More than 1
billion unique visitors every month, over 6 billion hours of video watched, 100
hours of content uploaded every minute and countless allegations of sexual
abuse.
It can be quite
terrifying when an online platform such as YouTube turns into a community so
big and so powerful that it has developed many of the same traits as a
traditional community – leaders, gatherings, idols, wrongdoers.
YouTube has
grown an unprecedented amount over the past number of years. With the growth in
its popularity comes a growth in its influence. YouTube partners earn money for
every view they get on their videos. There are now thousands of YouTube
creators earning six figure sums every year.
There are of
course people behind these views. People who are influenced by YouTubers and
who hold these creators in high esteem.
YouTube has
a trait which differentiates its ‘celebrities’ from other traditional Hollywood
celebrities. YouTube idols garner success and respect from their likeability,
their true-to-life content and their approachability. They repeat on an almost
daily basis that they are just like every member of their audience, ordinary
people who just happen to film and publish their lives online for others’
enjoyment.
With the
sense of trust in YouTube creators comes great risk. People, especially young
girls become infatuated with their favourite YouTube stars. Many of these
relationships are completely innocent with nothing but an odd retweet from a
high profile YouTuber leaving a fan in hysterics. However in some cases, this
obsession can lead to incredibly compromising situations, some of which have
been revealed as early as 2012 but even more so in recent months.
In July of
2012 a prolonged FBI investigation into YouTube musician Mike Lombardo resulted
in his arrest. A video by vlogger Savannah Brown in September of this year, revealed
that the federal investigation led to ‘thousands upon thousands of
inappropriate pictures and videos of minors’ being found on his phone and
computer. A victim herself of Lombardo’s manipulative and inappropriate
behaviour, Savannah Brown decided to tell her story in the hope that it would
inspire others to talk and share their own experiences. Although she did not
agree to Lombardo’s requests for nude photos, she was only 15 years old at the
time and received highly inappropriate messages from the then 23 year old.
Lombardo pled
guilty to the receipt of pornography from minors – minors who had been
infatuated with him and encouraged by his manipulation of their awe at his
interest in them. Mike Lombardo was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Lombardo’s
receipt of child pornography really highlights the issue at hand. His victims
were impressionable minors. According to UKOM/Nielsen Home and Work Panel,
March 2012, YouTube is the most visited site for 2-17 year olds. In an age of
media culture and an age where the internet is the biggest source of
information and influence, the repercussions on young members of our community
can be disastrous.
The
relationships which can be formed on this online platform are fashioned in such
a way that these predators can easily manipulate and take advantage of those
who so naively idolise them.
2012 and
2013 saw a number of other cases of inappropriate sexual relations between YouTube
creators and viewers come to light. A number of allegations were made against
members of DFTBA Records, a YouTube music label and merchandise manufacturer. One
such member was British YouTuber Alex Day who was accused on a number of
accounts of sexual abuse, emotional manipulation and disregard for boundaries.
Day
addressed the allegations himself on his Tumblr, acknowledging that ‘the model
of consent that I followed, not that I specifically thought about it at the
time – was that “no” only meant “no”. That is not what consent is.’
Sam Pepper
who found YouTube fame through his viral prank videos was one of the most high
profile cases of sexual abuse allegations this year. There was widespread
condemnation of Pepper following his decision to upload a prank video of him groping
women on the streets of LA. It was this viral prank video which fuelled the confidence
of his victims to speak out, with at least six women making allegations of
harassment and sexual assault against him.
On September
24th a girl whose identity remains anonymous uploaded the video ‘Sam
Pepper – The Real “Reveal”’. Without showing her full face, the girl described
her experience of being sexually assaulted by Sam Pepper. Her friends’ jealousy
at Pepper’s interest in her and his complete disregard of her many screams of
‘no’ meant that she became yet another victim of the sexual offenders YouTube
harbours.
Consent
according to the Oxford English Dictionary is ‘Permission for something to
happen or agreement to do something.’ Consent is exactly what vlogger Ania
Magliano-Wright reported to be missing in her vlog describing her relations
with British YouTuber Jason Viohni. ‘I feel like with the amount of alcohol
that he had given me I wasn’t in the right state of mind to make choices like
that and that he knew that and was making sure of it.’
As a fifteen
year old, Ania was very much the typical fangirl whose admiration blinded any
sense of judgement. ‘He was well aware of the fact that I looked up to him and
he made use of his position of power.’
This is the
issue. The blurred sense of relationship between YouTube creator and viewer is being
grossly manipulated by those who see their position of power as just that – power
over members of their audiences and the ability to manipulate them into highly
inappropriate situations.
YouTube is
on the whole, a positive space full of creativity. The evil which resides
beneath needs to be unearthed and this can only be done by the cooperation of
viewers, authorities and other YouTube creators. The bravery of victims to
speak out needs to be echoed by YouTubers in positions of authority. Those with
millions of subscribers need to make clear that this culture of sexual abuse is
not to be tolerated.
The
discussion needs to continue. This issue needs to be raised across all online
platforms. The perpetrators need to be unmasked and the victims heard.
