YouTube NFTs Are Officially Here, Inspiring Memes And Controversy In Regards To Corporate Crypto Art

YouTube sparked the latest NFT controversy today for officially announcing an NFT project, as reported by Independent. The project will allow users to own creators' videos.

It's the newest update regarding the project, following a hint that was given back in January from CEO Susan Wojcicki who called NFTs an "opportunity" within a blog post. When news outlets like The Verge covered it, many viewed it as nothing much to worry about since the quote from Wojcicki came at the end of her post and wasn't expanded on. However, it's now come to fruition only two weeks later.

YouTube NFTs may be in the works. In a letter published today, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki suggested the company is looking to branch into NFTs 😵 https://t.co/QvY1A2LrYM pic.twitter.com/Uhc4ALYiJW

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) January 25, 2022

Now that YouTube NFTs are officially in the making, what does this mean for the future of YouTube and its creators? What will a YouTube NFT look like? According to another blog post published today by YouTube, they touch on the possibility of Web3 technology, only to then namedrop the word "NFT." In subsequent sentences, they're quoted giving examples of these NFT possibilities, stating, "For example, giving a verifiable way for fans to own unique videos, photos, art, and even experiences from their favorite creators could be a compelling prospect for creators and their audiences."

YouTube integrating nfts? 👀#NFTCommunity #nft #eth $eth #btc pic.twitter.com/4DTxstRthH

— ⚡️Rad NFTV 📺 (@RadNFTv) February 10, 2022

Immediately, major tech news outlets picked up on the story, tweeting about the development and causing a stir online. Twitter users started to react, some of them angry and others excited about the possibility of owning YouTube content. One user humorously stated that he could finally buy "the masterpiece" that is the 2015 Deez Nuts video.

pic.twitter.com/2WmmZTQdyx

— SBN 2002 – بلال 🇬🇧🇵🇰🇪🇺 (@SBNafees) February 10, 2022

No one asked for this.

— Fractal Ants (@FractalAnts) February 10, 2022

Fans have always been able to acquire the copyright of their favorite videos…. why is everyone pretending like NFT=digital copyright?

— Bear and Roo (@BearandRoo2) February 10, 2022

YouTube allowing NFTs makes me want to abandon the site. Seriously. Such a horrible move and you know damn well that videos will be stolen and sold. I refuse to believe they won’t be.

— ThisIs ReadyMade (@readymadeyt) February 10, 2022

YouTube allowing nfts means I can fulfil my life dream and “own” this masterpiece pic.twitter.com/0dBMjc1dYY

— Daddy McDickson (@DaddyMcdickson) February 10, 2022

Youtube was on the NFT profile picture thing before twitter was. pic.twitter.com/zPIlkwjn3M

— JaKer (@InternetUnwind) February 10, 2022

Everyone making NFTs: pic.twitter.com/ZJ53g6r1Kr

— John 💀 (@iamnottomgreen) February 10, 2022

Of course, YouTube isn't the first social media platform to flirt with the NFT space. Twitter, for instance, unveiled its hexagonal profile pictures last month. Other corporate entities have also had recent crypto art controversies, such as the SpongeBob NFT collection that caused an uproar on the internet last October.

Additionally in their blog post, YouTube hinted at developments they're making towards the Metaverse, saying there are possibilities there in regards to the gaming sphere. Some internet users are starting to think YouTube's self-sabotaging, relating this decision to its recent removal of the dislike button late last year, which was not received well on platforms like Reddit, among others.

It will be interesting to see how this controversy is received in memes going forward, especially since the feedback appears more mixed this time.