From The Verge: Like death and taxes, seeing a version of “YouTube is over” trend on Twitter just hours after a new policy change goes into effect is a certainty.
YouTube’s updated harassment policy is no exception. Under the rules announced last week, YouTube will “no longer allow content that maliciously insults someone based on protected attributes such as their race, gender expression, or sexual orientation.” Essentially, people can criticize a creator’s work, but the basis of those criticisms can’t be attacks on their person. YouTube says the rules are being implemented because bullying makes “people less inclined to share their opinions and engage with each other.”
The recent policy change is just one of many that’s made creators reconfigure their approach to YouTube in recent years. To the site’s endemic creators, it can feel like they’re being pushed around as YouTube prioritizes more traditional content, but the changes have often been much-needed ones designed to help the platform evolve.
At 14 years old, YouTube is going through a growth spurt. The company is entering its formative teenage years, learning to grapple with newfound responsibilities and account for its actions. Certain oversights YouTube got away with a few years ago because people weren’t paying as close attention — like allowing controversial creators could monetize their channels and types of prank content such as dangerous driving behavior seen through the Bird Box challenge — can’t be considered oversights anymore. The problem with growth spurts is they hurt. Over the last few years, those who feel the most hurt by YouTube’s changes are creators.
View: Article @ Source Site
