YouTube has been a huge entertainment platform not because of the website but because of the people. Compared to TikTok, another entertainment platform that relies on its algorithm, YouTube has always been built on the people creating the content rather than the website. Youtubers, though, have been retiring, especially this year’s start, such as MatPat, Tom Scott, and Meat Canyon. After 18 years on the platform, I believe YouTubers are realizing the stresses of content creation and the rabbit hole of constant improvement that has caused them to focus on other passions instead.
The list of reasons YouTubers gave for quitting this year had a common trend where they were at a crossroads in their careers, either keep increasing their video quality or whimpering away. Tom Scott summarizes this perfectly, “I could keep making bigger and better things, keep climbing the ladder, build a business, hire full-time employees…So option 2 I couldn’t do that”. The problem with video creation is always trying to one-up yourself. The chase for that better video or more subscribers is YouTube’s most motivating and unmotivating factor. Eventually, upping yourself means creating a business; sometimes, that’s not the most fulfilling thing. It is human nature to improve, either in business or yourself, and this is why you can see companies scaling up to massive businesses. However, the pressure to improve on the internet increases when everything is fast-paced, and trends die in weeks. You innovate, or you fail, is a common idea on YouTube. Mr.Beast is a great example; one of his main ideas is constantly improving after the last video. YouTubers are stepping back, though, and thinking, will more subscribers make me happy?
What if you didn’t improve is a thought that other YouTubers have tried in the past. Many old channels you used to know tried doing the exact content they loved without a business or innovating their content. While healthier, these channels slowly whimper off until no one watches. Many of your old childhood channels might have died this way, and Youtubers are learning that this isn’t an option for them. MatPat explained, “You just keep uploading videos from now until the heat death of the universe, and you watch as your relevance slowly dies or your passion slowly dies.” MatPat brings up a good point: not only your relevance but also your passion dies. Eventually, you will follow out of something you love if it’s done too many times. You can see thousands of videos on how burnt-out(Running out of ideas and Not motivated) Youtubers feel. This is why you can’t do the same thing repeatedly; you need time for yourself and other things. So, instead of these Youtubers waiting till their passion or relevance dies, they want to go off on a high note. Leave while everyone knows them and not when they’re forgotten.
Not only did the constant improvement and inevitable creation of a business make these Youtubers quit, but also the amount of work. YouTube is a special job where you are your own boss, and you control how much you work. Many Youtubers work for insane times instead of going easy on themselves. Every Youtuber mentioned how much time they spent on their channel. While it could be something they love, they also enjoy other things. You can see this with celebrities who also are their boss. Taylor Swift and Rhianna, for example, were known to be work alcoholics, but one of these reasons is that they are their bosses. Moreover, Rhianna even took a break to spend time on other things similar to YouTubers. One important thing Youtubers want to spend more time on is their families. If you have a job and a family, the job costs you time away from your family, but Youtubers have enough money to retire and not make that cost.
Even though they are retiring, Youtubers are too creative to stop making what they love. They still love what they do even with the constant demand to improve or the long work horrors. Many of these YouTubers are still working on content or ideas they love as a hobby rather than a job. YouTube is a highly demanding job, but it’s your dream and love to do. And in the position to get more money or be happier, most choose the latter.
