The YouTube Sky is Falling!
Added 2016-09-01 02:54:01 +0000 UTCWell... No. Not really.
So today a whole bunch of YouTubers had some of their videos un-monetised for not being "advertiser friendly". Big YouTubers made noise. Everyone had a panic. I updated my CV. The usual.
Then, new terms were found on the YouTube support page (see above). Big scary terms. No more sex jokes, no more violence, no more controversial subjects and absolutely no more swearing.
Fuck.
So that's it? End of everything? Let's all pack up and move to Vimeo? Amazon Video? Pornhub? (Seriously, when are Pornhub going to launch a video site for non-titty things? Seems like it's gonna happen at some point.)
Well, I don't think so. For one, read the end of the top bit up on that picture there.
"If the video does contain inappropriate content, the context is usually newsworthy or comedic."
Sing praises of the baby Jebus, that's me covered. Comedy and news break the bad language and controversial subject barrier. (Although I guess sexual humor is not allowed unless the context is comedic. Clear writing on this page YouTube. Super clear.)
It also appears that the entire process is automated (hence people being hit by it falsely today) so nobody from YouTube is going to be watching your videos and plotting to kill them. Just robots. And advertisers. *shudders*
It's also been around longer than today. I found that the support page about this has existed since June 2015 ( https://web.archive.org/web/20150605143801/https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6162278 ) and that states the same rules. These aren't new, they're just searching for them in different ways.
So what happened today? Well my guess is YouTube did two things. One, they made the robots a bit stronger when it comes to searching and two, they changed that page to make this more clear.
That clearly failed though. YouTube are terrible at communicating with the people that run channels. Nobody knows what's going on or what they're playing at. If YouTube invented the cure for cancer they'd announce it by just injecting random people on the street.
However, I don't like this approach of constricting content to that suitable to "all audiences" only. It's a dangerous thing to play with. What exactly is a controversial subject? What context makes swearing OK? What exactly is a vulgar word? If 99% of videos with swearing are fine then why have the rule to begin with?
In the next few days things will settle down a bit. Uninformed videos will be made. People will shout. Nothing will really happen apart from a few more inconveniences to us YouTubers. If YouTube continues to push us down this road to a squeaky clean image then alternatives will appear or channels will fade away. Maybe both. I've never been more glad to be making games on the side.
So yes, the sky isn't falling. It may however be getting a little bit closer to the ground.
- Dan x
PS. Drinking game for videos about this topic by other YouTubers!
1 shot for long pause and sigh at the end of the video.
1 shot for "my planned video was going to be really fun."
1 shot for "this is censorship."
2 shots for crying emoji on thumbnail.
2 shots for swearing as "rebellion."
5 shots for crying.
10 shots of absinthe for "In the arms of an angel."
Down everything for a reasoned and thought out video by a channel with a facecam in it's regular videos.
Comments
The drinking game is just suicide.... I like it.
2017-08-12 00:44:25 +0000 UTCUhhhhh I don't do Swearing and Violent stuff so yeah I'm not reported
2016-09-07 04:27:45 +0000 UTCAND I FEEL FINE
2016-09-03 06:03:05 +0000 UTCITS THE END OF CONVIENCE AS WE KNOW
2016-09-03 06:02:57 +0000 UTCh3h3's newest video today very much supports what NerdCubed said here. Apparently videos with controversial tags and metadata have, for a few years at least, been put onto this "advertiser's blacklist" where only advertisers who opt-in to the system will have their ads played. I'm guessing that so few advertisers were using the advertiser's blacklist that Google just decided to get rid of it altogether. So now, instead of a video just quietly making less money, the advertiser's guidelines have been brought to full attention and monetization is getting completely disabled. Like with content ID, it seems like this is a new system with bugs that need to be worked out. The shoot first, ask questions later philosophy is something that's going to hurt them in the long run, especially with people being aware of it, but I can see where they're coming from. YouTube needs to be very protective of what advertisers they have left. I just hate how secretive YouTube is. A whole lot of this grand speculation, witch hunting and hysteria could be avoided if somebody had made some official statement and didn't just drop this thing like a bombshell. I'm now really curious as to what the aftermath of this thing is going to be.
2016-09-01 19:11:48 +0000 UTCYou know, if google can make some of the world best AI, then why don't they put some of it on youtube? (Semi-joking, I know it takes a very long time to make AI the way they do and it's always case specific + Bias in the programmers may affect the AI, what may be offensive content to one programmer, may not be to most people, that and the fact the Google seems to have a libertarian leaning makes me worried about how there AI may act.)
Zemeon12
2016-09-01 18:24:00 +0000 UTCWhat I don't get is why people talking about mental health are being flagged. It's a subject that needs to be talked about. Surely it would be better for companies if they were seen to be sympathetic and understanding towards mental health issues. What would happen if you wanted to make an educational video about Isis - the Egyptian Goddess, not the terrorist organization?
TortoiseshellJenny
2016-09-01 14:29:57 +0000 UTCYoutube does have a way of saying "this isn't appropriate for people under the age of 18" but that's all it does. It's an age gate that does what it says on the tin... To an extent. If someone sets their age to be higher than it is they get passed the gate. In other words, that idea would be great if people were honest all the time. Even in TV people under age can see the content that is "inappropriate" for their age.
2016-09-01 12:49:39 +0000 UTCYES
Sophie Wyllie
2016-09-01 12:36:09 +0000 UTCI have upped my patreon pledge for you so I now pay a fiver month... Just thought I might let people know. P.S. I opened the netfix app like 3 times trying to get to patreon becuase they have the same colourings!!!
ViralDragonRider
2016-09-01 12:01:07 +0000 UTCLove that ending line. "So yes, the sky isn't falling, it may however be getting a little but closer to the ground" Fucking beautiful. Absolutely fucki- [COMMENT REMOVED]
FlamingYeti
2016-09-01 10:14:18 +0000 UTCSee Dan, that's why you should go with sponsored content. Those advertisers now what they are getting into :)
Sauwercraud
2016-09-01 09:59:38 +0000 UTCoh I see what they're doing here, YouTube Red obviously didn't do as well as they hoped so now they're just going to shorten it to YouTube R, keep the subscription fees and all the non-PG you-tubers and people who want to watch their contest will be shoved into some shady-semi-lawless corner of the internet where all the nice folk and pretend they don't exist while Google can still continue to make money of them
Uocjat
2016-09-01 07:48:23 +0000 UTCThese guidlines actually seem pretty ok to me. It's just that robots can't differentiate jokes from inappropriate language. Proof that robots don't know humor and one day will take over tge world
Roby de Visser
2016-09-01 07:01:29 +0000 UTCTV has adverts at different time slots to advertise to different demographics throughout the day. In a similar way I don't see why YouTube doesn't let an uploader note that their videos contain any of the inappropriate content listed and for those videos to have adverts from companies that don't mind inappropriate content whilst those who want thier products to be linked with clean content can be assigned to those that don't.
Daniel Marshall
2016-09-01 06:22:08 +0000 UTCI don't own a brewery! 😂
chazie
2016-09-01 05:46:05 +0000 UTCWhy I'm glad I give you money every month. Injecting random people.😆 Love it. Keep up the the great work. Love you guys.
Anthony
2016-09-01 05:37:17 +0000 UTCConsidering he called the video "YouTube Is Shutting Down My Channel and I'm Not Sure What To Do" when no channels are being shut down from this he may not be the most reliable source.
Nerd³
2016-09-01 03:31:00 +0000 UTCWell that's definitely interesting
Deadface2001
2016-09-01 03:25:21 +0000 UTCI'm looking forward to conversations about this on tomorrow's podcats.
Kasper the friendly ghost
2016-09-01 03:25:19 +0000 UTCYOUUUTUUUUBE!!!!, YOUUUUTUBEEEEE! (get the reference)
Ryland Hanski
2016-09-01 03:22:02 +0000 UTCIf this were the case, how come Phillip defranco had the ability to monitize video taken away from him? He said that he called up someone in the higher end of YouTube and they said it was 100% intentional and covering news of rapists, natural disasters etc. would be hit with this kind of force from now on?
2016-09-01 03:16:03 +0000 UTCWell, I dont curse or use sexual click bait. The only thing here that effects me is the "Controversal Subject" thing. Thats stupid.
Tyler Rand
2016-09-01 03:06:53 +0000 UTCWith every passing year, I like YouTube less and less
Rachel
2016-09-01 03:00:41 +0000 UTCCan't say things aren't interesting.
2016-09-01 03:00:07 +0000 UTCPlease do a vlog with all of your drinking game rules, but don't tell anybody it's ironic unless they've checked this post
Moony Moonbear
2016-09-01 03:00:01 +0000 UTC
