YouTube, a digital platform that allowed anyone with a camera to share their voice with the world, was revolutionary when it first launched in 2005.
YouTube has gradually changed from being a place for independent creators and viral videos to a commercialized platform where control and profit come before creativity.
Thanks to YouTube, everyone got access to a platform that enabled creators to produce content that was unmatched by anything else available online.
It was made so that anyone could publish anything they wanted. The platform enabled videos of morning routines, shopping hauls, and unboxing.
Since the early 2010s, YouTube has been one of Gen Z’s favorite pastimes, but many of the top creators have already closed their channels.
Even the most well-known performers of today, like Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, and Shawn Mendes, began their careers on YouTube.
It seems that YouTube has abandoned popular creators, despite the fact that it used to support them.
2011 saw the removal of YouTube’s original, creator-focused tagline, “Broadcast yourself,” and the website started to take a different, less creator-focused turn.
As YouTube’s algorithm started to favor longer videos, advertisements, and “watch time,” the change became even more apparent. Media companies and corporate channels frequently buried smaller creators who couldn’t keep up.
For a variety of reasons, several well-known YouTubers, including Joey Graceffa, Tyler Oakley, and AlfieDeyes, quit the site. They claimed they felt angry, forgotten, and perplexed due to the company’s general lack of communication.
It can be harmful to the creator’s mental health when they work so hard to produce videos that don’t end up performing well. The platform required regular upload schedules and did not permit breaks.
Additionally, the content creators were greatly impacted by the enormous amount of feedback they received because they were not intended to interact with thousands of people on a daily basis.
Viners with existing fan bases joined YouTube shortly after the app was shut down in 2017. Their content was problematic.
In the Aokigahara forest of Japan, Logan Paul captured some horrible footage. It displayed the body of a man who had committed suicide.
Terrorist recruitment videos and a reaction video featuring anti-Semitic remarks were created by YouTuber PewDiePie. YouTubers weren’t held responsible for their inappropriate behavior until 2020.
Examples include Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson.
Additionally, YouTube started giving corporate and sponsored content priority over time. Big brands, music labels, and late-night talk shows started to take over the trending page, displacing smaller voices. It began to feel like television instead of a community.
TikTok is another element influencing the drop in interest in YouTube. Despite its 2016 founding, TikTok experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of September 2021, the app had 1 billion users worldwide and had been downloaded 26.6 billion times. Its content spans from a few seconds to three minutes. TikTok appeals to the short attention span and preference for short-form content of Generation Z.
In the end, YouTube has just changed its direction and isn’t dead. Content views prefer content that either makes them laugh out loud or doesn’t take hours to watch.
If YouTube doesn’t produce it. We’ll look elsewhere for unique and creative content. We now use social media for quick humor rather than daily vlogs.