YouTube Rewind 2019 is heading towards another catastrophe for the company for the second consecutive year. YouTube Rewind 2018 was among the most unpopular videos on the platform, but YouTube Rewind 2019 is set to claim the title of the most disliked video. Despite YouTube’s efforts to rescue YouTube Rewind 2019 by eschewing innovation and instead focusing on data, the company is currently facing public embarrassment, with 0.75 million likes and 1.5 million dislikes. YouTube tried to take a completely different approach from YouTube Rewind 2018 this year but still ended up in a humiliating situation.
YouTube Rewind 2018: The Initial Debacle
YouTube Rewind 2018 was a major setback for YouTube creators, as the video garnered 2.6 million likes and a staggering 17 million dislikes from the audience. What went wrong in 2018? Critics believe that YouTube tried to win over corporate interests rather than focusing on the YouTube audience, thus neglecting YouTube culture. Starting with Will Smith, who had recently joined YouTube, a mainstream media figure, the video transitioned to Fortnite, predominantly a territory of Twitch. Instead of a YouTube rewind, it turned into an outright promotion video for YouTube, resulting in severe backlash. Despite the lessons learned from YouTube Rewind 2018, YouTube Rewind 2019 completely missed the mark.
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YouTube Rewind 2019: The Second Consecutive Fiasco
YouTube Rewind 2019 has adopted a completely different approach, showcasing what the audience enjoyed. The first line of the video description reads “In 2018, we made something you didn’t like. For Rewind 2019, let’s see what you DID like”. This line clearly indicates that YouTube did not undertake any experimentation or creative efforts for YouTube Rewind 2019 and simply chose to recap what people enjoyed throughout the year. While the audience appreciates those creators and videos, they expected YouTube Rewind to exhibit creativity instead of compiling mundane top ten lists. Consequently, the audience is expressing its frustration by clicking the dislike button.
