Written by: Nicholas Sarysz
Paid broadcasting and television entertainment have been long-unrivaled video mediums since they were popularized in the 1950s. This remained true even in the earliest days of the internet, until the public release of YouTube in 2005. By January of 2016, the site received over 25 million views per day, and today that daily number is in the billions.
As the name “You”Tube suggests, the content produced on the platform consisted of real, everyday people making videos to share with one another. This whole concept is what pushed YouTube forward, as even companies that released videos on the platform in its early stages embraced its personal feel. It was never about what made executives the most money, or creating big-budget productions — keyword “was.”
With time, everything evolves, but it is not always for the best. The thing that once separated YouTube from paid broadcasting and television has fully taken over the platform — money and corporate executives. This shift was a long time coming, but fully took place in May 2019, when the Indian music label T-Series passed famous YouTuber PewDiePie for most subscribers on the platform. Fast forward to today and almost all of the top YouTubers are either a company or have formed one for their content. Mr. Beast, for example, does not have the same company structure or goals as T-Series, since he is considered a “YouTuber,” yet they are valued at the exact same amount — $500 million. As of now, PewDiePie remains the only channel in the top 20 on the platform that is not a company.
Individuals that seek to entertain on the platform are just unequipped to properly compete with the budgets, crew and equipment that these companies have to create content. Thus, there are now YouTube Shorts, which are just bootleg TikToks. Small creators now find themselves attempting to please the YouTube algorithm and gain popularity through these shorts because keeping people’s attention for less than 60 seconds is far easier to do than competing with the long-form content that the large companies are already creating.
Admittedly, a large part of this shift is on all of us. Oversaturated clickbait content is only popular because we are the ones that decide to click on it. Since it gets the most views, it makes the most money, gets pushed the most by the YouTube algorithm and continually gets recycled and recreated. As genuine connection and creativity diminish on the platforms, so do our attention spans.
YouTube has not only aligned itself alongside paid broadcasting and television but has even gone so far as to intertwine itself well within it. YouTube not only offers a Premium — no advertisement monthly subscription to its platform — but even has “YouTube TV.” Now, you can stream live television, as well as movies and shows all on the platform that originally rivaled it. On top of this, YouTube takes 45% of ad revenue money from creators that are monetized on the platform, which leads these large creators/companies to further implement sponsorships on their uploads.
Brand deals and sponsorships have become commonplace for every content creator on YouTube, as have merchandise sales, crowdfunding and additional subscription content. These additions not only further the corporate dominance on the platform, but make it feel like content creators are milking their viewership in ways similar to online video game microtransactions.
A lot of this sponsorship comes with the compromising of artistic integrity among creators. With more of these creators vying for sponsors’ attention, many creators resort to sensationalism, sacrificing authenticity and genuine connection with their audience.
Of course, all of this can be looked at in a more positive manner. The addition of corporate budgets on YouTube opens the door for a much higher and more professional level of production. With this, comes the fact that YouTube has transcended from a niche video-sharing platform to a powerful force in shaping pop culture. Frankly, it’s probably the only worldwide video-sharing platform that still has hope for a bright future. In order for YouTube to flourish into the platform it was meant to be, it must navigate the delicate balance between corporate interests and creator authenticity, which requires a collective effort from creators, viewers and the platform itself.
Truthfully, that’s nothing more than a euphoric hope. Monetary greed and our collapsing attention spans are no foundation for anything positive. It’s all downhill from here.
Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu
