Dicey Territory (23/02/24)

Audio Transcription available here (sorry for some of the mic popping - just got a new microphone and getting used to it!)

Hey folks! Thought I'd check in as I fully expected it'd be around now that this month's big video would drop but apropos of a delay from a sponsor I ended up shifting gears to a completely different project and have ended up working on it pretty obsessively for the last week or so. This should mean that in March we have TWO longer-than-average analysis videos, but we'll have to see where this all goes. 

If you keep up with the community over on the public discord you might be aware that lately I've been doing some digging in regards to the infamous YouTube star iDubbbz. For some of my more chronically online viewers he really needs no introduction, being one of the most significant creators in the whole 'drama/commentary' space for several years, prior to a fall from grace that has been ruthlessly documented by that same community. If you don't know him, well, that's who he is, most notable for his takedowns of other popular creators like LeafyIsHere and Keemstar. Here's why I care about this topic.

iDubbbz and 2016 Era YouTube

Introspection about Internets Past has been a recurring theme on the channel recently. To that end, I feel like I've been clear that by no means did I come out of the womb as some kind of progressive commentator even if I can't especially recall a time when I wasn't sympathetic to feminist, anti-racist or class-based issues. This means that while I'm definitely not charting my internet-standard 'Path From Incel Nazi to Blue Haired SJW' course, there were long stretches of time that I just wasn't thinking very consciously about reactionary content or the Overton Window or anything like that. I was a part of the Newgrounds animation community which was pretty widely known for its edgy content, and there were definitely some years in my teens when I'd browse a chanboard or two. Ultimately this meant that I was always more open to that type of content, until the time came that things became more explicitly 'political'.

iDubbbz was always a channel that skirted the line for me because, while I don't think anyone would confuse him for being any sort of 'politically correct' channel (his catchphrase was literally just two slurs combined together), there was an internal sense of immaturity and absurdism that to me never transitioned into the absolute worst of Anti SJW Epic Owning Feminists YouTube (though it got pretty damn close). It also helped that, unlike other commentary channels of the time like Shoe0nHead or NoBullshit or ChrisRayGun, I found him the least bit entertaining. He was known for 'toxic' takedown-style content, but usually against people who were considered extremely toxic in their own right. There was a lot of tit-for-tat, and I think that's why he has stuck in my head for a lot longer than those other channels particularly with the transition he has taken over the last few years.

For those not in the know, iDubbbz in recent years has very publicly apologized for the more toxic and problematic content that initially gave him a massive boost in popularity, unlisting his 'Content Cop' series and switching gears to a more considered approach in what he puts out to the world. I don't have any doubt this shift was inspired in part by the very public shaming of his partner (now wife) for starting an OnlyFans account, primarily by iDubbbz's own community. This shaming has continued to the present day, with iDubbbz's video comments and social media replies to this day being littered with abuse. Ironically, the most common sentiment now expressed by these anti-fans is that iDubbbz has turned himself over to an extreme left community "that will never let him move on".

I find this whole situation compelling for multiple reasons. On a surface level, it's a warning about what happens when we follow the money of reactionary content without considering the culture you are building within your audience. I think there's something to be said about what type of work is rewarded on the internet in the first place, and how that clashes with the desire for personal growth. I also think it's worth examining the whole metanarrative of 'personal growth' to begin with, and the general trajectory of online spaces. More than anything, I feel like I have a particular perspective on this which has been far from the norm in looking at iDubbbz' content, with most of his ex-fans completely turning against him as part of that reactionary swing. 

There is so much left to cover, and this video will get into a lot of messy subjects, including people like Sam Hyde and Froggy Fresh and even my own dramas with some of the old 'anti-sjw' creators I have mentioned. In part I just wanted to give people some pre-emptive warning on what was coming, and also to perhaps inspire some thought and feedback from anyone else who may have been aware of these communities and the drama around them. As I say, we've already been discussing this quite a bit on the public discord, and I would love to hear some more accounts over in the private chat for anyone willing to give their take. I hope you all enjoy what I have to say, and look forward to speaking with you all again soon.

xoxoxo

Jack