YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has once again suggested that if you’re an independent YouTube news commentator, you’re not going to get recommended on the site.
In the main 60 Minutes interview, Wojcicki discussed how in the early days of Google, she was worried about covering her mortgage and so rented out her garage to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
Now that YouTube is established and holds a monopoly position when it comes to online video distribution, Wojcicki’s stance towards those who want to make extra income from their garage seems to have changed.
During an interview on 60 Minutes Overtime, Wojcicki said:
“Of course, someone out of their garage can upload a video and say their point of view about what happened with the news but we’re not going to recommend that when there’s a breaking news event. We’re gonna recommend companies that we know have a long tradition of delivering reliable news.”
Wojcicki’s statements are the latest indicator that YouTube is rejecting the independent YouTubers that helped build its site in favor of “authoritative sources” already at the top of the ladder (legacy media outlets that YouTube has decided are trustworthy).
In August, Wojcicki wrote about YouTube continuing to push “authoritative voices,” especially during breaking news events. Leaked video shows that YouTube’s plans to boost what it deems to be authoritative sources were being openly discussed during internal meetings as early as June 2017.
Research on YouTube recommendations has shown that since the site started to push these supposedly authoritative sources and tweaked its algorithm to promote more legacy media content, recommendations to legacy media outlets have increased while recommendations to independent YouTubers have declined.
Wojcicki’s comments come days after several alternative tech sites have announced tools that offer creators an alternative to YouTube when it comes to monetizing their content and growing an audience.
Social network Minds recently announced Minds Pro – a solution that allows creators to monetize their traffic and receive tips from fans. And video hosting platform BitChute recently announced that its crowdfunding live stream technology to take on YouTube and Twitch.
