Note: Instead of my biweekly recommendations email, I’m going to start sending out these more informal emails about topics/ideas I haven’t fully fleshed out yet. I’ll send these in between my longer essays. And I’ll add my recommendations at the end but with shorter blurbs/words about them :)
A few days ago, a popular YouTuber posted an apology video (in the form of a ukulele-backed song) addressing some previous bad behavior. In other words, it was a typical Wednesday.
In response, commentary YouTubers posted reaction videos to the cringe-y apology. If you search “Colleen Ballinger apology video,” there is already loads of content discussing it. Obviously, I understand the need to cover YouTuber news when it happens, but many of these commentary channels add nothing to the conversation.
I honestly don’t care about Colleen Ballinger, her apology, and the controversy surrounding the whole situation. I agree that the bad thing is bad, but I think that this episode neatly encapsulates an issue that most commentary YouTubers are guilty of.
With these videos, commentary channels almost never add anything to the discourse. They’re in the “commentary” genre but contribute zero unique thoughts and their research rarely goes beyond what’s on the surface level. And while it’s fine to agree with everyone else on a particular topic, I don’t think that warrants a ten-minute-long YouTube video where you parrot the most popular opinion. At this point, it feels like a bunch of people stating the same thought but in slightly different fonts. They’re giving the most obvious take (sexual assault is bad; racism is bad; it’s bad to take advantage of your fans) and asking people to clap for them.
It’s as if they’re in competition for the good guy awards— like, how brave yet middling of you to say! I know that this is their job and they usually have to post one video per week (if not more). But these nothing videos crowd the landscape and prioritize quantity over quality.
This isn’t a new concept. It reflects media as a whole. With each big news story, talking heads are sent out to provide their expert opinion. Op-eds are written en masse. These takes are comparatively less uniform, though, because they want to be shocking and unique and get invited back to provide some pithy sound clip or quote. On YouTube, you just want to maintain your popularity, satisfy brand deals, and avoid having a controversial opinion (which might require you to post your own apology).
Beyond this, both types of “commentary” (in new and traditional media) have a symbiotic relationship with the individuals they’re criticizing. If the bad guys stopped doing bad things, then what would the good guys talk about? And if the good guys stopped talking about the bad guys, how would the bad guys grow their audience and spread their message? In discussing them, the good guys simply give them more unnecessary attention and coverage for the sake of content.
Sometimes this relationship actively harms the world. If news channels didn’t provide endless outraged coverage of Trump’s 2016 campaign, would his presidency have been curbed? If Andrew Tate received fewer dedicated videos, would middle schoolers still be quoting him? Oftentimes very little is accomplished. The initial outrage is loud, but the bad guy often makes a comeback. Shane Dawson’s channel was demonetized but he’s maintained his 19 million subscribers and still receives brand deals. JK Rowling is a known transphobe but the Harry Potter universe continues to earn her millions.
I don’t think we should stop criticizing bad actors. But in a capitalistic society, this system of criticism has a limited impact. It doesn’t matter how “bad” you are as long as you continue to make others money. As always, profits will be prioritized over people.
Anyways. Here are some commentary YouTubers I do like:
And here are some recommendations for things I read, watched, bought, etc this week.
Maybe Baby, Haley Nahman’s newsletter about modern life and pop culture. Her newsletter kinda sorta inspired me to try out this week’s format. Her writing is super insightful and I’ve been reading her stuff for a while— she’s kind of the blueprint for what/how I write here :)
This article about the “mattress wars”. It’s an older article but fascinating— mattress reviewers are (figuratively) in bed with the companies they’re reviewing. It’s a deep dive into the world of affiliate marketing, direct-to-consumer mattresses, and the ensuing litigation.
Bench Flour Bakers in Astoria. I’ve been meaning to visit this bakery for weeks and finally went the other day. It’s super close to my apartment and, on Thursday morning, I bought a morning bun from there. It was the best morning bun I’ve ever eaten (for context, I’ve never had a morning bun before, but it was still really fucking good). If you find yourself in Astoria, definitely pick up a pastry from here (they have scones, croissants, breakfast cakes, cookies, etc).
Another older article (from 2021) about DEI consultants. It’s super interesting and gives a peek inside an industry I hadn’t really considered the inner workings of.
THE podcast collab of the decade. Mina Le (a commentary YouTuber I actually like!) hosted Aubrey Gordon (from Maintenance Phase) on her podcast, High Brow. They discuss Ozempic, the Shein factory influencer trip, and the relationship between fashion, pop culture, and anti-fatness. Good stuff.
That’s all for this week. TTYL.
xoxo Mia