story that has enchanted generations.

Like its predecessor, “Emma Approved” brings “Emma” to life perfectly: Bright and outspoken Emma Woodhouse (Joanna Sotomura) runs a lifestyle coaching/matchmaking company with her longtime best friend Alex Knightley (Brent Bailey). They are joined by Emma’s jumpy yet well-meaning assistant Harriet Smith (Dayeanne Hutton), geeky and kind IT specialist Bobby Martin (James Brent Isaacs), Emma’s client and successfully matched friend Annie Taylor (Alexis Boozer) and Izzy (Mapuana Makia), Emma’s sister and the wife of Alex’s brother. The setup is slightly different from “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” Instead of video diaries, Emma’s videos are a chronicle of, in her own words, “her greatness.”

Although it stumbled before finding its footing in the beginning of its run, “Emma Approved” found its brilliance through the dynamite talent of its two leads and a new focus on its supporting cast. By the latter half of the series, the show has found a rhythm so well-suited to its cast that I would say it is even as good as “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.”

“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” and “Emma Approved” take full advantage of their online mediums, telling the stories in real time through multi-platform storytelling. Lizzie, Darcy, Emma and Alex all have Twitter and Instagram accounts that fill in all the blanks between the episodes. During the show’s run, Emma “ran” a full-scale fashion blog. Mr. Darcy’s company Pemberley Digital, which was integrated into a real-life company to produce more vlog adaptations, has a fully operational website.

In a world where we are almost always immersed in social media, this new form of storytelling is absolutely incredible to witness. The stories and the characters feel more alive than ever. We the audience feel like we are a part of the story rather than a bystander. Surprisingly enough, by turning Jane Austen’s stories inside-out and throwing them into the chaos of today’s Internet-driven society, Pemberley Digital has made them more timeless than ever.

“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” and “Emma Approved” are both available in their entirety on YouTube and iTunes.