Free creator-driven video service YouTube has introduced plenty of new elements to its website over the years. Being around for more than a decade, the top site for independent video creators has seen facets of its service popular and much less so throughout its history. Judging from the dislike bar on their proposed YouTube Heroes program launch video, this idea may just be their least popular yet.
And there’s good reason for this. Many content creators have banded together to speak of what they perceive as the negative elements of YouTube Heroes, so I was inspired to share them with you here.
First off, YouTube Heroes is a program meant to further good will among the YouTube communities. It plans to do this by enhancing viewers’ abilities to flag and report videos for inappropriate content. In doing so, YouTube basically earns unpaid volunteers to moderate channels and videos, potentially putting channels and videos that are not inappropriate at risk also. Essentially, this means that professional, unbiased moderators will be thrown to the wayside with emphasis on giving viewers of any age or level of maturity an unprecedented amount of power.
As YouTube has a history of not checking whether a flagged video is actually inappropriate for the site, this has rightfully worried content creators, who are concerned that these new YouTube Heroes may report videos or entire channels that they may disagree with or dislike instead of report on cyberbullying or other inappropriate material.
Not only is YouTube giving random volunteers the power to mass flag content, but they are also encouraging them to report as much content as is necessary in order to climb up a unique reward system in which these heroes can enjoy early versions of new YouTube perks or products before the mainstream gets their hands on them. Heroes can also work toward the top goal of earning the Heroes Summit perk. Communities of heroes will be able to get together and communicate with official YouTube staff, but much beyond that point is vague and unknown.
YouTube has also decided to group together those who would report unwanted or unappreciated videos with those who volunteer their time to provide subtitles and closed captioning for channels. Basically, those who help spread information and entertainment to the disabled are now put into the same boat as those who may unjustly use their brand new power to report content as they see fit.
It is certainly an interesting prospect that most YouTube frequenters are not taking a liking to. In fact, many seem strongly resentful of the program, leaving those who create or watch content on YouTube to wonder whether YouTube Heroes will be a success. Disabling the comments on their own announcement video for the program may not be a good sign.
