So on this blog, I talk about You Tube a lot. Because a lot of people in the IT service community follow it. Some have popular channels themselves. However, this is a deeply sad blog I have to report, but it is necessary to talk about. YouTube star Etika passed away at 29.
So for those who don’t know him, Etika, real name Desmond Amofar, specialized in critiquing video games on You Tube. His favorite brand to talk about was Nintendo, and his channel, TRI Iceman had over 130,000 subscribers. But in recent months, family, friends and fans grew more concern over his erratic behavior and declining mental health. For instance, in April 2019, he tweeted himself posing with a gun. The next month, he allegedly assaulted a police officer and rushed to a hospital.
Then, last week, Mr. Amofar uploaded a video, quoting, “I really had no intention of killing myself, but I would always push it too far.”. Unfortunately, this would be his last You Tube video. Because on June 20, the NYPD posted Mr. Amofar missing, urging anyone who saw him to come forward. Then, on June 25, police reported Mr. Amafor dead. They found his body floating in New York City’s East River. They also found some of his belongings by the Manhattan Bridge. Yesterday, authorities ruled Mr. Amofar’s death as a suicide.
So YouTube star Etika passed away at 29. In the last couple of days, tributes from all over the world are poured in. They come from followers and fellow You Tubers. Though I never knew him or subscribed to his channel, we also join in in offering our condolences to Desmond ‘Etika’ Amofar’s family, friends and community. So why even talk about this? Because suicide is an epidemic in this country right now. The statistics are alarming. In fact, it’s getting so bad that for the third year in a row, the US life expectancy rate declined. That’s the first time that happened since the World War 1/Spanish Flu era of the late 1910s. So if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Or you can visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org. Remember, you are worth saving and you are worth fighting for.
So everybody, even those of us in computer repair, like You Tube. But there is a social/political beef between two major You Tube stars. Those stars are conservative activists Steven Crowder and progressive Vox reporter Carlos Maza. There are also accusations of harassment. But not even You Tube is clear of what harassment is. This is You Tube harassment and confusion.
So it started when You Tube stopped Crowder’s many flow and ads over some racist and homophobic comments he made about Maza. Then, they said Crowder can make money again after he fixed things. One of those things Croweder musts fix is stop linking an certain online shop. This online shop sells a t-shirt so vulgar I can’t even repeat it.
But before disciplining Crowder, You Tube talked to Maza. They told Maza that Crowder’s comments were clearly hurtful. However, You Tube says they don’t violate their policies. That’s because they say it’s an open platform, so anybody can express their opinions, so long as it’s within their policies. But the things Crowder said did go after Maza’s race and sexual orientation. That does violate You Tube policy. Maza even discusses this in Twitter. Maza lists the names and insults he claims Crowder throws at him. Also, Maza hints that Crowder influences others. Because according to Maza, he wakes up to a whole bunch of insults online that follows Crowder’s.
So this is the murky situation. Think about all the comedians we enjoy, who often take swipes at public figures. Then think about the political shows that take swipes at their opponents, or people they see as ‘enemies’. You Tube communication leader Chris Dale tried to explain the difference between opinion and harassment. So there is You Tube harassment and confusion. What do you think? Should You Tube take a harder stance against harassment? Or could this lead to censorship and political correctness overload?
So In Great Britain, Brexit is coming up. Back in 2016, a slight majority of British voters voted for their nation to leave the European Union. So of course, there is a lot of tension in the British Parliament and public. Then you have guys like Tommy Robinson, a far-right You Tube host that capitalizes off such tension. You Tube restricts British extreme right wing commentator.
So not only do they take away his ability to livestream. But they remove some of his videos too. A You Tube spokesperson said they came up with the restrictions only after careful consulting with third parties. However, we don’t know who these third parties are, and we probably never will know. Furthermore, if you do a search engine check on Tommy Robinson, you won’t even find his You Tube channels. Instead, you will find news from other sources. But wait…there’s more. Because now, you won’t even be able to like or comment on Robinson’s video, or subscribe to his channel. Keep in mind there are millions of You Tube channels. Many of them express controversial and radical beliefs. So why are they coming down on Tommy Robinson? I think we need to dig deeper in who this Robinson character is.
First of all, that’s not even his real name. His real name is Stephen Yaxely-Lennon. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten in trouble because of his extreme views. Because back in February 2019, Facebook banned him for the same reason. Then there is his beef with journalist. According to a Tech Crunch article, he threatened and harassed a journalist late at night. It got to the point someone called the police for intervention. Also, according to an article, Yaxely-Lennon has been involved with far-right organizations like the British National Party. He caused much tension and controversy over his hate speech over the years. However, he uses the online alias, ‘Tommy Robinson’ to get funding for his channel, mostly from far right-wing extreme sympathizers. But he manipulated the system good enough that he was able to get advertising. That is…until January 2019, when the ad dollars stopped flowing because of his extreme views.
So this is how You Tube restricts Bristish extreme right wing commentator. Some of my IT service people will say he gets what he deserves. But some will say You Tube didn’t go far enough. Still, others in the IT support community may say they went too far, and they shouldn’t punish him at all. But I look at the timing here. They knew all about his extremist views for years. However, they wait until this Brexit controversy to do something about it? Obviously, I don’t agree with Tommy Robinson’s extreme views. The fact that he even changed his name shows cowardice on his part. What is he hiding from? What is he ashamed of? At least people are talking. Is this the right thing to do or a threat to free speech?
So I guess most of you know about the Momo challenge. A strange creepy like figure comes on your child’s social media, without warning. Then that figure challenges them to either harm or kill themselves. Consumer alert: The Momo suicide challenge.
So Momo targets children. Then, if that isn’t sick enough, Momo interrupts the most innocent of You Tube Kids shows. I’m talking about kids shows like Peppa Pig? and Doc McStuffins. The sociopaths behind Momo do this on purpose because they think the parents won’t catch on. But thankfully many are, because children are reporting it to parents. Good job, kids. This is what makes Momo so sick and sadistic. They’re going after children. Why?
However, this isn’t the first time the Momo challenge came on the scene. Last year, this creepy figure appeared in the What’s App. Two teenagers committed suicide because of it. This took place in? the South American nation of Columbia. The victims were a 12-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy. So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported from this current round of Momo sights. But I can see why parents, teachers and security experts worry. Anytime you have a coward, or group of cowards, using IT service and social media to tell children to harm and kill, that’s major cause for alarm.
Parents, please know what your kids are watching on You Tube. Not only that, but warn them of Momo. And instruct them on what to do if they do see this character. I’m thankful that kids are already alerting adults about this. Yes, You Tube and other IT support systems do the best they can, but they need the consumer’s help. You see, AI and algorithms do much of the programming now, so much is out of human hands. And the bad guys know it. That’s why we in the community need to step it up like never before. We don’t know who is behind this, but police worldwide are looking for them. In fact, celebrities like Kim Kardashian call for an end to this Momo challenge. This is a consumer alert: The Momo suicide challenge. What will you do about it?
So Forbes Magazine came out with 2018’s highest paid You Tube stars. It is an interesting list. Some of these guys cause controversy, some launched music careers. But one is only seven years old!
So let’s start with the more controversial ones. For example, there’s Logan Paul. His video features pranks and dare-devil like stunts. But back in January, he filmed a video, with a man hanging from a tree in the background as a result from a suicide. You Tube offed him from their Preferred program, which gives You Tubers great status with advertisers. He lost a few subscribers as well. But he bounced back nicely. Because his 2018 You Tube pay is 14.5 million dollars.
Then there is PewDiePie, a Swedish gamer. Last year, he got in trouble because of some anti-Semetic remarks. He quickly made thing up. Now, advertisers are back and his channel is going strong. In 2018, his channel made him $15.5 million. There is Jacksepticeye. He critiques video games, but his strong language can raise eyebrows sometimes. However, not only did his strong language earn him $16 million in 2018, but it got him a series, with, of all companies, Disney.
Second on the list is Jake Paul, Logan Paul’s younger brother. His rap songs got over 3.5 billion views.? These songs helped him get over 21.5 million dollars in 2018. I see everybody on this list is under 30. Also, many people on this list are gamers. Many people in the IT service and computer repair industry are passionate gamers, so maybe they’re onto something. But the top of 2018’s highest paid You Tube stars is only 7! His name is Ryan and his channel is Ryan ToysReview. He plays with and reviews toys. He has over 17 million subscribers and counting. In fact, his line of collectibles are selling like hotcakes at Walmart. In 2018, You Tube made him over $22 million! I skipped a lot of people on the list, but who is your favorite You Tube star?
So a few days ago, me and a tech talked about You Tube in our Boston computer service shop. A father of two elementary school aged children, he got You Tube Kids. But soon, he found stuff on You Tube Kids so disturbing that he cancelled the app altogether. Then I read an article that backs up this father’s concern. You Tube age restriction: Do they work?
So according to one article, even the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is taking note. In fact, they’re looking into practices surrounding You Tube Kids. Lately, they’re are a lot of complaints from family rights and privacy rights groups. Some say they’re collecting data from children under 13. Then, they use it to advertise to these kids. There is a law they call the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. It has strict rules to protect children from data collection. But some advocates say You Tube broke these rules, and try to do so subtly. However, You Tube came up with a ready answer. They say You Tube Kids is for teenagers, 13-17. However, statistics show You Tube Kids’ biggest age demographic is children between the age of 5 and 12. However, You Tube and the advocacy groups are working hard to come up with some kind of solution.
I’m sure advertising was one of his concerns, but it’s not the only one. Because he mentioned inappropriate content that shouldn’t be on You Tube Kids. He’s not the only concerned parent. In fact, recently, they admitted they need to do better job. They’re also using human moderates, not just AI ones, like some other IT service companies do. That alone is disturbing. But I suggest a solution: Create two You Tube Kids apps. Make one for teenagers. Make the other one for kids under 12. That way, parents know which app is proper for which age group. It’s Google/You Tube. They’re one of the richest corporations in the world. They can afford to make two separate, age appropriate You Tube Kids’ networks. If this keeps up, they may not be able to afford not to create two You Tube Kids’ networks. You Tube age restriction: Do They Work?
