If you haven't been living under a rock (well, a rock without wifi access), you will be well aware of how many are claiming that society’s recent emphasis on political correctness has “waged war on free speech.” The need for some to have a politically correct safe space has resulted in some new policies and changes, and one, in particular, has been really grinding the gears of content creators.
Recently, the well-known free streaming and video platform YouTube released a new code of conduct for content creators concerning the guidelines on being eligible for ad revenue on their videos. The new policy got more attention as popular content creator Philip DeFranco posted a recent video (seen here) discussing how it has already affected his channel. Many have become alarmed with YouTube's arguably strict policy as it has caused many videos to lose ad revenue, which some depend on, seeing YouTube as their job. The guideline within the new policy that has really caused an uproar is the one stating that content covering "controversial or sensitive subjects and events" is not considered advertiser-friendly. With this guideline, many channels that choose to cover news or topical events are at risk of completely losing ad revenue on their channels.
All of this commotion within the YouTube community has brought up an interesting discussion: is this new policy a form of unfair censorship? From what I have gathered about the topic, here are my thoughts.
To be blunt, the situation sucks. Many content creators and channels want to dedicate their time to sharing the stories that cable news sources or biased article sites gloss over or refuse to cover. Many have dedicated so much time to their content, that receiving ad revenue on their videos is a viable source of income that can allow them to spend less time at what some might call a "practical job" and more time pumping out videos. So when this new policy walks its way into the picture, of course content creators who share topical news stories are going to be scared; most of their income is suddenly being ripped away from them!
With all of this in mind, however, I do not believe that the loss of ad revenue is censorship. When using YouTube as a platform, you have to respect that (unfortunately) they can change their guidelines and how they operate whenever and however they see fit. Also, if a source or creator is going to be genuine with their craft, then their main motivator should not be money or payment. For example, I am writing these articles because at the end of the day I want to express an opinion or share a story, and any penny that comes out of it is a just extra reward. If content creators plan on keeping their channels the same as they've always been, then they need to look for a new income somewhere else. Now, I am not saying that being a YouTube content creator is "not a real job or business" (that is a different conversation entirely), but as stated in DeFranco's video and by other successful content creators, part of making a business is about branching out, such as partnerships with companies outside of YouTube or by selling merchandise. As I have come to understand it, YouTube's new policy is not saying that you are not allowed to make videos covering controversy or tragedy, you just will not receive money for it. The loss of revenue can be discouraging, but why do some make videos in the first place? If the need to be heard is truly important to them, the community can stay alive.
This is not the first change YouTube has gone through recently that has angered content creators. If YouTube continues down down this path, we may see the rise of a new platform. Only time can tell, I guess.
What are your thoughts? Is this policy just another nail in YouTube's coffin; Are content creators overreacting to the whole thing? Leave a comment down below.
