'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwb/2gAIAQEAAAAAgB//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG/9oACAECEAAAAC3/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI/9oACAEDEAAAAEb/AP/EABwQAAICAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDARIQESFBUf/aAAgBAQABPwBRqFLhYmTYURQ76pz53j//xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oACAECAQE/AH//xAAVEQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEf/aAAgBAwEBPwCP/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
YouTube has been under fire recently for an array of reasons. The company even saw a change in its Terms of Service, but that has led to quite a few questionable bans and suspensions, further heaping pressure on the platform.
Traditionally, the video streaming giant followed a more ‘hands-off’ approach, and did not interfere with content creators. YouTube even preferred to maintain a distance from the many feuds that content creators got into with each other.
That, however, has been changing, with some questionable decisions made in the past few months. Firstly, there was the long delay in banning alleged animal abuser Peluchin Entertainment. After almost two years of inactivity, YouTube finally decided to ban the YouTuber recently. Furthermore, there is the somewhat problematic recent ban handed out to Leafy.
And now, the official YouTube Twitter account posted a ‘joke’ mocking content creators on the platform, much to the chagrin of the entire community.
YouTube’s joke massively backfires, offends entire online community
The tweet, now deleted, made fun of the general tendency of YouTubers to have lengthy ‘introductions’ before getting to the video at hand. As seen below, the tweet alleges that these broadcasters sometimes pretend to ‘have jumped straight into the video’ after giving long, fifteen-minute intros.
After some immediate backlash, the tweet was taken down.
However, it was enough time for quite a few people on the internet to react, and take offense to the tweet. Most content creators thought that the ‘long intros’ were the fault of YouTube’s algorithm system for promoting videos.
Others suggested that YouTube’s team had forgotten the responsibility and role it has towards the public, and it would have been an innocent roast if a random YouTuber had made the comment.
Overall, the internet seemed somewhat divided on the issue. Some thought that it was only a joke, and that the algorithm itself does not ‘force’ content creators to make long ‘intros’.
However, even if quite a few people found the tweet funny, the basic notion seemed to be that YouTube had crossed a line in posting what they did.
Considering the extent of criticism that it got, YouTube deleted the post rather quickly, and ended up posting the following apology.
As expected, YouTube’s Twitter team explained that the now-deleted tweet was made in good faith, and that they understand they missed the mark and did not reflect the spirit of the community. Regardless of whether it was just a joke, the tweet did end up offending a few people!
