Keep scrolling for the new exposé on YouTubers and their plagiarism problem.
Why isn’t Twitch a better website?
From mass employee lay-offs to creator boycotts, Twitch has been in the trenches for some time now. With the company shutting down business in South Korea (a country where e-sports is hugely popular), things aren’t improving. Ryan Broderick explores why in the Garbage Day Substack.
On December 5th, Twitch announced that it is discontinuing services in South Korea due to the “prohibitively expensive” operating fees.
“Twitch has been operating in Korea at a significant loss, and unfortunately there is no pathway forward for our business to run more sustainably in that country, a statement from Twitch CEO Dan Clancy reads.
With other US-based companies, like Netflix, using legal channels to fight these costs, Broderick speculates why Twitch's parent company, Amazon, didn’t allocate the necessary resources.
He notes that “Twitch probably already lost its hold on Korean e-sports long before this,” referencing how YouTube and the Korean streaming platform AfreecaTV have begun sponsoring e-sports events.
Broderick goes on to categorise the different types of successful video apps to explain why Twitch is losing its grip in the world of streaming and e-sports.
Users and creators expect one of three things on a video-based platform: an easy-to-use content management system, a place to post good-quality and professional content, and a platform where videos can be easily clipped and shared.
“What’s interesting about Twitch is that it is, in theory, sitting perfectly between all three categories. Except, in every instance, it sucks,” Broderick adds.
Likening Twitch to Snapchat (after the addition of Instagram Stories), Broderick points out that other platforms have just taken what Twitch does and are simply doing it better.
But things aren’t all bad for Twitch. Some parts of the app are thriving, especially Spanish-language content, as we see with streamers like Ibai Llanos and the Kings League, a Barcelona-based soccer league.
“So it’s possible that the company throwing in the towel in South Korea indicates Twitch has noticed all of this,“ Broderick concludes. “Maybe Twitch decided to lean away from their diehard gamer audience, towards talk shows and international soccer.”
Read Broderick’s complete analysis via Garbage Day.
Speaking of stealing ideas, video essayist hbomberguy — real name Harry Brewis — has gone viral for his almost four-hour-long documentary about the plagiarism epidemic taking over the digital space.
In the video, hbomberguy grapples with different definitions of plagiarism, provides examples of creators who have been dishonest about their content, as well as, analysing their responses to various plagiarism accusations.
He focuses on the video essay space, calling out creators like Filip, Illuminaughti and Internet Historian.
Using these examples, he outlines the key elements of plagiarism on YouTube— specifically, when creators write entire scripts using uncredited quotes or create videos exclusively with footage from existing documentaries.
The video also discusses some incentives that push influencers to steal content, pointing to online content mills— organisations or creators that exist to mass-produce (often dull and misleading) content for traffic and financial gain.
“As a creator my question is, why make three bad videos a week when you could make one half decent video every two weeks, or one pretty good video every year?” hbomberguy reflects. “Videos like this aren't made for the reasons normal people make videos like to inform or entertain or for the joy of making something. They're made for the purpose of putting out more content.”
The latter part of the documentary focuses on James Somerton, a gay content creator who produces videos catering to the LGBTQIA+ community.
After examining James' content, hbomberguy concludes that at least 26 of the 56 video essays he has created include stolen content. In one video, hbomberguy even claims that James “[copied] roughly 10,000 words from 18 different places.”
One reason why this is so harmful, hbomberguy notes, is because James continues to steal, erase and profit off work by other queer writers and creators— a group that often struggles to find a place in the mainstream.
With YouTubers spearheading a "new generation of media," hbomberguy's work reiterates how important it is for audiences to hold creators to the same standards expected of journalists, directors, and producers when it comes to intellectual honesty.
“I think a lot of people are inclined to protect creators they like on the grounds that plagiarism is a very academic-sounding problem,” he concludes. “YouTubers often project a sense of being scrappy… it feels almost wrong to expect them to be professional. [But] YouTubers are now among the most recognisable faces on the planet… Maybe it's a good idea to have some standards for not stealing.”
Watch hbomberguy’s full video via YouTube.
Is BookTok the fast fashion of publishing?
What fast fashion is to the fashion world, BookTok is to publishing (apparently). According to some internet users, BookTok enables authors to profit off poor-quality books and capitalise on TikTok’s culture of mindless consumption.
A video by @wordswkaty critiquing the state of BookTok has gone viral, accumulating over 700K views on TikTok and 3.6 million views in a repost on X.
“BookTok has destroyed the quality of the publishing market. I’m sick of picking up hyped ‘sensational’ books that are unedited Wattpad fics I would’ve read at 13. Get some standards,” she writes.
As is the norm with anything BookTok-related, her TikTok ignited a fiery response. Some users sided with Katy's commentary, while others fiercely defended popular books and authors.
Many X users stress that authors shouldn't be held responsible.
They acknowledge that writers depend on the money from their books to make a living, leaving them susceptible to industry trends. These users direct their criticism toward publishing houses and advocate for independent authors.
Though BookTok has clearly benefited from TikTok's consumerist culture, drawing a parallel between BookTok and fast fashion is a false equivalence.
“i get the core argument here (booktok is driving demand for books that are not high quality) but equating publishing to fast fashion is not clicking for me... there is no child labor involved in the making of a colleen hoover or rebecca yarros production that i know of...” internet culture journalist, Kelsey Weekman writes.
Weekman also notes how reading “bad” books isn’t totally negative. With the vast majority of TikTok users being young adults, these “bad” books may act as a stepping stone for engaging with “smarter” and more critical content.
Follow the discussion via X.
Alix Earle’s guide to world domination
Outside BookTok, Alix Earle dominates the FYP. In a new piece for Nylon, journalist Lauren McCarthy sat down with the creator to delve into the secrets behind her TikTok fame and get her take on being the internet's "it" girl.
While chatting with McCarthy, Alix looks back on her career since gaining viral recognition as a college student at the University of Miami, noting that “a year ago today, no one cared what I was doing.”
Now boasting over 6.2 million followers on TikTok, she admits that oversharing and being upfront with her audience has brought her to this point.
“My audience and I are very close,” she tells McCarthy. “They always say, ‘I feel like I’m your best friend.’" And I’m like, ‘You guys literally know as much as my friends do.’”
But this approach is not exclusive to her GRWM and lifestyle videos. As she makes the jump to longer-form content through her podcast, ‘Hot Mess’ (produced under Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network), Alix is getting even more personal.
Reflecting on her podcast episode about her eating disorder, Alix says, “I didn’t want to trigger anyone or not touch on it correctly, but I really just told my story… I have met now maybe 20 girls out and about, and they’ll come up to me specifically about that episode and how it helped them.”
As for her future plans, internet users are convinced that a show about the Earle family is in the works— especially after Alix spent most of the summer in New Jersey. But it seems TikTok sleuths got it wrong this time around.
When asked about the rumoured reality TV show, Alix mentioned that it's not entirely out of the question. However, for now, she remains committed to creating the best solo social media content.
“My family’s in New Jersey, and they’re still getting accustomed to what I’m doing, so I think that would be a lot to throw them all into that… I am not opposed to maybe doing reality TV at some point,” Alix notes. “[Right now], I like being able to tell [my story] and have control.”
Read Alix’s profile via Nylon.
Production studio FazeWorld raises seed round
Move over FaZe Clan, another Faze is entering the chat. Adam Faze (also known as Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend) has secured $750,000 of seed round funding for FazeWorld— the multi-media company behind a slew of viral TikTok shows.
FazeWorld set out to create TV shows that cater to Gen Z and the platforms they use.
“As a kid, all my inspiration came from watching movies and TV shows. Lately, it only comes from what I’m seeing here [on social media],” Adam shared on Instagram upon the company’s launch. “Some people don’t see this as a ‘real medium.’ I think they’re wrong. I think this is television.”
FazeWorld has produced a number of social-first shows— including Clockwork Dynasty (a series exploring the world of buying and selling luxury watches), Einstein Elementary (a show where Peter Tuchman breaks down questions about the economy) and Keep the Meter Running (a series where taxi drivers take comedian Kareem Rahma to their favourite places in New York City).
According to Axios, the production cost for these shows amounted to $18,268, and they managed to rack up over 150 million views combined on TikTok and Instagram.
With this new wave of funding, FazeWorld is set to introduce some new series, among them a game show and a talk show.
“There are not enough words in the dictionary to explain how excited I am for the things we're cooking at @thefazeworld,” Adam writes on X. “We're launching new shows every month – and through them, creating brands and businesses that we think will change the world.”
As investors rush to support FazeWorld, social media-first content is quickly becoming the future of the entertainment industry. And as TikTok continues to extend its maximum video length, the platform is clearly creating room for longer-form content—some of which may lean closer to traditional TV shows.
Read the full piece via Axios.
Shadowbanning: Big Tech’s Censorship Problem or Creator Conspiracy Theory?
This week’s infinite scroll podcast explores the concept of shadowbanning. From politicians to creators, the term is used to explain or excuse an alleged lack of engagement on content or accounts. However, this is also increasingly hard to define or prove. So this week, we look at what shadowbanning is and how it has evolved over the years before diving into some of the most prominent examples of shadowbanning and the ethical implications of this moderation practice. We finish by aiming to answer the question: is shadowbanning a genuine censorship problem for Big Tech, or is it all just a conspiracy theory made up by disgruntled users?
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.