YouTube is a common place where independent content creators contribute to their content. The content consumers know YouTube is a go-to platform for all video and music needs. The viewers like YouTube since most of the material here is free of legal scrutiny and monitoring. This gives the users the freedom of accessing content that would otherwise be difficult to get on mainstream platforms.
However, withYouTube demonetization becoming popular, and taking roots, such freedom could become history soon. Both the viewers and content creators will be limited to only share and view approved content. Profane material will be restricted from viewing.
YouTube Content Upload Policy
In the recent past, YouTube has developed a clear policy in regards to profanity. The content uploaded on YouTube must adhere to the rules regarding the extent to which swear words will be used. Content creators must make an effort to avoid YouTube demonetize their uploaded videos.
Like with any terms and conditions, it is difficult for a layperson to understand the details of the policies. To address this, YouTube has gone ahead to offer clarity regarding the procedures by creating and uploading a video with regulation details. The uploaded video gives a precise classification of profanity. The classification is in three parts, namely; safe side, little obscenity, and severe profanity.
On the downside, the video examples are only available in the English language. The consumers of YouTube content are from all over the world, and not all are English speakers. Therefore, issuing guidelines in English locks out non-English speakers from getting the information. They are left on their own devices to decide which words are obscene in their language and avoid them.
The content creators are advised to avoid using obscene words. In some cases, they should pay attention not to use the swear words in specific sections of the videos. For instance, avoid using harsh racial language on the thumbnail image. Ensure the video title does not have a word that suggests discrimination of any kind.
To enforce profanity regulations, YouTube is keen to send notifications about obscene content. Before the video is rejected, the owner is notified. YouTube sends sample videos to the content creators to demonstrate profanity content.
Demonetization background
Demonetization was conceived more than ten years ago. It was during the time of the social media revolution that demonetization started becoming popular. Demonetization means the advertisers have control over where their adverts are being placed and ran on YouTube. The advertisers have the power to pull out their adverts from video whose ideologies they don’t agree with.
Before demonetization, independent content creators had income from ads revenue as their primary source of income. Many YouTubers relayed entirely on YouTube income to pay their bills and finance their lifestyles.
YouTube largely depended on individual content contributors, unlike today. YouTube has shifted to large content creators who now guarantee huge returns on adverts since they have a huge following, and attract established brands. YouTube benefits primarily from this alternative since the financiers are willing to pay well for their adverts.
YouTube receives money for advertisement by placing the adverts on the uploaded videos. YouTube then pays the content contributors a cut of the money they are paid for these adverts.
Significant changes in policy came in 2016 after a successful YouTube content creator uploaded a video with obscene language. It was also noted that YouTube was hosting some adverts on videos uploaded by terrorist groups.
Since then, YouTube content contribution guidelines undergo a lot of changes. YouTube today is very strict with the content being uploaded. The content contributors have to sign up in YouTube’s partner program. The content contributor must then adhere to the guidelines.
YouTube went ahead to make and implement the stringent regulations regarding content contribution. While this move was a welcome measure by major brands, it did not go well with the independent content makers.
In 2017, YouTube added even more restrictions. For a content created to earn income from adverts, he needs 4,000 hours of watch time for a period of 12months. Also, content creators were required to have at least 1,000 subscribers. Initially, the rules were a bit lenient and favored even the small content creators. All YouTube needed for you to qualify for ads was 10,000 hours of watch time.
Recently, YouTube went further to implement automatic demonetization of videos and the whole channels that aired obscene and controversial material.
Results of Demonetization
Demonetization denies the content contributors an opportunity to have paid adverts on the uploaded videos when the videos do not meet the guidelines. Some contributors are even completely banned from uploading their content on YouTube. This move limits the revenue they would get from videos. Video creation and upload on YouTube have become a less attractive venture since the income generation is quite limited and unpredictable.
Due to strict and elaborate policies, many content creators have pulled out from contributing content in YouTube. Many financiers and brands have pulled out too from advertising on YouTube. Initially, the brands were not impressed with YouTube’s laxity on the kind of content that was being hosted. Obscene material elicited controversy, and many brands pulled out to protect their business image.
It seems YouTube is no longer keen on encouraging content creators to venture on YouTube but to appease the advertisers. New and unpopular content creators are denied an opportunity to earn what they deserve. Small businesses are also disadvantaged since they can’t afford substantial advertisement fees.
Conclusion
YouTube implementation of strict policies is with good intentions, but it may be difficult for YouTube to recover from the negativity and controversies it has created with small content contributors and small advertisers. Theyoutube demonetization move seems only to favor the established content creators and businesses with a massive financial muscle.
YouTube must rethink of better ways of controlling the kind of content without negatively affecting the revenues and the overall image. YouTube can resolve to employ a highly qualified team to work with all content creators. This move will be a win-win.