I could write an entire dissertation talking about the degradation of today’s content creator, but I got better things to do than delete comments from angry 12-year-olds defending their idol, who only sees them as money. In this piece, however, I would like to highlight the worst of the worst when it comes to content creation that is common today. I hope that whoever reads this realizes that these people are not worth supporting unless they change their ways (highly unlikely) or go away for the greater good.
1. Chronic E-Begging
What is e-begging? Wikipedia defines this as the Internet version of panhandling and begging for money to meet varied needs. However, the main difference between offline and online begging is that the latter not only brings in higher sums of money but can be dressed up to look and sound better with the use of manipulative language (e.g., “my Patreon is my tip jar”) that guilt-trips the audience (“you watch my content for free, so as fans, you have to support me”). They even go as low as to make the creator’s problems a responsibility of the audience. (“I am behind on my house payments so I need you to support everything if you want to see me continue making videos.”) Now, most content creators are fully grown adults. Shouldn’t all adults have full-time employment?! Shouldn’t fully functional adults support themselves and not act like a charity case? Unfortunately, e-begging has been very profitable for them since they kept the train running while living a luxurious lifestyle a working person could only dream of. Due to all this e-begging, content also begins to suffer; as soon as donations start rolling in, content becomes a slew of “Thank you, thank you, OH MY GOD THANK YOU!,” effectively derailing everything; the whole thing becomes a glorified telethon. Finally, I would like to say that talking about video games doesn’t qualify as a job. While there is no harm in monetizing your hobbies to supplement your income, when you start acting like a charity case to the point where even your content turns into 10 minutes of thank you notes (and your streams turn into telethons), it is a waste of time and will lose the creator his audience later down the line.
Example 1 - Darksydephil
Example 2 - MetalJesusRocks
2. Fraudulent Promotion
How many times did we see case opening videos, roulette sites, and false advertisement of services from YouTuber creators? This is a rhetorical question considering everyone is doing that since it’s not only lazy and easy but they get a big paycheck for that. While there is nothing wrong with sponsorships, my problem lies with the fact that the advertisers give the promoters special means to make their product look better for the camera while reality is anything but. CS:GO roulette and casino websites are especially egregious in this regard since creators get special accounts with parameters to only get positive results from the RNG (Random Number Generation) system present in all of the sites in question. For the purpose of the experiment, I tried a now-defunct CS:GO skin website that is highly promoted by a Russian creator (who always got drops of expensive skins). All I got was garbage. Yet it was promoted for months on end despite backlash in the comments. The only difference in this fraud is the theme; everyone loses except the creator and the owners.
3. Endless Pity Party
This tactic goes hand in hand with e-begging 90% of the time. Creators who engage in this behavior, to me, are among the biggest scumbags online. They not only damage the reputation of mental health, something that is already stigmatized and not taken as seriously as it should be, but they also put their audience in a tough spot where they either become his drones, ready to jump to his defense and keep the scam going or face said creator’s wrath. This type of creator can also say something offensive, stupid and even do something to encourage his audience to attack the opposition. Upon getting called out, he can weasel out of any and all responsibilities by using his false mental issues as a shield or make a painfully unwatchable and insincere apology video. The manipulative trash people who engage in this also siphon emotional energy from their fanbase; stringing them along for years on end to a point where Stockholm Syndrome sets in. Like the e-beggars, these people see their fans as resource generators. Playing the victim and selling a dubious story to the masses is a total spit into the face of actual people who suffer, who have to continue to suffer in silence because mental health is stigmatized. This is all partially because of manipulators like that. Finally, when a popular creator comes out with an “I have depression” video where it’s mostly an act, the support, financial or otherwise, starts rolling in while a normal person who does the same gets ridiculed and at times insulted. This double standard is why the chronic pity party is a big sin when it comes to content creation.
It’s Worth Your Time to Make Quality Content
So what is the takeaway here? It is to make the internet a better place with interesting content worth watching, not treating your audience like “paypigs” while emotionally blackmailing them in the process. In our mostly online times, we have to apply the same standards as we do offline, e.g., fully functioning adults begging their audience of mostly children should not be encouraged or supported. What can the content creator himself learn from this? Well, not making their output a telethon and an endless pity party is the main lesson here. Speaking for the entire internet, we don’t want hours of “thank you” messages nor do we care about your bills that you chose to not only skimp on but pawn off onto us. Take responsibility is lesson two. Finally, to the fanboys who will surely dogpile my comment section, I have heard and seen it all, so, surprise me and put some effort into your comments. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2019 Jake Clawson
Comments
Umesh Chandra Bhatt from Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India on December 23, 2019: Good article. Unique theme. I liked reading it. Thanks.
