I was being very lazy and blah today and scrolling through YouTube, because that’s what I do when I’m low right now, and I came across a new video where Markiplier talks about what YouTube is becoming. There was a time when YT was new and fresh and about just putting ideas out there, and uploading videos because you created something and you wanted to share it.

Now it’s more about money and views and subscribers, because if we can put a dollar sign on something, by God we will.

And Mark sounds really down about the way YT is trending; that is, certain types of videos seem to do better than others, so channels in general will focus more on creating those specific types of videos, rather than focusing on more unique content that they might otherwise do if there wasn’t a bottom line.

I understand his concerns (frustrations even, I suppose), but in the end, everything cycles through this.

Books, movies, art, television shows, music, oh dear sweet baby Jesus especially music, all of these things cycle through periods of amazing creativity  all the way down to dull, repetitive drivel.

Occasionally a work will be new and exciting and unique, and it will be embraced and acclaimed because of its uniqueness. Often, though, it is the standard, pandering fare that keeps artists, industries even, afloat, and allows fans the opportunity to witness when the new and exciting happens.

It seems you can’t have one without the other.

Everything cycles. Let’s just hope that YouTube as a platform outlasts the slump, because damn, I do enjoy it.