Stellar commentary *and* historical recap. I was never a big PewDiePie fan (wife and I both still watch Markiplier and Jacksepticeye regularly to this day), so I missed the rise of Mr. Beast until I heard my students gushing about one of his stunts one day.
A family of ophthalmologists in my city run a charity organization where they go down to a couple major cities in Mexico a couple times a year to perform cataract surgeries for free. A couple people from my church usually tag along to share the Gospel with people after they’ve received the surgery. When I heard about Mr. Beast’s surgery video, I was deeply conflicted - on the one hand, it truly is a life-changing surgery for those who need it, but on the other hand, it grieved me that professionals who do this with their own equipment, on their own dime, often do not get credit for that kind of work - much less YouTube ad revenue!
Interesting thoughts! MrBeast is not merely a top YouTuber/creator but top media personality in the world. Lining up his viewership with any primetime show whether live or streaming I'm sure he beats most if not all. That broadens the discussion I think.
You had a line about the "morally suspect creator economy" towards the end. Have you explained more elsewhere what makes it morally suspect? Or is it this motivated by views element you touch on in this piece?
Good question! Some of it surely has to do with what I outline in this piece. I'm not sure I've written extensively on why I think the creator economy is morally suspect, but the closest I get is probably in this piece from January: https://www.termsofservice.social/p/the-dehumanizing-effects-of-constant
Worth a full post perhaps! Questions arise like: Is it any more dubious than the broadcast tv economy? What entails the "creator economy"? At first blush I think of Etsy and eBay with of course influencers and YouTubers thrown in--all very different activities! Even if there are selfish motives, can there still be good results? How is that different from any other activity in the economy? I'm reminded of the famous Adam Smith quote: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages." "Own interest" is different than "selfishness" I think. However, even if selfishly motivated, consumers and others can benefit. Finally, in all cases I think you're right that Christians have a role to call this out in themselves first and others too as missing the ideal of God's creation.
Stellar commentary *and* historical recap. I was never a big PewDiePie fan (wife and I both still watch Markiplier and Jacksepticeye regularly to this day), so I missed the rise of Mr. Beast until I heard my students gushing about one of his stunts one day.
A family of ophthalmologists in my city run a charity organization where they go down to a couple major cities in Mexico a couple times a year to perform cataract surgeries for free. A couple people from my church usually tag along to share the Gospel with people after they’ve received the surgery. When I heard about Mr. Beast’s surgery video, I was deeply conflicted - on the one hand, it truly is a life-changing surgery for those who need it, but on the other hand, it grieved me that professionals who do this with their own equipment, on their own dime, often do not get credit for that kind of work - much less YouTube ad revenue!
Thanks! And yeah I get that.
A reflection of my age I guess, I have only recently heard of him. And nothing yet appeals to me. I’m not his target audience for sure.
Interesting thoughts! MrBeast is not merely a top YouTuber/creator but top media personality in the world. Lining up his viewership with any primetime show whether live or streaming I'm sure he beats most if not all. That broadens the discussion I think.
You had a line about the "morally suspect creator economy" towards the end. Have you explained more elsewhere what makes it morally suspect? Or is it this motivated by views element you touch on in this piece?
Good question! Some of it surely has to do with what I outline in this piece. I'm not sure I've written extensively on why I think the creator economy is morally suspect, but the closest I get is probably in this piece from January: https://www.termsofservice.social/p/the-dehumanizing-effects-of-constant
Worth a full post perhaps! Questions arise like: Is it any more dubious than the broadcast tv economy? What entails the "creator economy"? At first blush I think of Etsy and eBay with of course influencers and YouTubers thrown in--all very different activities! Even if there are selfish motives, can there still be good results? How is that different from any other activity in the economy? I'm reminded of the famous Adam Smith quote: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages." "Own interest" is different than "selfishness" I think. However, even if selfishly motivated, consumers and others can benefit. Finally, in all cases I think you're right that Christians have a role to call this out in themselves first and others too as missing the ideal of God's creation.
Good thoughts!