...is me, apparently.
For the past year I have subscribed to a lovely YouTube channel and really enjoyed watching the weekly vlogs. They are like sitting down to watch a TV show, beautifully and artistically shot and excellently edited. However, at the end of the most recent weekly vlog, there was a request to viewers to tweet a company in order for the vloggers to be loaned a new piece of equipment. Now, I have no problem with pitching a company personally to review something which has the potential to be mutually beneficial. However, I do have a problem with asking your followers and pressuring a company to give you something.
In essence (you can go to my Twitter profile to read all of it), I tweeted that the request was disappointing and that I loved the vlogs. The response I got, from a professionally managed YouTuber, was "for us, you are literally the worst thing about YouTube". This was aimed at myself and +Nickie O'Hara. Now let's excuse the appalling use of the word literally for the moment, because seriously, there is extreme terrorism on YouTube, you can see beheadings, for me that really is the worst thing about YouTube. I was then swiftly blocked, although I hadn't been following the individual in the first place. This left this person's followers to wade in with inane abuse. I am not taking this personally. Any person who behaves like this is a bully. Anyone who wants their followers simply to do as they ask, rather than engage and question, shouldn't be in that position. Especially if their followers are largely made up of younger, impressionable viewers. Sadly the management team have so far not responded to my request to discuss the matter.
It was unpleasant to be on the end of nastiness on Twitter and I am glad it's the first time in the four years I have had an account that it has happened. I certainly hadn't expected it to be from someone who has a professional presence there. I dread to think how teenagers manage to cope with an online life and cyber bullying. I hope that I can help my children to navigate through the bad bits as they grow up.
When I wrote about Black Friday, I emphasised this depressing sense of entitlement, this need and want for more. A feeling that people deserve it. A lot of this person's followers said it would benefit the viewers. Well, yes, it would, but ultimately the main beneficiary is the person requesting it. What happened to good old fashioned saving up for something, rather than just demanding it? I teach my children not to use the word 'want', it's not a nice word. They both say 'I would like'. 'Want' is a demand, 'would like' is a request. 'Want' is almost assuming you will get it. 'Want' comes with a sense of expectation, which isn't pleasant.
If 'literally the worst thing about YouTube' is subscribers who watch vlogs, interact and don't want to see others taken for granted then yes, that's me. Guilty as charged.
