You can watch the rewind here
“I’ll patiently wait for the new avalanche of hilarious comments because spoiler alert, everyone will love 2017’s rewind in 2018.”
This is precisely how I ended my review for last year’s famous YouTube Rewind. One glimpse over the audience’s reaction and you can tell straightaway that my predictions were true. Although, I must confess, I never actually expected this overwhelming response from fellow viewers. The like/dislike ratio says it all (as I’m writing this post, 2018’s rewind has 2.4M likes and over 14M dislikes – thus ironically becoming YouTube’s most disliked video) and, dare I say, the comment section from 2017’s recap is even more suggestive:
“YouTube Rewind 2018 makes this look good. That’s not a good sign.”
“I see many people are taking refuge here as well.”
“2017: I’m the worst rewind. 2018: Hold my beer.”
“By the time 2019 comes around, this will be a goddamn masterpiece.”
“We were so dumb, we didn’t know what we had until Rewind 2018 hit. We just took it [Rewind 2017] for granted and now we’re stuck with something that can’t be fixed.”
As someone has cleverly pointed out, every year it’s the same cycle, indeed. People will always return to previous videos and appreciate them a whole lot more, after having manifested their downright disappointment with the current year’s rewind. Given the repetitive circumstances, why do we bother to spark off such heated conversations and arguments? Why don’t we just click off the video and silently enjoy older ones? What triggers us to leave passive-aggressive remarks and make sarcastic mentions? Admittedly, there’s something about 2018’s rewind which makes it stand out: “It was all garbage. It became so political and polarizing when it’s supposed to be about all of YouTube coming together. YouTube is so out of touch with its users.” But do we really seek out any sort of change in the future? Or are there other more valid motives?
This post was a long time coming. I had started writing down first (indifferent) impressions weeks ago, but the number of articles and clips pouring in functioned as a sign that I should retreat for the time being and overlook where all of this is heading to. Waiting and occasionally scribbling some ideas proved to be useful. I no longer wish to go through the rewind, stop over the finest details and try to unveil the good. The content has been discussed excessively and most of us are already aware of what the video should have featured. Instead, I want to bring forward some observations I’ve gathered, observations which also happen to stem from personal situations (re)occurring in 2018.
1) Everything is a messed-up mashup of everything
When you create something, you can’t fit everything in. You either take it step by step, plan everything in advance or you set out for something simple, yet impactful. That easy. But still hard to achieve, apparently. Albeit I do understand the creators’ excitement. When you are filled with ideas and have an inclination for popping up novelties, you can easily become impatient, eager to unleash your visions, and you eventually lose focus, omit the potential message behind your creation. Haven’t we all read and watched plenty of works which made us question in the end, “What was the point, anyway? Have I learned anything new? Or am I more confused and annoyed than ever?”
Surely, a lot could be going on throughout a year, therefore how is a rewind supposed to capture all the defining moments and simultaneously please everyone? It’s not a simple task, it takes some finesse to slip in ingenious references and concentrate the elements into something memorable. If you are not willing to do so, don’t admit defeat. An alternative is to play it safe from the beginning and consider strictly the essential events related to YouTubers. Shane Dawson conquering the digital space and the Logan Paul vs KSI boxing match are two brilliant examples. Even the suspenseful battle between PewDiePie and the Bollywood production company called T-Series is worth a mention, although in this case, I’m sure the shootings for the rewind had taken place way before PewDiePie’s chase to maintain his reign commenced. In short, none of these creators, alongside others, have been part of the video. This is the moment where we all turn our heads towards the YouTube executives and ask ourselves, “So what did they do wrong, more precisely?” No one can confidently speak up as if they know what was in the minds of these executives. There’s only room for assumptions.
2) Money squad turning dummy for a façade
Money is one of our main stimulants, that is a fact. And the same applies to the people working in the YouTube offices. As much as they wanted to make the rewind a bit different, supposedly allowing creators and viewers to control the video and have their proposals acknowledged, they still followed their own path, as expected. They chose representative figures, ones who are meant to appeal to advertisers, excluding any controversy. At this point, talk show hosts and Twitch streamers are much more reasonable than actual YouTubers.
Last year, tragedies were briefly recalled at the midst of the rewind. This time we have a group of YouTubers assembled around a campfire, highlighting the major achievements of their welcoming online platform. There’s an overload of diversity and ingenuine confessions which might as well be rip-offs from platitudinous inspirational videos.
“You know who really needs to be in this Rewind video? Everyone who managed to do something bigger than themselves this year, who found a way to help the causes that matter to them most.”
“To everyone who proved it’s okay to talk about mental health this year and showing their viewers that it’s okay to go through tough times like that.”
“It takes a lot of bravery to be that vulnerable and I’m so proud of this community.”
“I want to see all of you be your own kind of beautiful.”
“Can we also give a moment to Asian representation in entertainment this year? Major strides were made.”
“Here’s to all women in 2018, finding their voices.”
“I want to thank the whole community that always supports us during our best and worst. We are a family. We are a team. Family is everything.”
It is ridiculous how often I’ve come across these declarations. It is ordinary for us to place emphasis on positivity, empowerment and kindness, but if it doesn’t come off as a natural, heartfelt process, we’re honestly far better off portraying the reality and working towards an effective change. Besides, topics related to mental health would have never received that much attention if the scam-filled company called BetterHelp hadn’t been such an active sponsor in 2018. What’s next on the list?
3) A trivial comeback to (the pivotal... no, still trivial) backlash
My belief is that the hate surrounding 2017’s rewind might have distressed the executives and anyone who was behind the scenes. This could be one of the reasons they opted for a little alteration. However, while watching the newest rewind, I couldn’t help but feel that the viewers subtly got a taste of their own medicine. The slightly stuck-up “Let’s give the people what they want!” or the mocking “Is this what you wanted?” (which could have effortlessly been followed by a smirk) gave me the impression that we had just received some passive-aggressiveness from the YouTube managers themselves. Come to think of it, there’s a fair chance that they are in fact delighted, despite the increasing number of dislikes. Their issued statement is as follows:
“Every year when we release our Rewind video, our number one goal is getting the community to engage with it. This includes liking and disliking the video. With millions of comments, millions of likes and dislikes, and more than 100M views, we’re pleased with the results.”
A legit answer, but it also reveals their proclivity to portray a family-friendly and politically correct platform rather than be more open-minded and willing to listen to the actual consumer. For real. Well played.
4) Rage galore, enough to watch out for
We are surrounded by rage, which could originate from minor misunderstandings as well. You might tell me that all the 14M dislikes are undoubtedly from people who are utterly devasted and want their 8 minutes and 13 seconds back. I’m going to disagree. Since this amount of hate is beyond my comprehension, I’d rather blame the herd instinct. “Where my people at?”, am I right? It’s an unconscious move, for at the back of our heads most of us do want to join that one bigger crowd. When these viewers also retreat their dislikes from Justin Bieber’s Baby (the former most disliked video), I would say it’s crystal clear that we witness a foolish comedy show which I, for one, will shrug off in due course.
5) To dislike, yes, dis I like!
When someone achieves something incredible, we don’t bring ourselves to praise them and sincerely express pride. Not as much as we should, at least. But naturally, when one mishandles something, we immediately jump at the marvellous opportunity and lash out the person. A few videos jokingly and creatively displayed as parodies are welcome, but sometimes it does get obvious when a certain channel starts milking something purely for views. The charm is lost and the jokes stop being humorous. Does hate provide a sound recipe for success, a fruitful income? So it seems.
At this rate, in 2019 YouTube should ease the tension by creating a championship and inviting some of its creators to come up with the best rewind. The montage should be uploaded on a special website anonymously and the voting is bound to belong to the audience. If it isn’t deemed convenient, then we should just focus on ourselves, our content and our questioning love to hate. Here’s to a new year full of events, games, songs, memes and trends (which won’t be satisfactorily recognized by YouTube) and let us see what the platform has in store for us.
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