#VoxAdpocalypse
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Overview
#VoxApocalypse is a hashtag launched in relation to Vox journalist Carlos Maza's widely publicized criticisms of YouTube following their response to his accusations that conservative YouTube comedian Steven Crowder broke the site's rules by mocking his sexual orientation and ethnicity. The hashtag references the March 2017 global advertising boycott of YouTube known as the #Adpocalypse.
Background
On May 30th, 2019, Vox writer Carlos Maza posted several tweets accusing Crowder of "online harassment" and attacking his "sexual orientation and ethnicity." In the Twitter thread, Maza included a montage of video clips featuring Crowder mocking Maza (shown below).
Since I started working at Vox, Steven Crowder has been making video after video "debunking" Strikethrough. Every single video has included repeated, overt attacks on my sexual orientation and ethnicity. Here's a sample: pic.twitter.com/UReCcQ2Elj
— Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) May 31, 2019
In response, the official @TeamYouTube Twitter feed replied to Maza that they were "looking into it further" and had sent him a direct message (shown below).
The following day, Crowder uploaded a Louder with Crowder episode titled "VOX is Trying to Ban This Channel," which accused Maza and his employer Vox Media of attempting to use claims of "online harassment" in order to take down the Crowder YouTube channel for being a competitor (shown below). The same day, the LourderWithCrowder[2] web site published a blog post compiling all of the rebuttals to Maza's Vox videos.
On June 4th, YouTuber Keemstar retweeted Maza's appearance on the BuzzFeed News show AM2DM and accused Maza of "trying to start an Adpocalypse on YouTube again cus another YouTuber hurt his feelings" (shown below).
This man
gaywonk</a> is trying to start an Adpocalypse on YouTube again cus another YouTuber hurt his feelings. Great job. You are now the enemy of all YouTubers ! <a href="https://t.co/bnSbc1liGM">pic.twitter.com/bnSbc1liGM</a></p>— KEEM 🍿 (KEEMSTAR) June 4, 2019
Developments
YouTube's Response
Later that day, the official @TeamYouTube Twitter feed posted several tweets to Maza announcing that after an "in-depth review," they found Crowder's videos did not violate their policies although they "found language that was clearly hurtful" (shown below).
(2/4) Our teams spent the last few days conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us, and while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don’t violate our policies. We’ve included more info below to explain this decision:
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 4, 2019
On Twitter, many were divided on YouTube's decision. The @EthicalGooglers Twitter feed posted a graphic with the slogan "No Pride in YouTube," claiming that YouTube had capitalized on Pride as a marketing campaign (shown below, left). Journalist Michael Tracey posted a thread stating that while he found Crowder to be "obnoxious, unfunny, and politically appalling," he was disturbed by the trend of journalists demanding that large tech companies remove content that violated their sensibilities (shown below, right). Meanwhile, others pointed out that Maza had previously called for political opponents to be "milkshaked" in public.[5]
Also on June 5th, Maza posted tweets about YouTube's new policy against supremacist content, accusing it of being a "smokescreen" and that "they don't enforce any of this shit" (shown below).
Demonetization
On June 5th, 2019, YouTube posted a follow-up tweet announcing they had "suspended this channels' monetization" (shown below).
Update on our continued review–we have suspended this channel’s monetization. We came to this decision because a pattern of egregious actions has harmed the broader community and is against our YouTube Partner Program policies. More here: https://t.co/VmOce5nbGy
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 5, 2019
Shortly after, the Twitter account replied that Crowder's monetization would be reinstated if he "removed the link to his T-shirts" (shown below). In response, the hashtag #VoxAdpocalypse[1] became the #1 trending topic on the platform.
To clarify, in order to reinstate monetization on this channel, he will need to remove the link to his T-shirts.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 5, 2019
In another followup tweet, the @TeamYouTube account clarified that Crowder would need to "address all of the issues with his channel" in order to have the monetization reinstated.
Sorry for the confusion, we were responding to your tweets about the T-shirts. Again, this channel is demonetized due to continued egregious actions that have harmed the broader community. To be reinstated, he will need to address all of the issues with his channel.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 5, 2019
That day, Crowder uploaded a video titled "The #VoxAdpocalypse is coming for YOU!", in which he discussed the controversy and his recent discussions with YouTube involving the demonetization of his channel (shown below).
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – #VoxAdpocalypse
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