This post may only resonate with a small amount of people that read my blog. But that’s okay. I watch a lot of YouTube videos. It’s one of my favorite things to do, as it allows me to get a glimpse at life outside of my own experiences. But YouTube has been running into problem after problem in the last few years, and we started off 2018 with a major scandal right out of the gate. Vlogging has blown up on the platform, and can take many forms-- from family vlogs (like KKandBabyJ) to Casey Neistat and his artistic and intentional vlogging style. Vlogs are the ultimate behind-the-scenes look and can be entertaining -- I have no problem with vlogging. A lot of creators only vlog during certain months to celebrate the holidays, and others do it 365 days of the year. It’s a strenuous video schedule, but many keep up with it. When Vine shut down, the people who created a life off creating the 6-second shorts were scrambling to find a new platform to work on. And many chose YouTube and absolutely changed the face of the outlet. But some only brought unnecessary issues with them during the Vine Invasion. Two people in particular came from Vine and YouTube hasn’t been the same since. Logan and Jake Paul are dueling brothers who both started on Vine and moved with the switch, where they decided to daily vlog and post their lives online. They have put out over 900 videos combined, but the content of the videos varies from the boys just living their (obnoxious) lives to playground-esque diss tracks. The demographic consists primarily of 8 to 12 year olds, and the Paul brothers are openly disliked by a large percentage of original YouTubers. The age of the audience fine. I’m cool with that (reluctantly, but I'm not going to tell anyone who and what to watch). But Logan rang in the new year by going to the Suicide Forest in Japan (called Aokigahara) to create a vlog about the haunted aspect of the area. That’s not unheard of, in fact, VICE NEWS did a piece on the forest and discussed the haunted element of the forest, but it was done tastefully. Logan walked out in his Toy Story alien hat and decided to stray off of the trail to explore where he and his friends came across a man hanging from a tree. The man had travelled into a deeper part of the woods to quietly commit suicide, and Logan filmed the entire experience, including zooming in on the (now blurred) face and hands of the man. Now, I cannot fathom how hard that must be to come across something like that. As someone who lives with mental illness and survived suicidal thoughts and tendencies, I will never be able to explain how low you have to be to see that as a solution to a problem. And one thing I never wanted was to have a spotlight on how ill I actually was (granted, I was living to voice that opinion, which I suppose is grounds for a discussion). But Logan and his friends not only showed the man (even getting closer to analyze how purple his hands were), but laughed and acted as if one of the members of their friend group had just pulled a prank on another member. That could be his natural response to strenuous situations (although I wouldn’t recommend showing that in this situation). But nonetheless… Logan Paul saw, recorded, edited, reviewed, and uploaded a video that contained footage of someone who had committed suicide for a demographic that consisted of young kids and teens. Now Logan Paul said that he uploaded the vlog to “raise awareness” for suicide. And for Logan’s sake, I wish that that is what he had actually intended. But in terms of what it accomplished, intent didn't matter in this case because he did not take into account the nature of the footage and the audience that would consume it. Negligence, or even ignorance, is not a good enough excuse here. Now, veteran YouTuber, Philip Defranco mentioned something I didn’t even realize. Logan’s fans defended him, saying “Well, he posted a warning.” And yeah, he definitely did. But to even see the warning, you have to click on a thumbnail that consists of Logan in a stupid hat with the shot of the dead man. The warning doesn’t do anything when you put what you’re warning your audience from in front of their face. That’s insane and so socially irresponsible, and I’m not even thinking about the fact that young teens or older children (they’re different to me, sorry) will see this. You can't say that Logan didn't know that there wasn't a possibility they would see something like that. An area doesn't get a name like "Suicide Forest" because that's what just sounds interesting at the time-- PEOPLE GO THERE TO DIE. So what now? I found a lot of people asking YouTube this question after the scandal broke, myself included. But YouTube did the equivalent of this: -\_(ツ)_/- I practically heard the “Welllllllll. He got us a lot of money in the last 12 hours, and he took it down. So let’s just send an apology to the creators and wash our hands of it.” And to that, I say, YOUTUBE, YOU HAVE A MASSIVE RESPONSIBILITY AND YOU NEED TO STEP UP. It is ridiculous that a video containing footage of someone who committed suicide was trending for hours on a website that demonetizes videos containing family-friendly LGBT+ content on a regular basis. You punish less popular creators for speaking about controversial issues taking place in the world, but give passive consent to a 22 year old man to “make YouTube history” by posting a video of someone who was so mentally damaged that they could no longer live with the burden anymore. I am 19 years old and have struggled with mental illness, and suicidal thoughts and tendencies. The video, while intended to be a joke or boost his views, was damaging to me. I can only imagine what it did to those who did not realize the nature of the video or the children who watched it in an auto-play situation. So parents, see what your kids are watching and talk to them about mental illness. If the only support they feel is from a 22 year-old YouTuber saying, "You're not alone. Link in bio for my merch," they may think that this behavior is acceptable and it is not. -The Cynic
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AuthorGabrielle Willingham is a young Arkansan woman who sees the importance of simultaneous cynicism and optimism. Gabrielle is currently working on a MA in Communication with a focus in gender studies and political science. Archives
January 2021
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