I have seen many videos on this in, like, the entertainment community, the gaming community, for some reason it's just a little bit quiet in the beauty community, so there's some stuff I want to talk about but there's also some personal stuff that I want to talk about that links into it altogether. I feel like this is such a wide problem for so many creators and also for so many creators that have such a small voice that they feel like they won't be heard and my channel is very small, like I consider myself a small channel, when you look at like all the channels in YouTube I consider myself my channel to be quite a small one so it's quite hard for my voice to be heard but it's always worth a shot and if this means that a channel smaller than mine, with the same issues can be heard, for the same reasons then that would be amazing.
So, I don't know how many of you are aware about this happening but a few weeks ago, someone at YouTube entered a code, which basically meant that they decided to filter out a lot of videos with restricted mode. And this included the entire LGBT community. So, anyone that had anything to do with that community was just filtered out and disappeared immediately. I had people telling me on twitter that my videos on mental health and anti-bullying, which I have created solely for people who are young and experiencing it at school especially, that they had disappeared for them on restricted mode. That was so incredibly just offensive and hurtful because who's to say what is and what isn't right? Like, how can you discriminate against like entire sexual orientations just because of who they are? It did not sit okay with me at all. Literally, the stigma that I fight against when it comes to mental health which is that it's "wrong" and it's "taboo" and no one should talk about it. The fact that those are being restricted for me just kind of was like a slap in the face because that's everything that I'm fighting against because I want people to openly talk about depression and openly talk about bullying and stuff. So that was really quite hard to see that happening. I do know from my channel now that a lot of my anti-bullying videos and stuff are coming up, which is great. It seems that they did fix something. But, at the end of the day, there was still someone who works at YouTube that entered a code to deliberately filter out those kind of things. And honestly, like you just have to stop and think how many young people are going to be searching things when they have no one else to turn to. That's what YouTube is, YouTube is a community where we share things because we are people talking to people. If there is someone who is 13 and they're confused and they just feel like they need advice from someone who is in the LGBT community, the fact that they can't access it in restricted mode is just so wrong. Like, it's just so wrong. It makes no sense to me, so when I saw that happening I was literally like What is happening to YouTube? Like, who is deciding this, who is sitting in a boardroom thinking, you know what would be a good idea? Like if we filter out this whole group of people. Like, it's so wrong. But when you look into it, unfortunately, and this is the way that every corporation is, when you ask why they're doing this, the answer most likely is for money, so when you have advertisers coming on that want to place premium ads on videos, it's the advertisers who would probably say to YouTube, so we have this ad which is about xyz, but we don't want to associate it with this kind of group or that kind of group.
And I believe in a theory that YouTube is, like, testing these filtering out things so that when it comes to them being more, like, the whole YouTube TV thing, which I will get into soon, it's almost like they're preparing for these premium advertisers. All that is, like, doesn't make sense to me because I'm someone who believes that you are equal no matter your sexual orientation, your gender, your religion, if you're a refugee, if you're an asylum seeker, I don't care, like, every single person in this entire world is equal to me. I don't believe in anyone being superior and that's why I can't understand why certain people being filtered out just because of who they are and I do think that money has a lot to do with it and I do think there's so many underlying reasons to why YouTube is doing these certain changes. Now for me personally I'm having a big issue with my channel, people being unsubscribed from my channel without realizing and me not showing up in their subscription feeds at all. It is incredibly frustrating because it feels like I'm shouting at a wall sometimes because there's literally like nothing I can do about it. It's like I'm doing everything I can to be a YouTuber, to be a creator, to create good content, and the fact that like I have these forces working against me is just so disheartening and just so infuriating as well. I made an Instagram post yesterday saying, basically touching on a few of these topics, and so many people commented being like "oh my God I'm unsubscribed from your channel, I never unsubscribed, I don't know what's happening". And then recently it was shown that there was a glitch on YouTube, which I believe is still happening, where if someone unsubscribes from your channel, it actually ends up being two people that have unsubscribed.
There's a reason why Youtube has chosen to do that. Like that doesn't just like pop up overnight, like its something that's in the coding of the website. So many people are saying "I never saw that video. It never came up in my subscription box." And it's just like ugh! And I've also noticed that I get like a hundred unsubscribers instantly whenever I upload a video, which is very weird as well. There's this theory that I've heard, and it comes with the whole unsubscribing gate, and basically, if your channel is not like a hundred percent family friendly. I mean personally, I don't curse often in my videos or have anything that offensive, but I do know that I have spoken in the past about sex, and bullying, and mental health. And for some reason to some people this is not "appropriate" for all audiences, which is you know their opinion, which is fine. So therefore if my channel is not one hundred percent family friendly, then it seems like this unsubscription glitch seems to happen. So this glitch doesn't seem to happen to channels that are like one hundred percent squeaky clean channels. And it seems to happen to us instead. And there is a big theory about this basically where, now that Youtube is getting more commercial t.v. on Youtube, maybe its a way for them to filter out these independent creators that they dislike. And I personally have seen, especially when I go to the US, I always find it amazing that they have billboards promoting Youtubers and stuff like that in the US, cause that is unheard of in Australia. But its almost like every single Youtube event that I attend, or single billboard, or advertising material is see for Youtube, are always pushing the same creators. Its always like three creators that have millions, and millions of subscribers that they always push on all their billboards and everything.
And these creators are family friendly, and used to swear in their videos but now will say "what the f" instead of actually, like, swearing. They've almost, like, changed the way they are to be like this commercial, family friendly thing, and obviously they've worked together with Youtube to become that way and now Youtube is promoting them everywhere. But I never really see creators like Pewdiepie or Jenna Marbles advertised anywhere, and it makes you think, like, is it because they're not squeaky clean channels? They are suffering from this glitch as well. Pewdiepie has made a lot of videos about this as well, and it is very interesting that channels that are squeaky clean don't have this glitch. And it's just like hmm, something's not quite adding up here. And, I don't know, there's too many things that just kind of point at this just being really fishy and really odd, and we don't know what the answers are, but this is just like, theories that are going around because we're not getting any answers from Youtube at all, so we just have to come up with things that we think sound right. Like we don't actually know if they're right or not.
Something that I have found very interesting observing as a creator and also a viewer is that over the past year, maybe two years, but definitely over the past year, Youtube started to become a lot more commercial and a lot more TV driven. It was strange to see that the amount of times I'd go on my Youtube home page I would come across like, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen, Vevo, like all those channels would come up first for my like recommendations or suggested watch or whatever. And it was very interesting because these are the kind of channels that are paying to be, you know, the top on Youtube. Like they're paying for exposure and they want to be seen, they want to be clicked on, and the way that things work on Youtube essentially is that if you log on and you see that there was a video that was uploaded yesterday and it has millions of views, naturally you have this curiosity of like, oh my god, what is this video that everyone's watching and I'm not? And you don't want to have like the FOMO of not knowing what everyone's talking about because it's trending and every single time I go on the trending page it's like, tv-related things.
And it's very interesting because they will pop up on your sidebar as well when you're watching this video or whatever, like you may have suggestions for stuff like Ellen and stuff like that. And it's very interesting that they started to do that and then announced recently that they're doing this whole Youtube TV thing. It all just kind of made sense to me. I was like, oh so that's the direction that they're heading. They want to become like a TV network and they want to become more commercial and it kind of contradicts so many things because I feel as a viewer, because I was a viewer for like five years before I became a creator, and as a viewer, Youtube is a place where I like to watch people being genuine people, and I like to watch TV for things that are scripted and more commercial and all that kind of stuff.
And even like reality shows on TV, they're not real to me, but watching a vlog or something is very real to me, so I enjoyed going to Youtube to come across content that was extremely relatable because it's just someone going about their everyday, like doing their dishes and cooking their dinner and whatever. And then when I became a creator, I always wanted to include things of me just being me and everyday life. Like just me being goofy and stupid and sarcastic like I am, and showing that. Like not being the squeaky clean kind of TV girl. And I was the squeaky clean TV girl for like the first half of my Youtube channel because I just sort of thought if I'm a bit more like, clean, and presentable as being like this like innocent girl next door kind of thing, then maybe that's what people want to see. That's what people like. Like I just imagined the kind of girl that people would like and I pretended to be her.
But then, about a year ago or so, I mentioned I don't really feel like I was being 100% myself, and then over the past year I've just been like completely 100% myself on my channel. And subsequently, I've gotten way less subscribers by being myself. And I mean, that's just the way it is. Like the more kind of commercial, blonde, make up beauty kind of girl I act, the more subscribers I'm going to get because that's the kind of image that represents that community, but the more that I'm like, sarcastic and goofy and weird, the less people are going to come across. But it is a bit disheartening to think the more I am myself the less people like me, but at the same time I feel like the more that I'm myself, the more people will love me for who I am, you know, and feel connected to me, and feel like they can relate to me, my life and my content.
So with what I was just saying about how you see these kind of TV channel clips coming up in your suggested things or your trending things all the time, you might see something that's been made by an independent creator that's been up for a day or so, and say it doesn't have that many views, you're just going to think, "Oh, it's a skippable video, I'm not missing out on much here by not watching it."
Recently on a few of my videos when I upload, the views froze for about 24 hours. I have like 5 or 10,000 views for 24 hours. And then when it became unstuck, it started to gain views again, but it didn't gain the initial views that it had over the big exposure time of its first 24 hours. And I was watching the live analytics of it, and it didn't add up at all. There was something not right, you know, about having 5,000 views for 24 hours. I was like something isn't quite adding up here, and then when, yeah, it became unstuck I didn't gain back the original views, and that was so disheartening and I thought, "What is going on?"
You gotta think, like, is Youtube pushing these commercial channels because they are making them more money? And then when it comes to the solo, independent creators, is that why they are freezing our views, our videos aren't coming up in subscription boxes, or even we're losing views? Like there's been a few of my videos. I don't know how this can possibly happen. If I have 10 views, then how can I possibly go back to 8? You know, ten people have viewed it. It can only go up from that. So it's very weird sometimes when it goes, like, into a negative. It makes absolutely no sense. I'm baffled by how I can possibly lose views.
Really small channels that are just starting, it's almost impossible for them to be noticed or to be heard. And the whole reason why I wanted to do this video as well is that I feel that there's so many really small channels that probably experience the same thing but they feel like no one's gonna listen to them if they talk about it. I have over a million subscribers, so it's like a decent platform, I'm not a big channel at all, but I feel that I can actually say something that might get noticed and might actually help them and be their voice as well. And it is just so unfair, like, being a small channel, it's almost impossible, you know, and I have so many friends that say they want to start a Youtube channel. It's almost like that peak of being a creator is gone. Like that peak was like a year ago or two years ago, and yeah, for some creators, it's amazing, like, everything is going amazingly well. You know, I met NikkieTutorials, uhm, a year and a bit ago, and she had about a million subscribers and now she has like 6 or 7 million or whatever. So for her, it's going amazing. So that's great. It's not like this is happening to every single creator. But it's weird that it's happening to some of us, and we can't figure out, like, why is it that things just aren't working for us? And it is so hard when people say to me, "I really want to be a Youtuber, I want to start a Youtube channel," and it's almost like saying, "Well, you know, if nothing is changed soon, then it's just not worth it."
It's really funny actually, because yesterday I was really beating myself up about my channel, my views, my subscribers...I was looking at my statistics, and I was so upset because I just thought, "Why is this happening?"
I genuinely thought people just don't like me anymore. That's what it is. Like people don't like me, I'm not good enough for them anymore, and then I literally put it on myself. And then talking about it a little bit on Twitter I had Gabby, who's VelvetGhost, who actually messaged me and said, "I'm having the same thing with my views," and literally everything that she said to me was exactly what I was going through as well and I thought, "Hold on a minute. So it's not just me going through this?"
Yes maybe it is that people are sick of me. Maybe that is the reason. I don't know. Hopefully not. Maybe this whole Youtube glitch thing has a role to play as well.
And it just sucks because I love my job. Like, I love creating videos. It's what I do. That's what my life is. I don't leave work. I sit and I research and I'm constantly watching tutorials on like Final Cut Pro and just how to become a better creator. And it's so hard when I feel like my content hasn't changed too much but no one is seeing my videos in their subscription box or they're being unsubscribed from me or my views are frozen and this is my job. Like this is my livelihood. And it just sucks kinda seeing something self destruct right in front of your eyes and you can't do anything about it. And this is like my little baby. Like my channel, for me, has been one of the most unpredictable, surprising, and incredible things, and for the rest of my life, this whole like, being a youtuber phase for me, will just be something that I'll never actually be able to...Even contemplate that it happened, because it's just been such an incredible journey, and I feel blessed everyday to be a Youtuber and to be able to call this my job. I just wish that all this stuff wasn't happening. Like it's just so hard to constantly feel like you're being kicked down. I get into phases where I'm so unmotivated, so frustrated, and so disheartened because there's some videos that I put so much of my heart into, so much effort into, and I just feel like it doesn't even matter at the end of the day. I could just sit down and talk about drama and I'd get like millions of views.
And it just sucks that that's what Youtube has become. And so often when I'm on Youtube in my suggestions, I always have the drama channels. Now, I feel like the drama channels weren't even a thing until a year ago, and you know exactly who I'm talking about, and I don't need to name names here or anything, especially in the beauty community. If you're watching this and you're not in the lifestyle/beauty community, basically being in the beauty community essentially means that you are going to be criticized on your appearance and who you are and you're gonna be pretty much, like, picked apart as a person by people that don't know you, haven't met you, and are judging you from your edited existence on a screen.
Essentially that's what it is.
I just want to go back to the days where the biggest issue with YouTube was the ever-changing layout. Like, do you guys remember?
It was just like, "Oh my God, the layout has changed again," and everyone was just going crazy about it, like...and that was the biggest problem on YouTube. That was like the only and the biggest problem was the layout.
God, I miss those days so much.
And now the drama channels...the thing that doesn't sit well with me is how much YouTube pushes and promotes them. Um, I personally don't watch any drama channels about any YouTuber because I know as a YouTuber anything that they're saying is untrue because unless you have met the creator and you know them well, I don't believe that anything they say is worth listening to, because I'm only going to listen to the source and that is the YouTuber. So, at the end of the day, I don't watch them, so why do they constantly keep coming up in my suggestion box?
And obviously they're tagging my name in their tags as well, and it just sucks because I've worked so hard on my content for so long, and I want it to be when you type up Dani Mansutti for my videos to come up, not someone speculating about me and my life instead, about like untrue rumors and everything like that. Like it's just-- it's incredibly frustrating. And drama channels didn't exist that long ago. And the reason why they have boomed and taken off so fast is because of their views, because you know, people love, love listening to good drama, and love kinda laughing about, you know, someone else's issues. It's why we watch reality TV. It's why people buy tabloids. It's something that's always been around. It doesn't sit well with me because I really miss, like genuinely genuinely miss, when Youtube was people sitting in their bedroom and putting on their makeup and just talking. Like, I miss that sort of Youtube so much. And I personally, I can't relate to makeup tutorials where they have like, professional lighting and professional backdrops and a lot of these people are lucky enough to have their partners do a lot of their filming and a lot of their editing and that's amazing if you can have your partner that can do that for you. You know, I'm extremely jealous and envious. I wish I had that. I wish I had that instead of doing everything on my own. But essentially, like, personally this is just my own opinion. I literally can't watch a makeup tutorial unless is like sitting in their room or sitting in their house or anything, because I can't connect with it and I can't relate to it and I just feel like so much of Youtube is just becoming so commercialized and so professional that I'm like I just miss the authenticity and just genuine people, and just watching people be people. And there's still some people that I watch that I feel are still true to that. That's why I'm such a big fan of Zoella because like even though her life is so amazing and incredible and she's achieved so many amazing things, she's still a person who goes around and does things and shows her being herself. She doesn't use, like, professional studios or anything to film and personally, as a viewer, that's what I like to watch, and for other viewers, they may prefer to watch professional things; it's just a matter of opinion.
As you, the viewer, watching this, if you want to keep seeing your favorite YouTubers create content, and you don't want them to quit, I'd just suggest that, you know, you do little things like have your notifications on on their channels.
You'll see next to my Subscribe button there's like a little bell, and if you press that, you'll actually get notified when I upload and stuff like that. Um, liking your favorite creators' videos, like just giving them support, because without you, we wouldn't be here, and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you that have watched this video today because you're the whole reason why this is my job.
I couldn't be doing this without you, and I can't thank you enough, like, I'll never be able to thank you enough, just for watching my videos, like it means everything to me.
And it is just so heartbreaking to think that maybe one day we won't be here any more, because we have all these forces going against us, that we literally can't make content anymore. And I don't want it to get to that point, you know.
I do know that because it is becoming a bit more commercial and everything, that's why a lot of people have jumped ship to watching people on Snapchat instead, because it's live, and it's raw, and you're watching people be people.
I hope that you guys see exactly where I'm coming from, I'm not bashing YouTube, or bashing any kind of creator, or anything like that.
I'm just talking very generally about it all and I'm just speaking up because I feel this is an issue that's affecting a lot of people that feel they're not being heard. And I feel the more that we talk about it, the more we bring attention to it, hopefully the more that YouTube will actually look at it and try to fix it.
Because I love YouTube, and I just wish that it won't lose its authenticity and what it is to us, because to me, YouTube has always been a place that I could escape, and watch these videos, and just feel so connected with people I've never met before. And I just hope that that will be always be there.
You know, and it's just the way that it's going, it's quite scary, it's looking like it's not going to be that way for much longer, but, here's to hoping that it will.
Like I said, I'm not scared to talk about it, I'm not scared if I get in trouble in any way, shape, or form for this video. Because I'm someone who believes in standing up for what I believe is right, and I'm standing up for people that need a voice as well, so that's why I want to talk about this video, and I swear to God, I really hope they fix the whole LGBTQ thing, because, that broke my heart, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, I was like, how in 2017 is, like, is it coming to this, like, how is YouTube restricting people from being who they are.
But I just had to get this off my chest, and I hope that it's just informed a lot of you of just what's happening.
And let's just hope that this all gets sorted out soon because I want to be making content for you guys for as long as I possibly can. Because I love you all so much, and I love my job, and I just hope that (it) things will get better essentially and easier for creators, and smaller channels will actually get the recognition they deserve, and people that are just starting YouTube will actually have a chance. Because everyone deserves a chance, and I just hope that this helped to inform a lot of you that weren't aware of it all, and (yeah) here's to it getting better, let's just hope and pray that things will get better soon, and thank you so much for watching this whole video. You're incredible, and I'll see you very soon. Bye!
