The 2010s marked a golden age for YouTube, with innovative content at its peak and a global community built. However, the past decade has been rife with scandals and fundamental changes, leading many to abandon the platform.
YouTube controversy highlights a problem in the system
In 2017, YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie on the platform, was at the center of a shocking controversy surrounding hate speech and imagery, which led to sweeping changes to the platform.
Pidippi faced backlash for paying two men to hold up a sign reading “All Jews Die” during a live broadcast on his channel, causing him to lose his partnership with Disney subsidiary Maker Studios.
business insider Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for Maker Studios said that while Kjellberg’s content was generally provocative, “he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting video was inappropriate.” Maker Studios has decided to terminate its relationship with him going forward.”
Pewdiepie has also been removed from YouTube’s preferred advertising platform, which is a direct way for advertisers to reach YouTube’s top creators. The site also canceled the second season of its sponsored reality show “Scare PewDiePie,” starring PewDiePie.
This is a wake-up call about what is allowed on YouTube. Advertisers discovered in March 2017 that their ads were being placed within videos containing neo-Nazi and ISIS propaganda. By May 2017, YouTube had lost 5% of its top advertisers, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
YouTuber Logan Paul was also criticized in late 2017 and early 2018 for recording and uploading a video of a deceased person in Japan’s Aokigahara forest.
Over the next year, YouTube lived under a microscope, implementing new protocols that killed popular channels and caused many creators to leave the platform to pursue bigger goals.
“Adpocalypse” and YouTuber run away
In a video on the “Vlogbrothers” channel, online educator and science commentator Hank Green outlines YouTube’s advertising system. YouTube makes money from advertising. In an effort to build credibility, YouTube began implementing a stricter reporting system.
This tagging system divides content into two categories: content that is suitable for children and any content that may be deemed “unsuitable for advertisers.” With content not necessarily family-friendly, many channels are starting to see their content restricted, advertising reduced, and a lack of promotion on the YouTube platform.
This has resulted in YouTube users, many of whom rely on YouTube as their primary source of income, having to leave the platform for other jobs or turn to crowdfunding opportunities.
Popular YouTuber Liza Koshy left the platform in 2018 to focus on other opportunities outside of YouTube content creation. She has since gone on to participate in numerous acting engagements, including a role in Transformers: Rise of the Beast, created her own show Lisa On Demand, and became the first creative to host the Met Gala red carpet By.
Acclaimed creator Lilly Singh breaks away from being a YouTuber to become the first queer woman of color to host a late-night talk show.
Emma Chamberlain started vlogging on YouTube at age 15 and just seven years later became one of the most influential people in the world. She owns her own coffee company and hosts interviews on the Met Gala red carpet.
Another aspect of the YouTuber exodus is the new biased censorship brought about by the new reporting system.
After 13 years on the YouTube platform, Tyler Oakley left YouTube and the public eye in 2020. Tyler Oakley becomes the voice of a long list of LGBTQIA+ creators whose content is unfairly restricted by YouTube.
The current state of YouTube
Many people accuse “Adpocalypse” of “killing” YouTube. A stricter flagging system began to flag content deemed inappropriate for children. However, as is the case with Oakley and many other LGBTQIA+ creators, even educational content about LGBTQIA+ characters has been removed.
The situation has been exacerbated by the introduction of a “strike” system, which issues three strikes against channels for inappropriate content, after which their channels will be removed from the platform. The first warning is usually a warning and may expire after 90 days if the creator has received policy training through Google. However, the channel will still receive a warning if content is deemed to violate the same policy within that window.
Many creators from marginalized communities have seen their content unfairly labeled and restricted. This is a problem that continues into the 2020s.
In 2022, CoryxKenshin, a black YouTuber active on the platform since 2009, criticized the platform for biased censorship and content restrictions.
The popular horror game “Morgue Assistant” in the gaming industry has been played and shared by Corey and others. Of all the videos subsequently released about the game, only Corey’s was age-restricted.
Corey appealed the restriction, but YouTube refused. After Corey pointed out that major non-Black creator Mark Pryor had no age restrictions on his videos despite posting the same clip, his YouTube representative contacted YouTube. It was only then that YouTube removed Corey’s age restriction.
He was further contacted through a YouTube representative with questions stemming from the current situation and previous feelings of abuse. In response, YouTube reinstated age restrictions on Cory’s videos and added an age restriction on Markiplier’s videos.
Other major YouTubers such as Jacksepticeye and Markiplier defended Cory and responded to his comments about platform favoritism.
YouTube’s favoritism was highlighted the following year when Corey’s video resurfaced after creator SSSniperwolf doxxed creator Jackfilms on her Instagram Story. Doxxing is the public posting of privately identifiable information.
SSSniperwolf then showed up at the creator’s home in the middle of the night, filming a video of the house and captioning it: “Let’s talk like adults.” The incident was a serious violation of YouTube’s Harassment and Cyberbullying Policy, But this only resulted in the SSSniperwolf channel temporarily halting monetization after a week.
YouTube also condemned the actions of both parties in the incident. YouTuber MoistCr1tikal criticized YouTube for its “special treatment” of SSSniperwolf and its lack of timely response to her violation of YouTube policies.
YouTube’s alleged favoritism, bias, restricted advertising, and unfair reporting have caused many people to leave the platform. Recently, key long-time creators MatPat, CaptainSparklez, and Tom Scott announced their retirement from YouTube to pursue other opportunities.
Others are turning to other platforms like Twitch and Kick.
However, a new generation of YouTubers has brought life to this moribund platform. Paranormal investigators Sam and Colby raise eyebrows with their discoveries about the afterlife.
MrBeast is currently the largest YouTuber on the platform and is known for his philanthropic efforts, special gaming events, and restaurant chain “MrBeast Burger.” AMP also attracts worldwide attention, averaging 1-4 million views per video.
YouTube is a groundbreaking platform for entertainment and collaboration, shaping a global community of shared memories. YouTube’s golden age is long gone; however, hope for a renaissance of creative freedom may still exist in the platform’s future.
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