- 26/02/2018
- Category: Commentaries
As one of the most popular social media platforms, YouTube facilitates and also encourages its users to create channels and upload video contents to share with followers and the public. These contents are often referred to as “user-generated content” (UGC) or content created from the participation of all account holders, including the public in general and not limited to an exclusive circle such as well-known public figures and media corporations. According to Bruno, UGCs can no longer be classified as second-class content because the number of users who watch them exceeds even official accounts’ contents. The examples include a UGC video titled “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” which uses the song “Forever” by Chris Brown. This video amassed 63 million views, compared to five million views of the official music video of Chris Brown’s song used in the video.[i]
This significant number of viewers has catapulted some formerly ordinary YouTube users into social media sensations. These popular users are committed to creating videos that may appeal to their followers and wider audiences as some of them rely on clicks and views for generating revenues. Among the names that have gained global popularity are brothers Jake and Logan Paul, Lele Pons, and in Indonesia, we are familiar with President Joko Widodo’ son, Kaesang, who is known to have many subscribers on his YouTube channel.
However, to attract a large number of viewers, some YouTube personas are willing to do controversial things. Some examples are ToyFreaks account that has been accused of child exploitation[ii] and the latest one includes Logan Paul’s video featuring a suicide victim in Aokigahara Forest, Japan. In the video entitled “We Find a Body in a Suicide Forest in Japan”, uploaded on December 2017, Logan does not hesitate to enlarge the image of the victim, describing his situation (“… His hands are purple, he committed suicide this morning.”).[iii] This commercialized video was trending before being removed by Logan himself after receiving backlash from the public, including actress Sophie Turner who condemns Logan for downplaying mental illness.[iv] This video controversy has also triggered protest from the public, and about 500,000 people demand YouTube close Logan’s channel and review its community guidelines, including enforcing consequences for distressing contents.[v]
YouTube acknowledges that the platform has a reporting mechanism to ensure that no UGC violates its guidelines. Other users can report contents, and the content will be filtered by artificial intelligence (AI), and then forwarded to ‘human’ moderators for review.[vi] In the reporting process, the content reported is initially flagged by other users to be processed by YouTube’s AI. In this “techno-cultural” process, the mutual interactions between humans and algorithms determine whether the content in question violates community guidelines or not.[vii] The number of reports being filed and reporting reasons will also determine whether the content is considered appropriate by the majority of the viewers.[viii] Also, YouTube later also admitted that some human moderators would be added to collaborate with AI in cracking down on negative and illegal content.[ix]
However, the fact that Logan’s video had been viewed by millions of its followers before Logan himself took it down raises a question of whether YouTube reporting mechanism is sufficient in preventing viewers from seeing negative content. Additionally, representatives from YouTube declined to confirm whether Logan’s video had gone through moderation process by human moderators, and this only fuelled the concern over YouTube’s decision as Logan then personally received backlashes which eventually led him to delete the video.[x] Sadly, the video was not age restricted and had been watched six million times.[xi] This further raises a question whether YouTube prioritizes views over potential negative impact resulting from certain content. YouTube claims to be adding thousands of moderators,[xii] but can report be a sole quick response mechanism? Is there any way to ensure that content needs to fulfil community guidelines before it goes live to the public, just like traditional media contents that have to pass through reviewing process?
Apparently, many people have called for YouTube to enforce tough sanction against Logan such as channel suspension, but nothing seems to be done as his channel is still active, even though he has violated YouTube’s guidelines by uploading harmful and distressing content.[xiii] In some cases describing or depicting suicide can even trigger a depressed person to imitate the action.[xiv] Given a large number of UGCs being uploaded without professional editing process on YouTube as well as on-site video viewers on the platform, YouTube should develop an effective mechanism that can prevent distressing contents from being viewed by many, as well as addressing incidents involving inappropriate contents.
Public outrage against Logan should be a warning for YouTube to consider not only improving the quality of its moderation but also implementing sanction enforcement, and initial steps can be started by reforming its community guidelines to include distressing contents. Relying on AI reporting system does not seem to be able to quickly decide whether content violates community guidelines or take swift action to prevent the content from being watched by many people. Moreover, YouTube seems to be reluctant in holding its stars accountable while offering a considerable amount of incentives; implying that the company prioritizes profit. YouTube needs to carefully consider the influence of contents provided by popular channels and its impacts to the viewers, especially for those without age restriction.
Editors: Atin Prabandari, MA(IR), & Nabeel Khawarizmy Muna, S.IP
Picture: Pixabay
[i] Bruno, A. (2018). YouTube: Growth In User-Generated Content Is Outpacing Official Videos. [online] Billboard. Available at: https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1178328/youtube-growth-in-user-generated-content-is-outpacing-official-videos [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[ii] Pettit, H. (2018). YouTube’s ‘poor AI training’ to blame for child exploitation videos. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5221179/YouTubes-poor-training-blame-exploitation-videos.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[iii] Ward, T. (2018). When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong: Logan Paul. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomward/2018/01/02/when-keeping-it-real-goes-wrong-logan-paul/#71ec90946825 [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[iv] Molloy, M. and Wright, M. (2018). YouTube star Logan Paul apologises for showing apparent dead body in video of Japan’s ‘suicide forest’. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/02/youtube-star-logan-paul-apologises-showing-apparent-dead-body/ [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[v] Agerholm, H. (2018). More than 50,000 people sign petition calling for YouTube to delete Logan Paul’s channel. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/ogan-paul-video-petition-latest-updates-youtube-delete-channel-suicide-forest-dead-body-a8139191.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[vi] Levin, S. (2018). Google to hire thousands of moderators after outcry over YouTube abuse videos. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/04/google-youtube-hire-moderators-child-abuse-videos [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[vii] Niederer S and Van Dijck J (2010) Wisdom of the crowd or technicity of content? Wikipedia as a sociotechnical system. New Media & Society 12(8): 1368–1387.
[viii] Gerlitz C and Helmond A (2013) The like economy: social buttons and the data-intensive web. New Media & Society 15(8): 1348–1365.
[ix] Leatham, X. (2018). YouTube to expand teams reviewing extremist content. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5146191/YouTube-expand-teams-reviewing-extremist-content.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[x] Titcomb, J. (2018). YouTube moderators ‘approved’ Logan Paul’s dead body video. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/01/03/youtube-moderators-approved-logan-pauls-dead-body-video/ [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[xi] Titcomb, J. (2018). YouTube moderators ‘approved’ Logan Paul’s dead body video. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/01/03/youtube-moderators-approved-logan-pauls-dead-body-video/ [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[xii] Leatham, X. (2018). YouTube to expand teams reviewing extremist content. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5146191/YouTube-expand-teams-reviewing-extremist-content.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[xiii] Saunders, E. (2018). Calls for Logan Paul to be banned from YouTube after filming ‘sickening’ video. [online] mirror. Available at: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/calls-logan-paul-banned-youtube-11784503 [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
[xiv] Miller, A. (2018). Two families say ’13 Reasons Why’ triggered daughters toward suicide. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4642284/Two-families-say-13-Reasons-triggers-suicide.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018].
