News and Research articles on YouTube

Copyright callouts and the promise of creator-driven platform governance

Blake Hallinan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
CJ Reynolds, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Omer Rothenstein, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
PUBLISHED ON: 26 Jun 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.2.1770

Despite few formal opportunities to participate in platform governance, social media creators use public callouts to shape community norms and place pressure on the platform.

This paper analyses the aftermath of the advertiser revolt on YouTube to draw out the broader implications of the controversy as it relates to the algorithmic gatekeeping of culture. It argues that the event shows as never before that decisions about categorisation and classification of cultural content invariably affect the financial trajectory of the said content. It ends by calling for broader stakeholder participation within key decision-making processes of digital platforms.