When you watch YouTube, do you experience joy or happiness? Who’s your favorite content creator? Who makes you laugh and bring in entertainment?
Since the age of seven I’ve been watching YouTube. I’ve seen the amount of fun and entertainment it brought in with people being able to express themselves and having fun uploading videos. YouTube was such a lenient website that’s why many enjoyed it. Their rules weren’t as strict, and were very cooperative. I’ve watched many content creators and each have their own style of editing, commentary, and personas. Cory, Dashie, Kubz Scouts, Berleezy, and Mikey are all great creators who bring a smile to my face and these are the ones who push me forward on my journey of becoming a YouTuber.
As of now though many of these YouTubers have faced a few problems from YouTube as time goes on, with each facing a rule that puts a strain on them and their brands. But even then, they still make it work. These rules YouTube have been punishing people with are copyright, creator discrimination, and age restriction. Two big content creators, Coryxkenshin and Berleezy, were being targeted by these rules which were eventually found to be wrong decisions. If YouTube continues doing this many content creators will switch over to another platform.
Earlier this year Susan Wojcicki resigned as CEO of YouTube. This leads to a big wonder of how YouTube will benefit and become better. A lot of people may not care or understand the impact of this, which is why I interviewed some experts in this industry to shed light on the situation. Multiple people gave insightful details on Susan as a leader, YouTube, and how they believed some of the rules were righteous or awful. They cover the ins and outs of copyright strikes, age restriction, and the algorithm.Â
One counselor shares how he thinks these rules may be better implemented under new leadership, comparing how schools and YouTube have “rules†in common. While also picking a person who has done YouTube as a kid who also experienced the same changes and the new rules being implemented with both of us being small content creators with his knowledge on doing content it can help show you what the main purpose of my interview is. An ex-YouTuber, who dabbled in YouTube in his youth, shares his thoughts on how the platform has changed from when he started. A current YouTuber offers useful information on navigating the industry in its current state.
I hope this gives the motivation of wanting to better YouTube. Not only for young creators like me, but also for the old content creators to have the enjoyment they used to have from making content and uploading.
Special thanks to Abekanowitz, Voqal, and Urban Alliance. Mildsauce is created by the youth of Street Level. Street Level is a program of Urban Gateways. Check more stories out in this seasons Future Issue.