Imagine you are the creator of a popular YouTube channel and have been running it for many years. Your success has led to millions of views on your videos, hundreds of thousands of subscribers to your channel and a revenue that has allowed you to get paid for all of your hard work.
The 15 plus hours that go into your script writing, video editing, music making or special effects creations each week have allowed you to be self-made with your own passion projects.
But what if one day, all that success was to just suddenly stop?
What if your weekly viewers no longer see your new content in their YouTube homepage?
What if that beloved web series of yours stops getting ads played on them and the option of you getting paid for your content has completely turned around?
The reason is not because your work has stalled or your viewers no longer like watching you. It’s because your channel is now no longer in favor of those who are working with YouTube and your channel has now been demonetized.
For channels such as MXR, a channel that mainly reviews mods for video games, this is a serious issue and there is an ongoing debate as to the fairness of how YouTube has been working their change of policy in recent months.
This has been an ongoing dilemma in the YouTube community for years, but as of April and May, the problem has grown to new heights for many YouTube channels.
Creators have been referring to this as the “adpocalypse.” YouTube has now been taking some steps to closely monitor the problem.
A friend of mine who has a good knowledge of web design has shared with me that the way things are marketed and displayed on one’s YouTube homepage is strictly based on a system of programming that decides what videos are recommended for you to watch.
Websites such as YouTube and Facebook heavily rely on programming like this to fill its users with information that is based on the content you view. This programming is called the algorithm.
Unfortunately, some glitches in YouTube’s algorithm system have allowed creators’ channels that are family-friendly or in no way offensive have certain videos of theirs demonetized.
If you can see how unfair this is, then you can imagine how much more offensive and deeply personal this is to the creators of these videos.
Many YouTube channels are in this tier list, a list of high-viewing success and popularity in YouTube’s database where they are so popular that YouTube allows them to get away with content that would not exactly be family- or kid-friendly, for example explicit language.
For these creators, their revenues remain unchanged. This results in their number of views to remain ever increasing.
For creators who have been demonetized because of false readings by the algorithm of profanity, this is majorly offensive. It’s like they are personally being targeted and eliminated from being shared while other popular channels are not.
How does Youtube decide what is worthy and what is not?
These channels are now walking on eggshells. The slightest misstep in their content could potentially further demonetize them and completely ruin their success of ever making money for their videos.
A recent article from Polygon states: “young creators working with games or newsy, political videos were hit with demonetization problems.”
The host of gaming channel MXR has shared that when he makes gaming videos of mod reviews where he makes certain sexual innuendos or when he is casually drinking beer with his girlfriend while reviewing games— even though he is above the drinking age— this results in him being demonetized.
As a response, he has continued to upload more family-friendly content such as cooking videos with his girlfriend. He has also released videos of appropriate armor reviews that in no way display anything sexually, as well as videos of him simply playing and reviewing video games.
He has also created new segments such as fun game activities with his girlfriend that were suggested by fans, as well as opens fan submitted gifts in packages he receives by mail.
Despite the effort to connect with his fans, he has continued to be demonetized.
The Polygon also mentioned that Philip DeFranco, Hank Green, PewDiePie and Casey Neistat have also complained about the treatment of their channels.
In recent months, many popular channels have been restored to their original state of revenue, but many more have yet to be treated fairly, especially after their effort to compromise with the standards of YouTube and the great deal of pressure from their fans to remain seeing their content in a timely fashion.
As of Oct. 27, YouTube has made its first major update to fix major demonetization problems.
A new update from YouTube confirms that an updated algorithm should result in millions of videos being fully monetized, instead of being listed as unsuitable for all advertisers and viewers.
Many eagerly await to see some more real systemic changes in the adjustment of how YouTube compensates for the hard work of many creators, while at the same time making others who wish to view more appropriate content be able to do so.
It is highly recommended by YouTube to subscribe to content you do enjoy to avoid demonetization problems.
