Logan Paul scraps daily YouTube vlogs
David Farnor | On 02, May 2018
YouTube vlogger Loan Paul is scrapping his daily YouTube vlogs.
The 23-year-old video star has over 17 million subscribers and came under fire this year, when he published a video of a dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, known as a place where suicides often occur. He subsequently released an apology video for the distasteful video, with YouTube eventually suspending advertising on his videos temporarily, due to “a pattern of behavior in his videos that makes his channel not only unsuitable for advertisers, but also potentially damaging to the broader creator community”.
Several months later, Paul has announced that he will no longer post daily videos, saying that he will continue to post content on an infrequent basis, but wants to pursue opportunities beyond YouTube and exercise his creativity in other ways, including music.
“YouTube is not my career,” Paul said. “This is a hobby.”
“You guys mean the world to me,” he added, thanking his fans. “You are the reason for my success.”
YouTube stops all ads on Logan Paul’s channels
10th February 2018
YouTube has stopped all advertising on Logan Paul’s channels, after deeming his behaviour and content “unsuitable for brands”.
Paul’s name will be familiar to anyone who has been near the Internet in the last two months, after he posted a video at the end of 2017 that featured footage of a suicide victim. The video racked up millions of views and was resoundingly criticised for its inappropriate content, which Paul had monetised. The video was ultimately taken down and Paul issued a follow-up apology video, with YouTube removing him from Google Preferred, its top-tier advertising network of premium creators.
Since then, though, Paul appears not to have learned any lessons at all, continuing to post disturbing and inappropriate content, including a video featuring a rat being Tasered and spreading a joke this week known as the “Tide Pod challenge”, which encourages young people to eat the brand-name detergent capsules. Now, YouTube has taken the decision of stopping Paul monetising any of his channels.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to temporarily suspend ads on Logan Paul’s YouTube channels,” YouTube said in a statement. “This is not a decision we made lightly; however, we believe he has exhibited a pattern of behavior in his videos that makes his channel not only unsuitable for advertisers, but also potentially damaging to the broader creator community.”
YouTube notes that it is not censoring creators, with users able to opt out of monetising their videos if they don’t comply with the advertiser-friendly guidelines, but the Google-owned company is also under pressure of trying to avoid losing advertising partners, who have a right not to run their products next to offensive of objectionable content. YouTube’s final step to demonetise Paul’s content is a warning to other creators that it is toughening its own policies; it has recently started to review all videos in its Google Preferred program manually, and raised its threshold for creators to be able to take part in any advertising options.
YouTube cuts ties with Logan Paul
11th January 2018
YouTube has cut its close ties with vlogger Logan Paul, after he uploaded a video that featured a suicide victim. The video saw Paul and his friends at Japan’s Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji, where they came across the body of a man who had committed suicide and continued to film and also make jokes.
The video was later deleted by Paul, after a major backlash criticising the vlogger for his insensitive treatment of mental health issues and poor taste, as well as his monetisation of the video. He then released another video apologising and announcing his plans to suspend vlogging temporarily and take time to reflect. This video was also monetised.
The vlog raises questions about YouTube’s regulation and policing of content, or lack thereof, with the video appearing in YouTube’s trending section on its homepage. The site released am initial statement confirming that Paul’s video violated its policies.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video,” the video giant said. “YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information, and in some cases it will be age-gated. We partner with safety groups such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center.”
YouTube also issued Paul’s channel, which has 15 million subscribers, with a strike – if three of those are received within a three-month period, YouTube will terminate the offending account.
YouTube, though, faced criticism over not doing enough, with Paul remaining a part of YouTube’s top tier earners and part of its content for the subscription service YouTube Red.
It has now taken further steps to cut any close ties with Paul, removing him from the Google Preferred scheme, which gives brands the ability to sell adverts on the top 5 per cent of creators’ videos. He can still monetise his videos, but will receive a lower income rate than previously.
He has also been cut from Season 4 of YouTube Red comedy series Foursome. The Thnning: New World Order, a sequel to the YouTube Red sci-fi thriller, The Thinning, which featured Paul, has also been put on hold.
YouTube has also issued a lengthy statement saying that YouTube is “upset” by the video and reiterating that “suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views”.
“Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently,” the statement read. “You’re right to be. You deserve to know what’s going on. Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week. Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views. As Anna Akana put it perfectly: “That body was a person someone loved. You do not walk into a suicide forest with a camera and claim mental health awareness.” We expect more of the creators who build their community on @YouTube, as we’re sure you do too. The channel violated our community guidelines, we acted accordingly, and we are looking at further consequences. It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying. We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we’ll have more to share soon on steps we’re taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.”