The Sense of Censorship: Youtube
In early January, YouTuber Logan Paul recorded and released a vlog that showed a corpse hanging from a tree in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, also known as a “suicide forest.” The video went viral, and many viewers were outraged. He took the vlog down and apologized, saying he “didn’t do it for the views”.
In an apology letter posted to Twitter, Paul stated, “I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity...I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am”.
Users have questioned what YouTube will be doing about the situation. They have issued the following statement: "Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video. YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated". Logan Paul has received a warning from YouTube, saying that if anything like this happens another two times, he’ll be removed from the platform.
People who were offended by the video feel that his punishment was not severe enough. Thus, YouTube hinted at giving stronger consequences. "It's taken us a long time to respond, but we've been listening to everything you've been saying," the company said in a series of tweets. "We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we'll have more to share soon on steps we're taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again."
From now on, YouTube will be censoring content it finds to be graphic or inappropriate. Although YouTube believes it has taken proper action towards the situation, some users feel otherwise. The question is how far should people be punished for an act like this with it still being fair?