How YouTube Rewards Packaging Over Substance

Issue #270 | September 5, 2024

By now you’ve heard enough from me (and everyone else) about the Beastification of the internet: the praise, the critiques, the handbooks, the Harvard courses. And I can’t in good conscience come in here and make the argument that we don’t focus on the substance of Jimmy’s videos when there are exposes unfolding in real-time about the horrific conditions that are, for some reason, an explosive revelation about a YouTuber who literally marketed his own version of an IRL “Squid Game” before Netflix did.

But I think we’re better served to focus on what aspects of MrBeast‘s videos creators are actually trying to emulate because it’s NOT the content. It’s the packaging of the content, which I hesitate to call “graphic design” because that implies there are some studyable concepts underpinning the creation of 110 thumbnail variations for ONE video.

I’m not blaming MrBeast for chasing the algo, because we’re all doing it. It’s like trying to go to a birthday party that no one knows the address to, so we’re all just praying this big “Pimp My Ride”-style Jeep* we’ve been following for two years now is headed to the same event. And we’re too dug in now to turn back or stop and ask for directions, even as the total lack of turn signals and the number of dead-end cul-de-sacs we’ve been lead down should have us questioning the judgment of who is at the wheel.

THE COMMENTS SECTION

““Real women-”
“…body count…”
“A wife puts her man before her kids-”

✋🏾STOP! Before you post, check the list:

– Blue ✔️
– At the end of the month
– Recycled topic
– Followed by losers

If you got BARF… Scroll By, Don’t Reply! Together we can stop monetized rage bait!”
– X user bi-onic rad-neck (@danielleradford)

And even then, I don’t think MrBeast represents the full scope of the problem in this “Medium is the Message” post-McLuhan reality: as pop culture YouTuber and Screen Junkies alum Dan Murrell points out in our recent Deep Linkers episode, videos on the platform used to be “a lot more driven by the quality, the polish or the hook, the quality of the jokes. Today it’s about how are you positioning to get people to notice…it’s about the packaging.”

That extends to idealogy as well. “At this point on YouTube ‘woke’ is a brand,” Murrell told Passionfruit – and to be explicitly clear because media literacy isn’t prioritized these days, he’s speaking about creators who use the term pejoratively – “You put it on the thumbnail, and people know what they’re going to get when they click it. It’s a known. You have a base of consumers…it’s a brand. Ideology can become part of that packaging.”

And that just blows. Because while there was a certain cynicism inherent in clickbait, it has nothing on the absolute malicious nihilism of constructing your entire online identity around hate-mongering nonsense that you didn’t even believe in until YouTube started rewarding your worst takes about Star Wars with a generous Kool-Aid pour of views. You see it everywhere, and you start thinking, “This is what I need to do to break through the noise on YouTube.” In fact, that’s just going to contribute to it.

So, while we all have to make a buck on the web, remember that the packaging doesn’t determine the content. Your brand shouldn’t dictate or override a genuine expression of creativity. You’re still in control of this car and where it’s going, and sometimes it’s okay not to follow the ride in front of you…especially when it’s headed off a cliff.

*Sorry, I don’t know cars; picture whatever the gaudiest one is, or like a million-dollar yacht with Tom Brady.

– Drew Grant, Editorial Director

NOTED BY LON HARRIS

Why Hollywood is Actually Watching Your TikToks

The content machine has become platform-agnostic.

By Lon Harris, Passionfruit Contributor

→ READ THE FULL STORY

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IN THE BIZ

Instagram’s latest update allows mutual followers to publicly comment on Stories.
Paramount announced it had sold VidCon to Informa, the owner of FanExpo.
The Internet Archive lost its appeal in a lawsuit brought by publishers, with the court ruling that its digital lending system infringes copyright and deprives creators of compensation.
YouTube is introducing a new supervision feature globally this week, enabling parents and guardians to link their accounts to their teenage children’s accounts.

CULTURE

TikTok’s Infinite Money Glitch is Just Check Fraud

Over the weekend, social media was ablaze with people potentially committing fraud.

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

TIPS & TRICKS

Retirement Planning for Content Creators: A Crash Course For The Self Employed

The longer you plan for the future, the more secure you will be.

By merritt k, Passionfruit Contributor

READ THE FULL STORY →

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

This creator gives us an Eminem-style rap wondering where his Hogwarts letter is.
This creator shows us what it’s like to have an internal jukebox.
This creator shares his theory that Barbie is actually Harley Quinn.
This creator points out how many movie sequels and remakes have come out this year.

YOUTUBE MADE ME DO IT

Professional critic and “content” creator Dan Murrell, who began his online career at Screen Junkies before launching his own channel, joins Deep Linkers this week. Dan discusses the challenges he faced starting a channel during the pandemic, the lessons he’s learned, and the evolving trends he’s observed over the years.

Be sure to subscribe to the Passionfruit YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode! If you’d prefer to listen in audio form, we also have a podcast feed.