The Strange World of YouTube's Corporate Propaganda | Big Joel 

Hey everyone! Hope you like the video and hope you're staying safe and healthy out there!! Also, sorry that sometimes I got bad focus on my camera lol. I am bad at my job. Anyhow, if you want to support my work and throw me a few bucks, here's my patreon! www.patreon.com/bigjoel Go there if you want to give me money or if you just wanna stare at my patreon page for a while! that's your call. (Also, there's a lil note on the video if you click "read more," just so you know.) I just wanted to make a point that I could have probably made slightly clearer in the video. A few people are pointing out that RU-vid can't reveal the functioning of its algorithm to its workers because it doesn't want them to "game the system." I of course agree with that and certainly expect RU-vid to make better choices about their corporation than I do lol. That said, my point here, among other things, is more oriented around what that fact allows youtube to do and how it enables them to be perceived, as well as what it means that youtube is a company that fundamentally works BECAUSE it is able to maintain the facade that it wants nothing, that it is NOTHING like Wendy's. In other words, in general I am not talking about what RU-vid should or could do while still doing what RU-vid wants to do, I'm talking about what its choices, and the propaganda it uses to reinforce those choices, say. I hope this was clear but I just wanted to make it, like, very clear lol.

RU-vid out here making a really excellent case for why it should be a public utility and not a business.

All the ads now are corporate entities trying to yell “WE CARE ABOUT SICK PEOPLE, SEE! THERE'S EVEN SAD MUSIC!”

Also, since I'm here: The Katie Morton thing: This is like every company/university/school/organization's approach to mental health. They bring somebody in who talks about self-care and taking a step back and breathing. But this is just a show. The company/university/school/organization will do nothing to adjust the material conditions that lead to your stress/burn-out/mental health issue.

youtube is like if wendy’s said “we recommend you fill the coffee to the line, but you don’t have to! if you don’t, we will stop paying you your wages, but you don’t have to!”

putting the ad right in the middle of talking about random and jarring placement of ads.... absolute genius, truly beyond our time

This is like a really subtle but pivotally important element in all of modern capitalism, the illusion of freedom and choice is central to maintaining the structure and ensuring compliance.

The whole things wreeks of that "We're a family" corporate attitude.

"Auto-midrolls are a better experience for viewers." Needed a good hysterical, tear-inducing laugh today. Thanks, RU-vid lady.

"Take a load off, let us place your ads f-" *ad* Made me laugh more than it probably should have.

"RU-vid presents itself as a force of nature" I've been hearing a lot recently about how capitalism does the same thing Interesting

RU-vid: "So steer clear of swearing and making anything that could be construed as adult content." ~So you want me to make video that would be appealing to children? RU-vid: "NOOOOOOO nonono that's strictly forbidden by federal law and the FTC. Make content that couldn't be seen as adult or child friendly and appeals to literally no one. Make it so abstract that it defies classification as video if possible."

"The greatest trick RU-vid ever performed is convincing the world it didn't exist"

As a "creator" (that title has always grated on me) on RU-vid, I agree with Giant Joel. RU-vid does what they do primarily for their corporate interest and way down the list comes the interest of those of us who make them cash hand-over-fist.

RU-vid don't want to help creators be _good_ They want to teach creators how to be _ad-friendly_

this is a great example of the neoliberal "californian ideology" of decentralized networks of control, critiqued by folks like zizek and fisher, in action- 'i'm not your boss! we're all friends here, you are a free and autonomous individual" etc

It kills me how creators talk about "The Algorithm" like it's this unknowable Lovecraftian Elder God. We're more than capable of understanding the fundamental laws of an algorithm, but the information required for comprehension is deliberately withheld. That said, I had never heard of you or your channel before today, and the Great Old Algorithm decided to drop this video on my lap. Not the slightest idea what I'm going to find on the rest of your channel, but I hope it's as analytical and direct as this is. I don't have space for more Patrons at the moment, but consider this an IOU for a friendly kiss.

Finally a youtuber who's actually acknowledging the fact that they're working for a corporation

"Do you remember egoraptor?" Me, an animator: *cries a single tear*

"We're here to learn to make good videos." No, you're not there to learn how to make videos. You're there to learn how to get as many views and subscribers as possible, which doesn't necessarily translate to video quality. How for example does "posting at the optimal time to maximize views" affect the quality of a video? It doesn't. The video itself would be the same on a tuesday as it would on Sunday evening. Shareability is another example, your video pandering to a wider audience may lead to creating content that's watered down to appease many rather than being a more potent, interesting niche where it can be unique. Why be unique when you can be the same cookie cutter shit that everyone else produces?

Whenever I hear that "audience sees content creators as friends" bit I am reminded of the best way to do propaganda. You just assume your target already thinks in the way you want the propaganda to make them think. Because that's what that bit is there for. To encourage leaning into parasocial relationships. Incidentally that bit also makes me queezy because that is an immensely creepy assumption and a behavior that I would actively discourage if I ever had an audience acting like that.

That's something I had actually been thinking about for a while but couldn't quite express. RU-vid's whole brand I think, is based off of a sort of nonexistence, I think because it's meant to be like TV, just a box that shows you whatever is produced and not care what that is. Of course, that's not true, RU-vids actual brand is a social media network specializing in videos, but that's not what youtube wants anyone to think. Because then their social media network might one day become uncool and another video sharing site could take it's place. RU-vid wants to be the medium and not just a place that holds the medium. Thanks, Gigantic all-consuming Joel for the lovely content.

Is there a video on achieving success by making more videos on the Village People? Because that's the real cornerstone of a good channel imo

7:25 The funny thing is, that I am least interested in these "conversational" videos, like Q&A videos. They are often slow and a bit boring.

A thought that occurred to me: another reason we might see such huge difference between the Wendy's video and the Creator Academy videos is access. The Academy videos are RU-vid's way of informing their worker bees about how to behave, and these videos are very open for the public to see. Any one can find them whenever they want. The Wendy's video (corporate training videos in general, this video is clearly available to us) was not made to be widely seen by the public. Usually, you would need to go through the on-boarding process at such a company to see such a video. Do you think there is something to this idea of public availability of these corporate videos? I'm not sure.

9:51: "take a load off, let us place your ads for you, people love it when we-" *Forget everything you think you know about mobile games because Raid Shadow Legends is one of the most-*

"If we think we're burned out, how do we get over it?" sounds a lot like "there's no such thing as burnout, you're just lazy, get over it and get to work."

I’ve never really considered that I work _for_ RU-vid. Maybe I’m so against the cynicism displayed by RU-vid’s detractors that I miss the manipulation. I suppose I saw the reworking of Creator Studio as an update to meet the ever changing paradigm of RU-vid’s position in the world. But maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe it’s a catalyst for, rather than a reaction to change. Hmmm.

basically, RU-vid uberized the entertainment business.

One point is I don't think RU-vid can entirely tell you how to succeed. They can say roughly what they have tuned the algorithm for but a lot of how the algorithm promotes things is basically a black box to them so they can only give rough guidance.

I actually wish that there was more opportunity for community in the comment section of RU-vid, but I guess we are supposed to be obsessing over our Parasocial relationship du jour. It’s a bit creepy how isolation is built into the design.

I do enjoy Big Joel’s hair fluidity, the hair should have their own channel

the burnout thing really hits home with school and all. like, we're expected to put out high quality work day after day, participate in classes, do homework, and of course do well in our sports. schools can say they want better mental health but without the attitude of the whole country changing or without systematic changes to the workload/reward expected everyday by the school itself, things won't change. but the school can't change that without losing prestige in the eyes of Colleges™ or grades dropping, even if the students feel better.

“a bit less than usual because you convinced fewer viewers to subscribe” I almost can’t believe RU-vid made something so blatantly toxic like that. Almost.

This encapsulates my cynicism and skepticism about youtube the platform so well. RU-vid the Platform is trying to pretend it's RU-vid the Community so it doesn't have to take responsibility for the platform's mistakes. Also the new UI for Creator Studio is so stressful and I hate it.

“Take a load off! Let us place your ads for you! People love it when we place - AD BREAK” Did anyone else get the ad strategically placed at 9:54?

> youtube is an incredibly social platform missing a para there youtube, that's an important bit

Big Joel: *talking about mid roll ads* *Mid roll ad plays* He definitely manually placed that ad

As a therapist whose caseload is mostly people with Antisocial Personality Disorder, who has had clients who meet criteria for psychopathy - YES THEY HAVE HEARTS WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU LADY.

Your explanation of why RU-vid needs to be so subliminal about its messaging reminds me a lot of scientific academia. The idea of science as the end all be all of rational thinking and the highest of ideals to reach for really obfuscate that it is all being done through the medium of academia and in fact the structure has a complete monopoly on what is considered “legitimate” science. And so just like creators on RU-vid individuals scientists dedicate almost every aspect of their lives towards succeeding in science as it is shaped by academia. And just like creators here they often become incredibly burnt out (e.g. me) but always end up blaming themselves and sometimes being blamed by others as not smart enough or “just not built for science” and hardly ever consider giving any blame to the structure they are embedded in that asks them to deny their needs and humanity in order to best perform. All this because it is trying its darnedest and often succeeding at being invisible.

This video was amazing!! I'm an Anthropologist doing my PhD about the labour and lived experience of RU-vid creators and this was so spot on for an article I just finished titled: "We're all told not to put our eggs in one basket": Uncertainty, precarity and cross-platform labour in the online video industry" 👌

This really reminds me of Uber. Like RU-vid, Uber was originally intended just for carpooling, but now people's livelihoods actually depend on it. The algorithm was made for an era when you could get weird, wacky, and original videos whose creators had no ambitions for fame and success. In a weird way, the people on this platform now conform to the algorithm, rather than the other way around, and the incomes and careers of RU-vid creators are now at stake. The weird phenomenon that Big Joel points out here is a symptom of a system that has not adapted to its reality. Either you're a high-volume/high-effort content creator or you're just an anonymous uploader, but things get strange when we try to blur the lines between them.

YT creator academy: do what your fans want Jack Saint: Here's how I think about bestiality in manga.

Anyone reading this, don't get it twisted. Google is an advertisement agency. That is their business. Every search you do is mined for advertising possibilities. Every video is checked to see if it will be useful for ad placement. This is their game. They're not a technology group. And at this point, neither is facebook, instagram or any of these other 'social media services'. They're all literally ad agencies under the banner of social media or technology group, but in reality, those are the secondary aspects to the company and simply the tool they use to be ad agencies. This is what silicon valley loves to call 'innovation', which is basically taking something already known and already exists and figuring out how to monetize it.

when I tried watching the "creator academy" videos (back when they were originally released), they immediately rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't quite figure out why. I couldn't even get through the first one, they just seemed "off" to me, like watching them made me uncomfortable lol. You pretty much perfectly articulated exactly what's "off" about them I think. Well, the non-existence thing and the fact that they pretty much only feature "normie" type creators - from like an ~A Lister of RU-vid ~ upper class that exists.

I’m so happy this video introduced me to the Wendy’s hot drink commercial

Somebody make a compilation of every time Joel dramatically says "Why?"

I'm a software engineer, so I perhaps have more insight into "the algorithm" than most people: so I can say with some confidence the reason YT doesn't tell people what signals and such they should look into is because... they actually don't know. I've always found it fascinating that the algorithm is basically this cold, distant magic that no one can really know or control, and in many ways it really is like a force of nature. You can read some general advice from its behavior, like the fact consistent updates lead to more views, but that's an emergent property, not something YT hard-coded into it (presumably). The only thing YT actually sets is the goals or metrics: more views, more view time, more ad revenue; demonetize videos ad providers don't want to advertise on. All of these are strategic decisions some human somewhere made, yes; but how the algorithm determines a lot of it is just magic. Like yes, some human person at some point decided that only certain videos should show up on the Home tab, or your Subscriptions list or in your notifications; but which ones is not decided by any one person, only by the algorithm: the algorithm looks at what videos get the most clicks and subsequent view time, and then shows you those videos. But no human being knows how the algorithm does it, no one can tell you what kind of video to make to get chosen by the algorithm, beyond very vague and general tips, like you see in these corporate videos.

"Why doesn't RU-vid just act more like Wendy's..." -out of context Big Joel

Man, this really got my gears turning. Do Patreon and Kickstarter have secret algorithms too?

"Take a load off!" "Let the algorith" *ad plays* "Let the algorithm take over"

I used to be a professor. At a university you've probably heard of. You should be a professor.

Why does RU-vid even have like counters? Like the function of the like button should be the viewer telling the algorithm that they want more of this, it should be personal to improve the experience of that one viewer. Feedback works much better in the comments, what does a like even mean? Views kind of make sense because it shows how many people have seen it but I feel like the only meaningful feedback is comments. But then at the same time I can just see that being exploited, if RU-vid pivoted to comment focus, there would still be creators finding a way to make people comment nothings. I think subscribing can be meaningful too as it shows whether you are gaining fans rather than just idle views but the value in that depends on whether you're aiming for concurrent views or if you want to pull very different audiences for each video. I guess the problem with criticising RU-vid is I really don't know how to improve. I guess the only method I can construct is for it not to be a monopoly so we can see competitors trying different methods and innovating in a survival of the fittest type of way. But it's hard to see monopolies not happen on the internet when it's what the internet is built on

no one likes to talk about how youtube is exploitative towards workers because everyone wants their chance in the spotlight but in general it’s still workers working and being exploited unfortunately

Recently I was trying to put into words why it would be so difficult for people on RU-vid to make and join a union like other workers, and it's only after watching this video that it's because it has the same struggles as any other gig economy, which is actually kinda obvious in hindsight

when is bread tube going to start a movement for a youtube union ??

The irony of an ad playing right in the middle of Joel explaining midvideo ad placement, like in the middle of his sentence. Because, what a great way to point out how much I actually hate RU-vid adds and their often terrible placements

Top tier as always, Average-sized Joel.

Man, you putting the midroll ad right when you start talking about RU-vid wanting to place the midroll ads for you is brilliant, if it was actually intentional

Totally meta video, I congratulate you for blowing my mind...criticizing RU-vid tips while following most of them, excellent add placement, fairly conversational tone, telling us how RU-vid is manufacturing consent while we participate, thereby consenting...it’s like that short story that I never read when somebody gets hanged, but in the split moment while it’s happening he’s considering all the possibilities. I mean, we’re all getting hanged by RU-vid, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple, but we’ve got a second to consider what’s happened as we are sacrificed to the internet machine.

The automatic midroll add interrupting your conversation about automatic midroll ads was tres magnifique *Chef's kiss*

14:20 I got anew job at a hospital late last year. I used to work in medical research before. During my orientation at the job I was wondering about how it felt to be on the opposite end of corporate propaganda when before, I was helping create it. I feel like this moment summarizes how I felt pretty well.

I think a big thing to keep note of, is that "successful" on RU-vid, is not the same thing as making "good content." Granted *someone* is enjoying it if it's successful. But I still wouldn't describe toy review channels, reactions, or even the vast majority of let's plays to be "good content." Some or all of that is subjective however.

I really like this. I like this because this isn't just a youtube phenomenon. In-fact it points to a larger systemic trend within liberalism that strongly encourages action to the point that it essentially forces you into that action. The language is softer, but the end product is the same as being bullied. In many ways I would even argue that this is how capitalist liberal society obfuscates themes that really start to look fascist in nature. I don't want to suggest that Liberalism in the west is the same as say Italian fascism in the early portion of the 20th century, but damn don't they share some faint similarities. Don't the results look similar, but the tactics are different? The RU-vid example is so on point, because in many ways, RU-vid starts to feel like a state-like entity. You don't have to use it of course, but it's the biggest video website on the web and it's heavily implied that at some point you will use it. I mean at least be sent something by a friend. You can watch a video, but what if it's flagged as 18+. Well you'll have to make an account and submit your age. Doesn't this look like applying for a drivers license or a social insurance number? As a creator, don't you have limitations on what you can post? You can't upload pornography, or violence, or else your account may be suspended or removed. Does this not mimic the same action the state would incur upon someone? Fining them, or jailing them? You spend this video acknowledging how youtube treats its workers. How they have a preference on how these workers interact and labour. Workers don't have to make videos in these ways, but obviously RU-vid chooses to promote a specific method. I feel like this really mimics how we labour in general in society. If i'm on the dole, choosing to not work for 9 months, every time i collect a unemployment cheque, do they not ask me if i'm taking steps to become employed? If i'm a content creator, does youtube remind me that I haven't posted a video in a while? I wonder...

The algorithm also needs comments, even if they are devoid of meaning.

Google uses the same obfuscation techniques in search. They'll say "hey, this will help you rank better" and won't get into the specifics as to *why* the advice will help you rank better. They are masters at walking the fine line between purposely confusing and accidentally confusing. It's pretty impressive actually.

I love how an add started playing mid-sentence as you were talking about youtube placing ads for the creators. rly shows why that is actually a bad idea, and I keep seeing that happening in other videos as well if you pick the time for the ad yourself you can do commercial break vignettes, or at least place it some where fitting for the pacing of your video, because when the ads just pop up out of nowhere in the middle of sentence, that's just fucking annoying an completely throws the viewer off

Exactly when you mention of strangeness of 'increase your viewer experience" by allowing youtube to automatically place mid-roll ad, the ad come up. Good stuff.

This was so good Joel!

The mid-roll playing over the discussion of mid-rolls is *chefs kiss*

thanks joel. one of my pet peeves on youtube is when an ad plays halfway through a point, sentence or sometimes even word. infuriating.

So many of these videos you show clips of remind me of training videos for the corporate places I've worked. All it's missing is the part about "we don't need to unionize, we're a family" lol

The mid roll ad placement was so well placed to further his point. Well done

It would be interesting to see a video specifically about the relationship of RU-vid's selective pressures and the parasocial relationship issues mentioned by PhilosophyTube

I'm commenting to increase your engagement metric so the algorithm likes you.

It's funny how the ad break that I got was in the middle of your ad rant. Amazin!

the ad placement was absolute gold thank u very much mr big joel

You do such an unbelievably good job helping me understand why these videos feel uncanny to me and make me uncomfortable. You have a wonderful way with words, the moment of you saying RU-vid was presenting itself as a force of nature was such an 'aha!' moment.

Styles of 2020: Quarantine Hair

This is quite the oddity. I went to the Original Creator Academy is Los Angeles back when it was a series of in-person classes and it was a genuinely helpful experience. There had heads of departments teach lessons on back-end stuff, you were paired with similar channels so that you might collaborate with them, and you were even given a little workbook to help you suss through the details of running a channel. This was pre-midrolls and before the acknowledgement of creator burnout, circa 2014. The best part was we all got to ask the heads of these departments frank questions about why things were the way that they were on RU-vid and we got honest answers. It almost makes me miss the simple days when all we had to work about were spurious ContentID claims and predatory Multi-Channel Networks. My own take on this while "constantly shoving analytics in your face and telling you to optimize every last thing, but also telling you to take self-care time" is similar to how a chain pizza place treats it's drivers. Anyone whose ever worked for one of 'The Big Three' as they're called can tell you that you get a talk from your training bosses along the lines of "we're going to load you up with three, four, and maybe even five orders at a time, but don't ever speed or hop fences... you absolutely MUST make sure all the orders get in on time and that all customers are satisfied with your oven-to-doorstep times... but don't ever speed, wink wink, nudge nudge" It's more of a C.Y.A. strategy that's employed by the bosses that flies in the face of the reality of the task that the employees are given. You can't help but notice that pretty much every big RU-vidr that makes it big who has facial hair tends to go grey before they're even out of their 30s. As for the nature of their opacity, I'd chalk that up to 2 things. 1) unlike Wendy's, we're not "employees" of RU-vid so says our tax forms so they can't really make us do anything in that sense. couple that with the nature of creating videos and while it'd be nice to have uniform content with perfectly in-line creators like we were all our own little marvel movie directors, it would result in a multi-billion dollar platform filled with nothing but videos that were stale before they even went live. 2) is that we are never, ever going to get a clear idea of what the algorithm does or how it works. The second the algorithm is known is the second it becomes exploited by literally everyone. See ElsaGate, React Channels, ReplyGirls, and attempts to abuse the video response system. The only way for the algorithm to work to everyone's benefit is to have no one truly know what to do if they want to gain its favor. Dang, I just wrote a 3-paragraph essay reply instead of working on my own videos. What am I doing with me life.

I love how you incorporate the mid role ad in the video. One of the best parts in the video.

the mid point ad in the middle of you talking about mid point ad, perfect and only good use ever 😂👌

"Let us place your ads f-midroll ad-or you" Did I even see what you just did there?

Great video! This--specifically the part about the hurricane-very much makes me think of a quote from Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (tbh i never finished reading the book but still this always stuck with me). The narration is talking about tenants and landowners. It's certainly a different situation and context, but I think there are a lot of parallels. "If a bank or a finance company owned the land, the owner man said, The Bank-or the Company-needs-wants-insists-must have-as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought and feeling, which had ensnared them."

The ad placement was perfect!!

I mean are we at all surprised? The biggest people on this site have the exact same style of video. RU-vid props them up and does not promote new or smaller channels anymore. Watching this place evolve since the beginning has been a fascinating example at how capitalism fucking sucks

*The thing with RU-vid, is that Google doesn't **_really_** know what it's doing.* Oh it knows what it wants, and it certainly tries to guess how to get there, but it constantly fails. "How is that possible with a massive corporation?!" How is it possible that a search giant with all the metrics and data at its fingertips is not a sales and delivery giant like Amazon? Despite its massive data vaults, not a cloud hosting juggernaut like Amazon and Microsoft? It was an Online Office progenitor, but Microsoft who came in much later still considered the favourite? Not a conference calling master despite having multiple performance-optimized apps? ...this can go on for a really long time and smarter people than me analysed Googles continuous stumbling. Google comes up with strategies to improve its own situation, mostly by experimenting a lot and seeing what sticks. Google would like you to think that it's more in control of its platform's future than it really is.

I enjoyed that midroll ad in the middle of you saying the word “ads”

Hearing an ad right after u said 'place your ads' was transcendent for me

I'm glad the hurricane recommended me this video. I feel like the answer to your final question on why RU-vid does this is that they don't want to pay creators as employees, simply contractors.

I literally got at ad right in the middle of you saying the word "ads" at 9:53. The irony was not lost on me.

Oh that mid roll ad placement was fucking brilliant, absolutely godly job there Joel

it´s capitalism

Why do you have two of the same painting hanged in one room?

That ad placement after you talked about disliking ads was genius

I like how there was a Toyota mid-roll ad at precisely the time when you were talking about mid-roll ads.

I think the biggest problem truly is that there is no hard and fast formula to RU-vid success. You can understand the algorithm but if it was an exact science everyone would succeed. Great video!

I can't be the only one who got a mid-roll ad at 9:53 exactly ... lol was that deliberate (forgive me I'm on someone else's laptop it doesn't have Adblock I GET IT)

I’ve just started watching some of your videos during work today, and it’s really interesting the type of approach you take to the social interactions you analyze in your videos. In the video about a Twitter thread chastising men leaving a room during a shooter situation I think it’s stated most clearly - a point of view based in an awareness of empathy, and the limitations of the type of understanding. The analysis of burnout, especially the part about its presence as an immutable part of the RU-vidr experience, is almost a direct parallel (if memory serves me correctly) to your analysis of the Twitter thread’s representation of the mass shooter as a force as unchanging and without will as a natural disaster. Of course parallels might exist within works by the same creator, but the logical consistency in the perspective you provide is, to me at least, extremely interesting.

I got a midroll ad right in the middle of a sentence during the midroll ad segment of this video. Thanks for hitting that button, Big Joel.