YouTube’s Favoritsm Problem
YouTube was created to for anyone and everyone to make content and express themselves online how they see fit to have fun. YouTube’s mission statement
“Our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. We believe that everyone deserves to have a voice and that the world is a better place when we listen, share, and build community through our stories”.
However, it seems YouTube has abandoned that mission in favor of specific creators and corporate garbage, while also making the functions of the site far worse. The recent controversy has spelled to what has become a larger conversation about the platform and where its goals and loyalties lie. With the user, or with the dollar. YouTube has unfortunately chosen the dollar. Almost every single creator on YouTube agrees that YouTube does not support them or is terrible at supporting them at all. There is a clear wall of favoritism for corporations, advertisers, and golden creators.
Some major examples began during the Spiderman-Elsa controversy where adults would make content directed at children dressed up in Spiderman, joker, and Elsa costumes, often partaking in gross and inappropriate activities. These videos would amass tens of millions of views. For many months this flew under the radar until some YouTubers who were upset with YouTube demonetizing them brought media attention. It was only after advertisers began pulling ads that YouTube took action against that content. However, to ensure content that advertisers didn’t like would not be promoted, they proceeded to demonetize most content deemed unsuitable for audiences.
One instance was caused by Pewdiepie (Felix Kjelberg) in 2017 who at the time was the platform’s most subscribed YouTuber, as a joke, had paid two men in India to pose with a sign and say what it said on the sign that “Death to all Jews”. This caused a mass exodus of advertisers from the platform. That included popular channels that often would use mild language in their videos, as YouTube is not beholden to the FCC in the same way as other media companies as they are not on the television airwaves. This phenomenon was known as the apocalypse.
Many users who had depended on YouTube no longer had a fungible source of income. This was only made worse when YouTube updated its copyright policy. Some users would use a 10-second clip of a song, and the company or label would then claim the entire video as copyright and take all the ad revenue and money made from the video, regardless of whether or not the byte was central to the video. YouTube themselves even stated that they do not mediate or police copyright. Anyone who claims copyright is immediately rewarded by YouTube regardless if they are even in the right. Users are awarded no due process.
YouTube Rewind with those familiar was a yearly project that would feature many iconic YouTubers and feature memes, accomplishments, and milestones throughout the year. Over the past years, YouTube has repeatedly pushed out-of-touch rewinds, with the most disliked video on YouTube being its 2018 rewind. People hated it and found that Pewdiepie’s rewind was infinitely better executed. YouTube would try again in 2019 only for that one as well to be included in the top 10 most disliked videos. Youtube would then cancel the series entirely, and would also soon remove the dislike button. It is a move slammed by users as it is meant to censor what content people think is bad, protect golden creators and corporations, and enable fraud and false advertisements. YouTube stated it was to combat bullying and harassment. However, the dislikes can still be viewed by the video’s owner, which negates the point entirely.
Now YouTube has been promoting corporate content and golden creators instead of letting small creators break out. Youtuber CoryxKenshin alleged that there is favoritism and racism at the company, where black creators are held to a different standard than non-black creators due to their videos getting taken down, no rational explanation being given, and no clip being cited, and slammed YouTube “YouTube Black” initiative in promoting black creators, which he called “pandering”. To prove Cory’s theory, fellow YouTuber Markiplier decided to intentionally dance on the lines of censorship and YouTube policies, by playing a pornographic anime game. Not only was Markiplier’s video not age-restricted, but it was also deemed twice to be suitable for general audiences and advertisers. It was only after user outrage that YouTube allowed this, did YouTube removed ads from the videos.
This is not the first time YouTube has done something like this. Jake and Logan Paul two controversial YouTubers had previously violated TOS a series of times, but because they are money makers, they were allowed to continue making content. YouTube then allows ads that are blatant violations of the TOS for sexual content, copyright, and flat-out malware, but bans users for minor offenses. But because advertisers pay YouTube it’s fair game.
The final nail that destroyed all confidence when reaction YouTuber SSSniperwolf (a convicted felon) doxxed fellow creator Jacksfilms who had criticized her for stealing content and not crediting the creators of the content. She proceeded to drive to his house, post his address to her 5 million followers on IG, and proceeded to joke about it. YouTube took a week to take action, and 4 days after posted a tone-deaf tweet about reaction videos. Not only did SSSniperwolf commit a crime against a fellow YouTuber, but YouTube coordinated with her to draft a ChatGPT apology, refused to ban her, and then proceeded to BLAME jacksfilms for his role in the situation.
YouTube has also come under fire from users and is facing threats of investigations over their placement of ads on videos. YouTube has been accused of overfilling videos with advertisements in order to force users fed up with ads to buy YouTube Premium, which costs up to $13.99/month, 2 dollars more than earlier this year. However, people expecting no ads on videos have still encountered them, prompting accusations of false advertising and fraud. Advertisers pay YouTube a premium in order to advertise on Premium. Further spitting in the face of users with false advertising.
