The bar is set LOW for influencers

On the 22nd of April, British YouTuber James Marriott uploaded a video where he made fun of the mainstream media's obsession and lack of information on social media platform’s particularly TikTok based on a BBC article. He then turned his attention to the ByteSquad, a new TikTok content house based in London that was the subject of the BBC’s article.

He pokes fun at how much the ByteSquad’s house pales in comparison to the lavish LA mansions of their American counterparts, then suggests some of the group’s gimmicks are outdated. To finish James wishes the England’s newest content the best on their new endeavours.

Despite the video being comedic and light-hearted, there were a few BtyeSquad supporters that insisted that James not critique the house because its members are ‘unproblematic’. 

Comments under Marriott's video that praise
the ByteSquad for being unproblematic.

Unproblematic, a word that is now used regularly on social media when fans explain to others why who they choose to watch and engage with is a better choice than others who have been involved in controversy. 

The term which is used as a badge of honour by followers reveals the low standards and expectations that consumers have for social media influencers. No longer are people expected to be innovative or entertaining, instead they are only asked to keep out of drama.

There have been multiple incidents on YouTube in particular that lead to the creation of this low standard. In 2017 after Logan Paul posted a video of a dead body in Aokigahara, a forest in Japan where many commit suicide, a video that YouTube negligently posted to their trending page, YouTube’s ad-pocalypse was provoked which resulted in large businesses withdrawing their financial support from some of YouTube's content. It also resulted in Google’s video sharing platform now regularly changing the rules that content creators have to abide by in order to be monetised.  

In 2019 YouTube drama took over the mainstream as public fallout between beauty influencers James Charles, Tati Westbrook and Jeffree Star was documented with long form videos on the platform. The beauty side of social media is more than familiar with controversy, many of which surround the two men which were at the centre of what people online coined Dramarmageddon 2.0, the first of which centred around Jeffree Star’s relationship with four other make up artists.

The many instances of influencers letting down their fans has contributed to the dramatically reduced level of expectation of viewers, providing an explanation as to why fans were quick to protect Britain’s latest TikTok stars from Marriott’s commentary.

This coupled with the increasing vicious nature of cancel culture causes consumers to only require the people they support the be uncomplicated, nothing more nothing less. 


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