What started with benign intentions
Turned into an Orwellian invention
What started as a way to stop a mental trip
Is being used incorrectly for censorship
Yes, YouTube may be a company
But our speech is supposed to be free
And if we wanted certain features disabled
We all would've signed up for cable
So we'll find the information
And we will speak out
Let's join together from every nation
And make the world turn about
YouTube has unveiled new guidlines for youtubers stating what constitutes "advertising friendly material", which essentially says that if a video maker swears a lot in their videos or brings up a sensitive subject like drugs or suicide (even if they are actively trying to stop these things in the video), YouTube will not allow these content creators to earn ad revenue from the videos in question.
This may not seem like a big deal, but many big YouTubers make nearly all of their money from their videos and don't have other jobs since they spend so much time not only making but also editing their videos. Under these new guidlines, if a youtuber swears a lot in their videos or if they bring up controversial subjects, they will not be able to make as revenue off of their videos, essentially taking away their pay. The only way that this can be avoided is if the youtuber in question stops making "contreversial" and "non-advertising friendly" videos.
This is a blatant act of censorship. If YouTube were at all concerned about people being triggered by a video (as they will claim that that is why the new rules are in place), they would ask youtubers to tag their videos with trigger warnings and not deprive them of ad revenue. This system only serves to drive contreversial youtubers, many of whom are very popular, to quit YouTube and look for a more stable income.
This does not violate any laws, as YouTube is a private company and the first amendment applies to the government. This does, however, violate the very principle of free speech.
Many youtubers choose to work through the media that they do because the internet is supposed to allow for freedom of expression in a way that broadcast television does not allow. YouTube also allows content creators to reach a global audience, wheras without it a video might only be available in a small reigon of the world.
There has been a trend recently of people trying to censor the internet, such as with the "right to be forgotten" laws (Which can allow criminals to hide articles about their arrests), copyright claims based on background music that no one can hear, and inconsistent age restrictions.
We need to speak up and let the world, the internet, and especially YouTube know that this is not okay.
Spread the word however you want to, make sure people know what's happening. If we all speak up, then maybe companies like YouTube will hear us.
And if you read all the way to the end of this essay, I would like to say thank you. I know that was extremely long, but I couldn't figure out how to explain it with fewer words. So for you attention and support, I will give you an emoticon rose.
@-;-
