In order to gauge varying perspectives regarding the issue of commercialization on YouTube, it was clear to me to interview an actual creator who would know the environment and restrictions of the platform better than anyone else. Dylan aka Student Vlogs Dylan has around 31 thousand subscribers and has been regularly uploading since 2016. After messaging via Facebook he agreed to an interview conducted online as a result of him being abroad in New Zealand. Through a series of questions transcribed below, Dylan provided an interesting insight into the changes of content on the platform and the increased difficulty for new creators to match the production quality of the top channels.
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| Dylan's' YouTube profile picture |
1) First, could you tell us why you started your channel and about the content you upload?
We began the interview with this initial question, unravelling Dylan’s YouTube journey from uploading gaming content to the student subject matter that dominates his channel today. He had always been interested in the platform since the beginning in 2007 as a viewer, but also as a YouTuber. His early gaming videos didn’t generate as much interaction as he would have liked until he veered towards a new niche area of content; his GCSE result video, which produced a considerable amount of views. From this successful upload, he started a brand new channel focusing on student based content, reacting in particular to his AS Level exams. He realised that he was “the only one who was offering relatable content at that time on YouTube… [and] who was your average grade person” so viewers were attracted to that relevancy. Narrowing his target audience and revolving his brand around his personality/lifestyle began generating a consistent level of traction, likes and views. In addition, his content has evolved in relation to his educational progression, from not just exam reactions to ‘day in the life of a student’ uploads, vlogs and the lifestyle of being a university student.
2) In the aftermath of the ‘Adpocalypse’ on YouTube, do you think it has affected your channel? And if so, in what ways?
The Adpocalypsehas been widely dissected primarily in relation to top channels with millions of subscribers but less has been discussed towards the impact on smaller growing channels such as Student Vlogs Dylan. With YouTube’s changes in regulation affecting the monetization of content deemed not ad friendly, I was interested in discovering whether Dylan’s student based channel was affected. In response to my question, Dylan said “It didn’t affect my channel realistically, I don’t have any big sponsorships or any large companies that want to specifically target my channel because I only have around 30k subscribers.” Therefore, his main source of income was from AdSense which was hardly affected as ad’s were continually implemented onto his content. From a creator’s perspective however, he recognised the increased censorship on YouTube with creators having to “be very careful with that they say… and cautious about getting demonetized.” In response to the Adpocalypse, Dylan explains the shift in content on the platform; “more family friendly because YouTube has taken a stronger stance on making sure the content is suitable for advertisers… you have to note if there’s swearing in the video otherwise it will get age restricted.” Age restricted content prevents a large share of the YouTube market from watching the video, decreasing AdSense revenue. For many Youtubers, there is a now a no swear policy.
3) As a creator, do you feel that your content has become increasingly more commercial?
Leading on from the previous question is the issue of commercialisation on the platform and whether or not smaller channels have catered their content to YouTube’s new corporate stance. Dylan began discussing these issues with, “[my channel] personally not at all. Regardless of anything I would still upload the content I would have done even if I wasn’t making any money from it on YouTube.” He believes that a low percentage of Youtubers actually design their content to be commercial, instead it’s out of a genuine love for creating and “the challenge of gaining views.” In fact, Dylan is unsure how YouTubers can make their content appeal commercially but highlights the overuse and exploitation of adverts independently added to a video. Dylan personally comments that a default video on his channel less than ten minutes in length would have one inserted advert. If a video is longer than ten minutes, the platform provides the creators with the option of inserting “five or six” adverts. Dylan thinks is “ridiculous” when a creator adds the maximum amount of adds to a video that has just gone over 10 minutes; two being the largest amount of adverts he has added. Overuse of adverts can often be “frustrating” for a viewer and disconnect them from the creator which was always the selling point of the platform; the interconnectedness.
4) Do you feel that it is harder than ever for creators to grow on this platform?
With YouTube pulling in over 1.8 billion users every month I can’t help but wonder how on earth start-up channels are able to stand alone and grow to match the likes of PewDiePie and the Paul brothers. Dylan agreed that the oversaturation of the platform makes it “very hard to have a breakthrough.” Especially with the larger channels “now having production crews and going out on big adventures making super cool content.” Start-up channels don’t have the budgets, the time or facilities to match this level of content that’s going to help them grow. The content “is much more competitive” and matched with the oversaturated market, “definitely makes it harder than ever for creators to grow.” Creators are going to unseen lengths in terms of content and production to spotlight themselves, separating their channel from the constant influx of users on YouTube.
5) What do you think of the recent content development towards long form documentary series’ like Shane Dawson and higher production value?
In response to Dylan touching on the high level of produced competitive content that top users are implementing onto their channels, I asked him to dive deeper into this area. He re-illiterates the importance of being unique, referencing David Dobrik and his 4 minutes and 21-second high paced, quality vlogs as a recent example of a creator bringing something new to the platform. On the subject of Shane Dawson, Dylan emphasises that he believes the success is more than just the documentary format, but as a result of Shane’s beloved “established reputation” and his ability to interview controversial figures such as Jake Paul that are guaranteed to generate views. Even though long form docs are the most highly regarded style of content currently, Dylan doesn’t think that there is an overall development towards this genre “because not everyone can do what Shane does.” Shane is simply “very talented at what he does… asking interesting questions to interesting people.” But Dylan passionately agrees to the bigger shifts towards highly produced content saying, “all people want to do is make the best content they can and if having higher production value and having a team around you does that, then that’s great.” But considering the other side of that argument he adds, “it does make it harder on new Youtubers who want to attain that level… [viewers] expect us to match the funding and ability of the top channels.” The industry standard of content is just unattainable for the start-ups in this era of YouTube. At the beginning in 2007, YouTubers didn’t have any competition and so grew to the giants we see today such as Smosh and Jenna Marbles. But in this new climate, achieving the same worldwide success has only been accomplished by a small percentage.
To summarise the main points in this interview, Dylan as a part time smaller creator, provided an immersed perspective into the current YouTube environment. Reflecting on how the Adpocalypse affected him, he gave light to the content change towards more brand friendly videos and higher production value. In this, Dylan expressed the difficulty that smaller creators experience in matching the expected quality that viewers demand from their subscribed channels and as a result, it is harder than ever to grow on such an oversaturated platform.
