White nationalism is on the rise in America. And, sadly, now there’s no reason to hide since they have a friend and champion in the racist-in-chief who lives in the White House. They’ve always existed, but with the advent of social media white nationalists have an additional platform to spread their disgusting ideologies among the masses. This has resulted in tremendous pushback over the years against certain platforms about what is considered hate speech and whether or not users should be banned for certain offensive language and behavior. But what if platforms actually make money off of the hate speech on their sites? In those cases, it’s highly unlikely they will ban hateful content when it pays the bills.
As a recent piece in BuzzFeed notes, this is the case with YouTube. The video-sharing website introduced a new feature called “Super Chat”—a paid commenting system where users can watch live broadcasts and pay to engage directly with those people who are streaming. Unsurprisingly, this has become popular with commenters who have been paying money to connect with their favorite racists.
Prominent far-right and white nationalist figures have for months been helping YouTube channels earn thousands of dollars thanks to frequently racist commenters who pay for the opportunity to make their voices heard. BuzzFeed News tallied the Super Chat amounts from two recent videos featuring white nationalists Richard Spencer and Mike Enoch and found they brought in just over $4,000, of which YouTube itself takes a cut. (The company declined to say how much.)
YouTube used to be the channel for people to watch funny animal videos and find karaoke versions of their favorite songs. But it’s grown over the years, and so has its audience. Any idiot can now make content and spew vile conspiracy theories and hatred on this platform. Of course, this is not how the company intended for Super Chats to be used. As BuzzFeed explains, it was supposed to be a way to bring fans together with their favorite content producers and make some extra money in the process.
The use of Super Chats to spread and monetize racism and hate speech is the latest content moderation and product headache for YouTube, the internet's biggest video platform. [...]
YouTube introduced Super Chats in early 2017 as a way for video creators to engage with their fans during live broadcasts and earn extra income in the process. But as is the case with just about every new engagement and monetization feature, Super Chats have been co-opted and used in ways YouTube didn’t design or prepare for.
Social media often evolves beyond the original purpose intended by the company. Users adapt the technology to suit their needs and interests, and companies follow behind. This is one of the ways that innovation occurs. But what is happening with the Super Chats is a major problem—not just because of what is being said by white nationalists, but also because they can now get revenue from bringing their hate to a wider audience, all while making money for YouTube. We should never normalize this kind of ideology and behavior. Companies most certainly shouldn’t profit from it. And we know all too well that these folks aren’t just talking. Last year in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right Rally, their hateful rhetoric got Heather Heyer killed and several more people injured.
[A] debate featuring Mike Enoch — the host of the neo-Nazi podcast The Daily Shoah — focused on whether Jews are undermining America through control of the media and government. It generated more than $1,800 in Super Chats, including the comment “SOMETIMES I HATE JEWS SO MUCH THAT I CANNOT SLEEP.” [...]
While other streaming services, like Twitch, also have paid commenting systems, YouTube’s unparallelled size and reach risk creating a feedback loop of more extreme content generating more revenue, which in turn fuels more outrageous videos. This was predicted by some people almost immediately after Super Chats were introduced, with one Verge writer comparing it to the business model of “camgirl” porn performers.
BuzzFeed compiled a list of livestreams with white nationalists and asked YouTube to comment. The company says that some of the comments in the Super Chats do meet the company criteria for hate speech and they will look into it. They also claim to be “taking a harder line on content that brings ‘harm to the broader YouTube community.’ “We can only hope that this is true, though it’s frightening that this has been allowed to happen for more than a year without a solution.
We should be grateful that certain media outlets are documenting hate and making it known to us. This is the time to demand accountability for platforms like YouTube. Though some people in our country are increasingly becoming more extreme and hateful, we can choose to actively fight it. And we can certainly make sure that we do everything we can to stop companies from being able to profit from it.