2020-08-04 08:05
minecraft was fundamentally altered by the YouTube streaming community because it landed at a time when the YouTube algorithm changed to prioritize engagement (i.e. longer videos)
see game theory of minecraft and youtube
the hashtag #youtubewakeup was a campaign led by a mysterious creator exposing monitized child predation on youtube. See also Ted Talk the nightmare of childrens youtube This was an increasingly strange PR disaster for YouTube. One can make a plausible case that this stunt was orchestrated to make ad renegotiations cheaper for corporate sponsors on YouTube as note by EmpLemon. - timing was suspect - creator was happier to see social media responses from advertisers than youtube official acknowledgement - creator essentially disappeared - creator possibly had motive to financially sabotage more successful creators - most all major advertisers that pulled out are back
it is also interesting that YouTube later made a 25 million dollar investment into adding corporate news to the site as noted in another EmpVideo. Since these videos enjoy very little views, likes, etc, one could possibly assume that cutting mainstream media some deals would shield the platform from future media shitstorms.
Both assertions (pedophilia scare was an inside job and mainstream media moves are a self-preservation strategy) are very consipiratorial. It is worth noting that EmpLemon does have a selfish motivation for framing these stories in the way that he does. However, the what-if is worth considering.
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