Widely known for his musical parodies, such as “After Ever After” and “After Ever After 2,” Jon Cozart is back again, but this time, he savagely tears apart YouTube culture.
Cozart’s latest video on his channel, “YouTube Culture: A Song,” features cameos from a handful of famous creators as they rip into the stereotypes of YouTube and their fans, as well as discuss the uncomfortable truths of the industry that we all try so desperately to avoid. The video features notable creators on YouTube, such as Anna Akana, Steve Zaragoza, Kingsley, Flula, TimothyDeLaGhetto, MysteryGuitarMan and Jack Douglass as they tote around props and sing backing vocals behind Cozart. The video ends with the group’s celebratory drink of Kool-Aid, before dropping dead.
Some particularly compelling lines of the song include “I’m a famous clown in a flower crown / My friends are dictated by similar subscriber counts,” and “I idolize your idle eyes and / I’m monetizing kissing guys.” In the chorus, Cozart compares YouTube culture to something more disturbing — a cult.
YouTube started out as what most people still think it is: a place for online video. However, many people are unaware of the evolution of the YouTube celebrity and their scandals.
In recent years, the YouTube community has been rocked by several scandals. In 2014, a young woman named Olga came forward on Tumblr with allegations of sexual abuse against YouTube star Tom Milsom. In her (now deleted) posts, she claimed that Milsom had sexually abused her when she was 15 and he was 22. The pair had met at VidCon, a yearly online video convention founded by John and Hank Green. Hank Green had confirmed Olga’s allegations, noting that she had been a fangirl who was invited to the behind-the-scenes of the life of a YouTube celebrity.
Later that year, Sam Pepper uploaded a prank video in which he pinched the bottoms of unsuspecting women, which spurred the discussion of what is and isn’t acceptable online behavior. At the same time, many young women came forward, accusing Pepper of sexual misconduct, from inappropriate dates and non-consensual sex. During this time, Pepper was dropped from his multi-channel network, Collective Digital Studio, in response to the claims. Additionally, both Milsom and Pepper have been banned from VidCon.
YouTube has an interesting fan base, a cult-like following, if you will.
YouTubers — starting off in their bedrooms talking to cameras — have grown into a new entity of celebrity. Now they're more accessible and closer to an audience. For some of these fans, nothing is impossible when it comes to their idols. However, because YouTubers are so much more accessible to their audiences, it raises the question — how should YouTubers and their audiences interact safely without losing the personal nature of YouTube itself?
The relationships between the YouTuber and the fan need to be redefined to provide safety to both the fan and the creator. Both Milsom and Pepper were accused of taking advantage of their fans’ trust. These allegations quickly opened up the conversation about consent and the need for YouTubers and fans to have healthy relationships. How do things move forward from here?
Many YouTubers have started to discuss how to move forward. In a video from 2014, YouTuber Charlie McDonnell discusses respect from both the creator and the fan.
“The big YouTubers on this side of things, I think, they don’t want to feel other. They don’t want to feel special. They want to feel normal. They want you to see them as human beings,” explains McDonnell. “I believe we need some more respect on both sides.”
