Digital ethnographer and feminist media scholar Zoe Glatt told BI that she believes the reason behind the departure of “high-profile OG YouTubers” is that the challenges of being a content creators have worsened in the last few years.
She claimed that the “precarious nature of content creation has always existed,” with “uncertainty and burnout” resulting from the unpredictability of establishing a career on a platform that is perpetually evolving and features “opaque algorithmic systems and unreliable monetization mechanisms.”
Although YouTube is widely regarded as one of the best social media sites for paying creators, it has had issues in the past with policing hate speech and conspiracy theories, ensuring that its copyright claim procedure is impartial and uniform, and striking a balance between allowing free speech and catering to advertisers.
According to Glatt, few exceptional creators have been able to keep up with the changes and build their brand for ten years or more. She explained why some of the recent departures have come as such a shock.
“But when we look at the longer trajectory, it becomes clear that this shift has been a long time coming,” she continued.
According to Glatt, other platforms have been “catching up” in the short-form content race since TikTok’s meteoric rise in popularity around 2018.
Creators have raised numerous grievances. She claimed that when YouTube prefers one measure or kind of video over another, “this sends ripples across the platform ecosystem, upending previously successful creators and entire genres.”
As a result, even seasoned content producers with sizable fan bases may decide to change course or give up entirely since they don’t believe their efforts are being noticed by their audience.
“The creators who have left recently have seen this process happen repeatedly,” Glatt stated. She continued, “And for one reason or another this time around, they have decided to leave.” referring to the fact that YouTube prioritizes short videos over lengthier ones, for instance.
Digital ethnographer and feminist media scholar Zoe Glatt told BI that she believes the reason behind the departure of “high-profile OG YouTubers” is that the challenges of being a content producer have worsened in the last few years.
She claimed that the “precarious nature of content creation has always existed,” with “uncertainty and burnout” resulting from the unpredictability of establishing a career on a platform that is perpetually evolving and features “opaque algorithmic systems and unreliable monetization mechanisms.”
Although YouTube is widely regarded as one of the best social media sites for paying creators, it has had issues in the past with policing hate speech and conspiracy theories, ensuring that its copyright claim procedure is impartial and uniform, and striking a balance between allowing free speech and catering to advertisers.
According to Glatt, few exceptional creators have been able to keep up with the changes and build their brand for ten years or more. She explained why some of the recent departures have come as such a shock.
“But when we look at the longer trajectory, it becomes clear that this shift has been a long time coming,” she continued.
According to Glatt, other platforms have been “catching up” in the short-form content race since TikTok’s meteoric rise in popularity around 2018.
Creators have raised numerous grievances. She claimed that when YouTube prefers one measure or kind of video over another, “this sends ripples across the platform ecosystem, upending previously successful creators and entire genres.”
As a result, even seasoned content producers with sizable fan bases may decide to change course or give up entirely since they don’t believe their efforts are being noticed by their audience.
“The creators who have left recently have seen this process happen repeatedly,” Glatt stated. She continued, “And for one reason or another this time around, they have decided to leave.” referring to the fact that YouTube prioritizes short videos over lengthier ones, for instance.
