YouTube’s regulation of “advertiser-friendly” content has led to some disabled creators’ videos being demonetised.
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, who makes videos on her channel about living with disabilities and chronic illnesses, is one of many disabled YouTubers to have spoken out about the issue.
“The best way for people to learn about disabilities, who have no experience of it previously, is obviously to hear from disabled people,” Jessica said in a recent video. “How can we normalise something, if we’re then putting this world into a space where [it’s like], ‘Oh, it’s so bad and big and scary, we can’t talk about that?’
“As an experiment, last week I uploaded a video – My August Favourites – and I didn’t use any tags that are relating to gayness or to disability, but all the other tags that I would normally use, and funnily enough, it was immediately approved.”
Alongside Jessica, creators such as Daniel M. Jones, Connor Ward, and Katy Gough have also shared their thoughts online:
So I removed the tag 'disabled youtuber' from a demonetised video and it was instantly monetised….@JessicaOOTC @lifeofathinker thoughts? pic.twitter.com/v0QLdfVRHg
— Katy (@invisible_i) September 5, 2017
Great video by @JessicaOOTC continuing a recent discussion a lot of us have been having! https://t.co/qux8TynFqm
— Connor Ward (@Connopolis) August 31, 2017
Under YouTube’s official guidelines, videos which fall into at least one of nine categories – including “controversial issues and sensitive events” and “inappropriate language” – may be demonetised.
The document reads: “YouTube uses technology and policy enforcement processes to determine if a video is eligible for advertising. We continually work hard to make our algorithms as accurate as possible and to understand nuances, including for categories like music, gaming, and news.
“Our intention is to treat each video based on context, including content that is clearly comedic, educational, or satirical in nature.”
Want more?
Hannah Rutherford has also spoken up about issues with demonetisation and whether gamers should move to Twitch. Alternatively, check out our feature on the “adpocalypse” and why it’s driving creators to Patreon.
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