Is YouTube Red Hurting or Helping the YouTube Community?
If you are part of the YouTube community, you probably heard about this new "exclusive" launch called YouTube Red that came out on October 28, 2015. According to YouTube Spotlight, YouTube Red allows viewers to "Watch ad-free while still supporting creators", "enjoy videos offline," and "switch apps and keep audio playing." In other words, it's Spotify and YouTube combined. Only, those who are extremely into the community would pay for this. However, the reason why YouTube is so popular is because its free relatable entertainment. The price of $9.99 seems to be affordable and the exclusive content from the top YouTubers such as Pewdiepie, Lilly Singh, Toby Turner, and Joey Graceffa is the icing on the top of the cake. On the other hand, what will this do to the YouTubers that make a living off of creating content that do not take part in this? The YouTubers that are the crème de la crème of the community do not seem to have much worrying to do, but what about those who have much smaller channels? Some of them are already taking action by going onto other platforms such as Twitch and Vessel and trying to get more sponsorships besides those such as Audible and LootCrate. However, their attempts may not be sufficient because this launch could possibly revolutionize YouTube forever.
In the words of YouTube vlogger John Green, "YouTube isn't something you watch, it's something you're a part of." This is one thing all of the content creators and viewers understand that the rest of the world does not. As viewers, we do whatever we can to help support the creators we have come to know and love; whether that means reading their books or wearing and buying their merchandise, we do it all. Accordingly, the support and love the viewers show for YouTubers forms an unbreakable community because we all watch and enjoy the same content. This is where a problem sinks in. Not all of us will buy or afford YouTube Red. Unfortunately, the new YouTube Red threatens the community. This issue can split the YouTube community into two different classes: those who can afford it and those who cannot. For example, Pewdiepie is starring in a YouTube Red horror show made by creator of The Walking Dead. While this show may be a huge success for him, not all of this viewers will be able to thrive in that success with him because some of us do not have that exclusive content that will eventually split our community. Although YouTube Red is optional, the fans feel compelled to buy it because they will fell like less of a supporter. Nonetheless, there will be those who won't purchase it, not because they are not interested in the content or the creator, but rather that they don't have $120 to spare each year.
YouTube Red, overall, isn't the worst thing that has happened to YouTube, however, it will take some getting used to and it will create new obstacles and changes within the community. Personally, I would be rather upset seeing my favorite YouTuber starring in a show I cannot watch and having it sitting there in my subscription box. For those of us that are part of the YouTube community, we can only wait and see what comes next with YouTube Red.
