- 1 year ago
The platform we all love has some dark corners... Join us as we explore YouTube theories that went from far-fetched to fully confirmed! Our countdown includes the Fine Bros React trademark controversy, the notorious Adpocalypse, Elsagate's disturbing children's content, and more scandals that shook the creator community. Which platform conspiracy shocked you the most?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Here's the big secret about YouTube ads.
00:02They're YouTube's whole business, and it's a big business.
00:04It's billions of dollars.
00:05But it's precarious.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at YouTube theories that went from far-fetched to fully confirmed.
00:12The system doesn't understand context.
00:14It can't tell the difference between actual reliable information and unhinged paranoid conspiracy clickbait.
00:22Fine Bros. React trademark grab.
00:23And it's because of all your support that we're now announcing this big thing
00:27that will bring us closer than ever before by creating a new way for us to create content together.
00:33This is not only a huge step for our company, but for the entire global media industry.
00:38Ever since React first debuted over five years ago, we saw the impact of the series.
00:42YouTube titans Benny and Rafi Fine unveiled React World in early 2016,
00:47a licensing program for creators to make their own React-style videos under the Fine Bros. brand.
00:52The kicker? They filed to trademark not only Kids React and Teens React,
00:55but the generic term React itself for online video.
00:59We are excited to announce React World,
01:01which is a first-of-his-kind program that allows people and companies to license all our popular shows online
01:05so that anyone, even you watching right now,
01:08can create your own versions in a fully legal way
01:10and be part of a new and exciting global community.
01:13Fans saw it as a blatant grab to own an entire format,
01:16and the backlash was instant.
01:17Mass unsubscribes, parodies, and online outrage.
01:20In entertainment industry terms,
01:22when you create a version of a show based on someone else's format,
01:25this is called licensing, which many TV shows have done over time.
01:28For example, Britain's Got Talent and America's Got Talent,
01:31it's the same show format, but licensed legally to be created in other locations.
01:35So with React World, we've created a new way to license formats in the digital age.
01:40Within days, the Fine Bros pulled their trademark applications,
01:43canceled React World, and even retracted past content ID claims.
01:47The fiasco transformed them from pioneers to pariahs overnight,
01:51proving YouTube's fiercely protective community
01:53wouldn't let one channel monopolize a genre it helped create.
01:56First and foremost, we're sorry for confusing people by using terminology like our React format.
02:01We were never trying to say that every video or someone reacts to something else
02:05is something we would try to control.
02:07When we referenced licensing the React format,
02:09we only meant our specific series,
02:11not the overall genre of reaction videos.
02:13We do not own the genre.
02:15Today, I found out YouTube has a premium light option.
02:21So I didn't know this, but YouTube is like 14 bucks a month, all right?
02:25And premium is eight bucks a month.
02:27So what do you get with this saving, Muda?
02:29Well, if you get the premium regular,
02:31everything you get on YouTube is all ad-free.
02:34And then premium light, most videos are ad-free.
02:37In recent years, YouTube's free tier has gotten a lot less free.
02:41Viewers have endured longer ad breaks, more unskippable spots,
02:44and even tests of 10 ads in a row.
02:47But for most people, all right, if you're watching like music videos or anything like that,
02:51that shit ain't ad-free on premium light.
02:54And I suspect that's where YouTube's like bean counters have noticed like,
02:59hey, most people on premium love music videos.
03:02Better not give that away for free.
03:03In 2022, the platform briefly paywalled 4K resolution for some users,
03:08while premium-only perks like background play, offline downloads,
03:11and higher bitrate 1080p premium keep widening the gap between paid and free.
03:16YouTube loves ads more than P. Diddy loves baby oil.
03:20They have made so many decisions that all revolve around feeding people as many ads as possible
03:26and in many ways as possible.
03:29I'm sure all of you saw a few days ago they announced that they're officially fully rolling out
03:33the ads experience while a video is paused.
03:38The company has also waged war on ad blockers,
03:40outright blocking playback unless you whitelist YouTube or subscribe.
03:44Officially, it's all about improving the viewer experience and supporting creators.
03:49But with executives admitting premium users are far more valuable,
03:52it's hard to ignore the pattern.
03:53YouTube seems to be making free viewing more frustrating to push you towards paying.
03:57YouTube lets you get three free samples in there with your ad block still enabled,
04:02but they hate ad block.
04:04They hate that more than P. Diddy hates security cameras.
04:07So they give you these three,
04:10but once you finish your rations, they shut you down.
04:12They put the kibosh on that.
04:14They give you this.
04:15Ad blockers violate YouTube's terms of service.
04:18Pro-Jared's divorce was the precursor to something more sinister.
04:21For those of you who are unaware,
04:23a few months ago,
04:24some individuals circulated serious accusations against me.
04:30And I want to make it perfectly clear right now.
04:34They are false.
04:36And I have proof.
04:38I have the receipts.
04:40Gaming YouTuber Jared ProJared Nabenbauer
04:43shocked fans by announcing his divorce from cosplayer Heidi O'Farrell in May of 2019.
04:49Within hours, O'Farrell accused him of cheating with streamer Holly Conrad
04:52and soliciting explicit images from fans, including minors.
04:56What this all came down to was people saying that I was exchanging nudes with fans on Snapchat and Tumblr.
05:03And a lot of people want to know if I did any of that.
05:06Yeah, I did.
05:07And I always made it clear that it was for consenting adults only.
05:12Commentary channels pounced, circulating screenshots and testimonies,
05:16as Pro-Jared lost over 100,000 subscribers in days.
05:20He stayed silent for months,
05:21before releasing a comeback video denying the allegations,
05:24and claiming all exchanges were consensual and age-verified.
05:27Open invitation for those who wanted to do it,
05:32and that I wouldn't be offended or upset,
05:35and that nothing would be shared or saved without explicit permission.
05:40While the defense convinced some, his public image never fully recovered.
05:43What began as creator drama snowballed into one of YouTube's most notorious scandals,
05:48cementing Pro-Jared as a cautionary tale about online relationships and reputational freefall.
05:53It was never meant to be an abuse of power.
05:56I never offered anyone anything in return,
05:58like making them a Twitch mod or early access to a YouTube video or whatever.
06:05I also never threatened anyone, any kind of punishment, if they didn't or anything like that.
06:12YouTube boosts its own originals and partners.
06:15Your creativity deserves to be rewarded.
06:18That's why the YouTube Partner Program offers more ways to make money from your channel
06:23and community than anywhere else.
06:25Let's walk through how to qualify, apply, and get approved,
06:30and what becomes available to you once you're in.
06:33For years, YouTube insisted its trending tab and recommendations were purely algorithm-driven,
06:38until creators noticed YouTube originals, late-night clips,
06:41and major partner channels dominating the charts regardless of views.
06:44Part of our requirements is to make sure that you have enough of an audience
06:47that you can be successful in making money.
06:48And that means that you have to find a content that really resonates with the audience.
06:54You have to find kind of some loyal following for people watching your content.
06:58And so the best advice is don't think about the money.
07:01Just make good content.
07:03In 2019, YouTube admitted it doesn't just reflect what's most popular,
07:06but also features editorially curated picks to showcase creators it deems safe and broadly appealing.
07:12To earn with fan funding and certain shopping features,
07:16the thresholds are 500 subscribers,
07:19three valid public uploads in the last 90 days.
07:22That meant corporate partners and in-house productions often leapfrogged grassroot hits,
07:26confirming suspicions that the playing field wasn't level.
07:29While YouTube framed this as ensuring diversity and quality,
07:32many saw it as stacking the deck for advertisers
07:34and undermining the platform's independent creator roots.
07:37In short, trending wasn't lying, but it wasn't the full truth either.
07:40Once you get into our YPP, there's a lot more things that you have to think about.
07:44You have to think about all the different monetization options, which you lean into.
07:50Again, our ads product require you to be brand safe, right?
07:55Advertisers don't want to be associated with content that is not ads friendly.
08:01Creators' subscriber counts were being quietly manipulated.
08:03Unless you are practicing in sub for sub, or you're buying subscribers,
08:09or some other illicit activity on YouTube,
08:12you want the platform to be getting rid of subscribers that add absolutely nothing to your channel.
08:18Creators have griped about sudden, unexplained subscriber drops,
08:22fueling suspicions that YouTube was quietly trimming their numbers.
08:24In December of 2018, those fears were confirmed
08:27when YouTube announced it would remove spam subscriptions in bulk,
08:31warning of a noticeable decrease for many channels.
08:33Essentially, what this means is that YouTube is verifying subscribers,
08:38both as an account itself and its subscription to your channel.
08:42And if YouTube find anything dodgy going on with these subscriptions,
08:47then they will remove them from your channel,
08:49and they may even close the account that's associated to that subscription.
08:53The company spun it as routine housekeeping,
08:55to ensure subscriber counts reflect real engagement,
08:58not bots or inactive accounts.
09:00Similar purges have happened since,
09:01sometimes wiping thousands from a channel overnight.
09:04Pass, YouTube would do these mass audits
09:07maybe three or four times a year,
09:10and they probably tell you of that fact.
09:12I think the biggest one that was recently announced
09:15was back all the way at the end of 2018,
09:18when I think T-Series themselves lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
09:23While YouTube insists it's about maintaining integrity,
09:25the results can feel like a targeted hit to growth,
09:28especially when it lands without warning.
09:29It's one of the few times a widely held theory
09:31about YouTube's inner workings turned out to be exactly true.
09:34So when it comes to closed accounts or YouTube removing subscriptions
09:39that just aren't relevant to your channel because they're fraudulent,
09:44there's nothing to worry about,
09:46and it's not your fault either.
09:48You can't help sometimes these unscrupulous numbers being added to your channel.
09:52Toddy Westbrook vs. James Charles
09:54Hey you guys, welcome to today's video.
09:57Obviously from the title you know that this is going to be intense,
10:01different, and this is absolutely not a video I ever thought in a million years
10:06that I would be making, but I feel after a lot of thought
10:11that it's necessary for me to have a chat with you guys.
10:14In May 2019, beauty YouTuber Toddy Westbrook
10:17dropped a 43-minute bombshell titled Bye Sister,
10:20accusing former protege James Charles of betrayal,
10:23inappropriate behavior toward men,
10:25and disloyalty over promoting a rival brand.
10:27There's so much going on with James Charles right now
10:30that I do not support, that I do not agree with.
10:34Fame, power, and a fat bank account will change almost anyone,
10:40and if you don't have people that will tell you to your face
10:43that you're doing the wrong things, you will change.
10:47The video came after weeks of cryptic social media tension
10:50and instantly ignited a firestorm.
10:52James lost over 3 million subscribers in days,
10:55while Toddy's numbers soared.
10:56Mainstream outlets picked up the feud,
10:58framing it as YouTube beef gone nuclear.
11:01Most of my career over the past few years
11:04has been about me making mistakes
11:08and trying to learn and grow from them,
11:12and I haven't always done the best job of that.
11:14I can admit that, but I have always tried.
11:17Charles later released a lengthy rebuttal video
11:19refuting her claims,
11:20and Westbrook eventually walked back parts of her accusations.
11:23Still, the saga proved that beauty community gossip
11:26could spill into full-blown global headlines,
11:28reshaping careers in the process.
11:30In Toddy's video, she discusses many of the different reasons
11:33as to why she was choosing to close a chapter in her life
11:35that I was heavily involved in,
11:37making many of her private issues very, very, very public,
11:41and now millions and millions of people
11:42have weighed in with their opinions and speculations
11:44on subjects that they honestly know absolutely nothing about.
11:47The shadow banning phenomenon.
11:49Did you know that seeing a sudden decrease
11:51in the amount of views that you're getting
11:52on YouTube shorts right now,
11:53or just on YouTube in general,
11:55could be a sign that you're actually shadow banned on-
11:57It's the YouTube nightmare.
11:58Your video's still up, but no one can find it.
12:01Many creators have expressed their feeling
12:02that their videos on politically charged,
12:04health-related, or controversial topics
12:06simply vanished.
12:07No strikes, but near zero visibility
12:09in search or recommendations.
12:11If more than 20% of people are swiping away from your content,
12:15it is a sign that you're not shadow banned.
12:17So if you have less than 20% of people swiping away consistently,
12:20it's probably a sign that you might be shadow banned
12:22if you're still not getting the views that you want.
12:24YouTube has never officially admitted to shadow banning,
12:27but documentation shows it has indeed
12:29deprioritized borderline content in its recommendation streams
12:32while still leaving the videos live.
12:34If the video is less than 30 seconds long
12:36and your average view duration is over 100%,
12:39but you're still not getting views,
12:41could be a sign that you're shadow banned.
12:42The second thing is videos that are over 30 seconds long.
12:45So if your video is over 30 seconds long
12:47and your average view duration is over 80%,
12:50a 2020 study found a conspiracy label content
12:53was deliberately demoted, not removed,
12:55reducing its reach significantly across the platform.
12:58And recent creator analysis confirms
13:00that 99% of supposed shadow bans
13:02stem from legitimate drops in engagement,
13:04algorithm tweaks, or sensitive topic filters,
13:07not glitches.
13:08The result?
13:08What feels like suppression
13:09may actually be algorithmic deprioritization.
13:12This could be a sign that you shadow banned
13:15if you also pass the third test.
13:17And that third test is that there's actually
13:19a very large audience
13:20for whatever you're creating content on.
13:22Because what most creators fail to realize
13:24is that one, their swipe rate is way too high
13:27for YouTube to actually push out their contents.
13:29The adpocalypse.
13:30All right, guys, let's check out how my last video did.
13:33Maybe it's still monetized.
13:35Ah!
13:3631?
13:3731 dollars?
13:39Oh, oh no.
13:41The adpocalypse.
13:42The term adpocalypse emerged around 2016 to 17
13:45when major advertisers pulled their ads from YouTube
13:48after reports showed their ads
13:49running alongside extremist or inappropriate content.
13:52A bunch of advertisers fearing backlash
13:54removed their ads entirely from YouTube.
13:57And during this period,
13:58every YouTuber saw a decrease in revenue.
13:59Also, Google's valuation dropped
14:01by like $750 million in a day.
14:04No big.
14:04It's fine.
14:05In response,
14:06the platform rolled out sweeping changes,
14:08introducing vague, not advertiser-friendly rules,
14:11demonetizing huge swaths of content overnight,
14:14and tightening the bar for new creators to earn ad revenue.
14:16Now, YouTube has a few different systems
14:18that put content into buckets.
14:19They have a manual bucket
14:20that's like hand-picked channels,
14:21like Crash Course,
14:23where they can say,
14:23this is good, advertisers, it's safe,
14:25go here, it's very expensive.
14:26And then they have an algorithmic bucket
14:28that's like,
14:28no ads on any of this stuff ever,
14:30because it's about marijuana smoking or whatever.
14:33And then there's a middle area
14:33where it's confusing
14:35and no one knows how it works at all.
14:36Famous names like PewDiePie
14:37found their content demonetized
14:39and lost brand partnerships as a result.
14:41While everyday creators
14:42saw income evaporate with no warning,
14:44the backlash shook YouTube's foundation
14:46and forced a shift towards sanitized,
14:48algorithm-policed content
14:49that prioritized advertiser comfort
14:51over creative freedom.
14:52Yes, YouTube is an amazing platform
14:54for you to monetize your content
14:56and create your own business,
14:57but it's not like a traditional job
15:00and it probably shouldn't be even looked at
15:02in that sense.
15:03Yes, you don't get healthcare.
15:05Yes, you have to work insane hours
15:07and you make up your own time.
15:09And yes, you don't have any form of job safety
15:13and it's really all up to you.
15:15The algorithm favors certain creators over others.
15:17If YouTube tells the algorithm,
15:19show videos that people like,
15:21then it'll kill any channel
15:22which talks about politics
15:23where people hit dislike if they disagree.
15:26And it'll silence anyone
15:27who has a small but vocal group
15:28loudly disagreeing with them.
15:30If YouTube tells the algorithm,
15:31okay, show videos that people share,
15:34then videos about private things
15:35like medical issues
15:36or sex education vanish.
15:38YouTube has long billed its algorithm
15:40as fair and data-driven,
15:41but evidence suggests
15:42it often rewards established,
15:44safe, insider creators
15:45over independent and rising voices.
15:47Reports reveal that the platform
15:49still uses editorial curation
15:51to boost in-house originals
15:52and brand partners,
15:53especially on trending
15:54and homepage slots,
15:56while community complaints
15:57of getting buried persist.
15:59So, sure,
15:59the algorithm might increase watch time
16:01in the short term,
16:03but a lot of the videos
16:03it recommends
16:04are going to be questionable at best
16:05and actively harmful at worst.
16:08And they're going to be the sort of thing
16:09that advertisers get really nervous about.
16:11Remember,
16:12the algorithm is a black box.
16:14No one knows what it's doing.
16:15All YouTube can do
16:16is change the feedback it's getting,
16:18change the signals
16:19that say,
16:20this is good
16:20or this is bad.
16:22Investigative audits
16:23and journalists argue
16:24that content
16:25from large mainstream entities
16:27is algorithmically prioritized,
16:29squeezing smaller creators out.
16:31In short,
16:32YouTube's algorithm
16:32isn't purely merit-based.
16:34It's a hybrid of popularity
16:36plus preferential treatment,
16:37perpetuating a cycle
16:38where big creators
16:39keep getting bigger.
16:40The YouTube algorithm
16:41isn't some cartoon villain
16:43cackling at you
16:44while it buries your videos
16:46into oblivion.
16:47Although,
16:47that is a wonderful image,
16:49isn't it?
16:50Try to think of it more
16:50as the world's most
16:51relentless matchmaker.
16:53Its job?
16:54To present videos
16:55in front of you,
16:56the viewer,
16:56that you are most likely to watch,
16:58but also,
16:59hopefully,
17:00and just as importantly,
17:01enjoy watching.
17:02Before we continue,
17:03be sure to subscribe
17:04to our channel
17:05and ring the bell
17:06to get notified
17:06about our latest videos.
17:08You have the option
17:09to be notified
17:10for occasional videos
17:11or all of them.
17:12If you're on your phone,
17:13make sure you go
17:14into your settings
17:14and switch on notifications.
17:18Elsagate
17:18and its very real impact.
17:20Often,
17:21these videos
17:21will have altered storylines.
17:23They are dealing with
17:24very dark subject matter.
17:26It could be death.
17:27It could be car crashes.
17:28Some of them contain demons.
17:30I want to give you an example.
17:31One of those is
17:32the popular show
17:33Paw Patrol,
17:34but instead,
17:35in one of these
17:36particular knockoff shows,
17:38the characters die.
17:40In early 2017,
17:41YouTube was haunted
17:42by Elsagate,
17:43a wave of disturbingly warped,
17:45child-friendly videos
17:46starring characters like
17:47Elsa,
17:47Spider-Man,
17:48or Peppa Pig,
17:49yet packed with violent,
17:50sexual,
17:51or gross imagery.
17:52These creepy uploads
17:53slipped through moderation
17:54and even appeared
17:55on YouTube Kids.
17:57It's a trend
17:57that's been popping up
17:58on multiple news sources.
18:00What we're seeing is
18:01that whether it's
18:02on Netflix,
18:03whether it's on YouTube,
18:05because of the way
18:06content can slip
18:07through algorithms,
18:08because there isn't
18:08enough human moderation,
18:10there's some disturbing content
18:11that kids are seeing.
18:13Outcry surged,
18:14as news outlets,
18:15Reddit sleuths,
18:16and advocacy groups
18:17exposed how these videos
18:18lurked behind
18:19innocuous titles
18:20and thumbnails.
18:21YouTube responded
18:21by purging channels
18:23and videos en masse,
18:24notably terminating
18:25the notorious
18:25Toy Freaks channel
18:26and banning
18:27misuse of beloved characters.
18:28Some of them,
18:29like the one Brian's
18:30showing me,
18:31is like really shitty CGI.
18:33Second life.
18:34And it's like
18:35these cartoon characters
18:37get together
18:38and they become like
18:38sexualized
18:39and they drink sometimes
18:42and the babies
18:43keep getting
18:44their heads busted open.
18:46While that crackdown
18:47removed millions
18:47of problematic videos,
18:49echoes of Elsagate persist.
18:50Today's grotesque
18:52AI Slup content
18:53still poses a threat
18:54to younger viewers.
18:55The danger wasn't imagined.
18:56It was proven.
18:58Slup!
18:58can be
18:59incredibly popular.
19:02This AI soup recipe
19:03was the seventh
19:04most viewed post
19:05on Facebook
19:06at the end of last year.
19:08And at another point,
19:09three of the top 20
19:10most seen posts there
19:11were AI generated,
19:12including this one
19:13of a giant fan bed
19:14which had 35 million views.
19:17Which YouTube conspiracy
19:18shocked you the most?
19:20Are there any dastardly
19:21digital deeds we missed?
19:22Be sure to let us know
19:23in the comments below.
19:24But why the focus
19:25on enjoyment?
19:26Well,
19:27plain and simple,
19:27YouTube wants you
19:28to stick around
19:29on the platform.
19:30Today,
19:31tomorrow,
19:32next week
19:32for years to come.
19:33If you are having
19:34a good time
19:35as a user of YouTube,
19:36you are less likely
19:37to throw your device
19:38in the toilet
19:39as if you're stuck
19:40on a level
19:40on Candy Crush.
Comments