I know this is off-topic, but I wanted to write this blogpost. Has Google created a monster with its YouTube service, and their policy of paying popular YouTubers according to viewership levels?
Not too long ago, there was a big fuss over a popular YouTuber who was earning millions of dollars from his controversial video antics, Logan Paul (he earned a staggering 12.5 million dollars in 2017, according to Forbes). With YouTube, has Google created an unhealthy culture, with people saying or doing anything in order to get popular? And building up some people’s false hopes that they, too, can become Internet famous like Logan Paul?
According to a news report from SFGate about the shooter, Nasim Aghdam:
On a website consisting of a collage of photos and video posts, many of them about her vegan beliefs, Aghdam rails against YouTube for restricting views on her videos and for what she said was skimping on revenue driven by the traffic to her YouTube page.
You can see a short video clip of her complaining about her treatment at this news report from the U.K.’s Telegraph website.
It seems pretty clear that this woman felt “cheated” of fame and money by YouTube, and she took her grudge (and a gun) to a courtyard of the company and started shooting, injuring three people before killing herself. This is a tragic story, but was it preventable? Probably not. You can’t predict that something like this would happen.
But I’m sure that Google executives must be having some sober second thoughts about the YouTube culture they have created, and the negative impact that YouTube celebrity is having on society.
Interestingly what this ill lady touched on was that she had something stripped away from her. You Tube never stopped to think what impact their recent changes would have to the livelihoods of some people , the aspirations of others.
Very interestingly YouTube hasn’t done anything about what was raised to them by me and many many others. This lady in particular. That where they demonetised the works of many people they didn’t protect the hard works of all these many people. You Tube allows self run web sites to basically replicate its entire platform and for some other parasites to make money from the hard works of the smaller channels. She talked about this.
I’ve ranted about it a number of times. Google/You Tube have selective hearing.
What this woman did was born out of rage but more importantly a mental health situation. A tragedy.
It’s sad that the obsession took her to this extreme.
Sadly You Tube isn’t psychic. However they do have a duty of care to the people they exploit.
The ladies videos still exists on other platforms. They’re quirky and frankly have had many views. Clearly she had a substantive following if not on You Tube.
But will they learn from this and other mistakes they have made? Of course not.
Sadly no one could have predicted her reaction. It’s a terribly sad situation which will no doubt have further repercussions on the freedom of speech You Tube always had.
Logan Paul still reaps $$$$ and as long as he remains sitting where he is, then there will remain a lot of very angry people out there whose livelihoods changed because of his stupid arrogant actions.
Modern society and the social media culture is what has contributed to this desire for everyone who wants to be somebody.
Let’s hope the next generation want to be doctors and nurses again.