The Real Reason Why Youtube Rewind Stopped

Remember, Youtube Rewind? You know, those high-budget annual videos that would feature a wealth of creators and capture all the memes, moments, and music from YouTube culture throughout the year? My personal favourite Rewind was the 2016 one linked below because it seemed to have all my favourite Youtubers and awesome songs! But after almost 10 years of producing Rewinds, Youtube decided to stop in 2020 because the videos were heavily criticized. They were labelled by viewers as being out of touch with the community and excluding famous and slightly controversial YouTubers.

Today,YouTube believes it’s impossible to represent the diversity of its community to everyone’s satisfaction. Instead, YouTube is leaving the task up to its community. In recent years, many creators have taken to producing their own Rewind videos, highlighting creators they believe were missed during the original Rewind videos.

The thing is, back when Youtube was making those heavily criticized videos, they were deciding which creators to include based on which channels received the highest views and performance statistics. Theoretically, whatever channels received the most views throughout the year would be the most recognized and well-recieved channels during the Rewind video. Ideally, feauturing popular artists would resulting in a well-liked Rewind video overall but supporters of small content creators argued that it was unfair to bring year-end recognition to the creators who already got so many annual views. They argued that Youtube Rewind should be an opportunity for lesser-known creators to be acknowledged, celebrated and encouraged to continue enriching the Youtube platform with diverse content into the new year.

Considering both sides of the debate, it becomes clear an oversaturation of sorts is happening on the Youtube platform. Many creators seem to compete for their video ideas to be ongoingly recognized by viewers but only some Youtubers seem to maintain proper acknowledgement for long.

It makes sense then why so many major Youtubers have been leaving and announcing that they no longer feel comfortable producing regular content on the platform. YouTube, once known for low-production and quirky content creation, has undergone significant transformations that do not always align with its initial concept. The rise of highly produced material that’s incentivized by YouTube itself has changed its landscape; creators such as MatPat have noticed this shift and pointed out how its development plays a part in their decision to leave the platform altogether. YouTube Shorts’ debut as an effort to compete with TikTok was an important marker of this change; yet many long-time creators feel out of place due to this shift, creating content that no longer aligns with their original vision or the platform’s evolving nature.

This unsustainable demand for content creation has caused many veteran YouTubers have to experience burnout and seek new creative directions. MatPat of The Game Theorists spoke of prioritizing work over family because of Youtube, echoing similar sentiments expressed by others like Tom Scott and CaptainSparklez. Joel Haver has moved towards feature films while MeatCanyon said he wants to work on original content rather than the cartoon parodies he’s known for; these departures reveal an ongoing issue among creators: the unsustainable demand for content creation can have detrimental effects on both the personal lives and the artistic freedom of creators.

Another reason for the exodus of several Youtubers is the changing landscape of YouTube. A major issue facing YouTube creators is an alarming culture of imitation. Emma Chamberlain provides an example; her unique editing style, initially refreshing to see on YouTube, quickly became the blueprint for other videos, leading to homogenized content creation on all platforms – not only YouTube – with TikTok experiencing similar problems too. Watching one’s original content or style being replicated successfully by others can be disheartening and force creators to constantly reinvent themselves – which can be both exhausting and creatively restrictive.

Some major Youtubers like Jenna Marbles cite monetization issues and cancel culture as their primary motivation for leaving. Others point to changes in the way YouTube’s algorithms work or its policies and guidelines as being too restrictive or not supportive enough of content creators.

In conclusion, the reasons for the exodus of YouTubers are multifaceted and complex. While some creators are leaving due to burnout, others are seeking new creative directions. The changing landscape and demands of YouTube culture are contributing factors to this phenomenon. The controversy surrounding Youtube Rewind was only the first of many moments that left creators feeling left out, overworked and in search of a more inclusive platform. It remains to be seen how YouTube will address these issues and whether it can retain its position as one of the most beloved content platforms on the internet.