2018 is coming to a close! Before we say goodbye, it’s time to look back at all of the good times we’ve had. To help us remember the year, YouTube has released their annual YouTube Rewind video. The platform has been making a rewind video every year since 2010, but they’ve received heavy criticism in recent years. It hasn’t gotten any better, either. As of today, YouTube Rewind 2018 has earned the title of being the most disliked video to ever hit the site. It currently has 129 million views, with 2.2 million likes and 11 million dislikes!
Viewers were so distraught with the video that they removed dislikes from Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, the original most disliked video on YouTube, just so this year’s rewind would hit #1. While this was not the #1 spot that YouTube was aiming for, what really went wrong?
If you’ve contributed to the dislike count, you’ll probably agree that the video is difficult to watch. It begins with Will Smith looking through some binoculars (which has become a meme), up to a Fortnite Battle Bus filled with several popular YouTubers. The rest of the video is filled with cringe-worthy Fortnite dancing and celebrities that don’t really have anything to do with YouTube.
Many viewers are upset that the video ignored key moments from channels like Pewdiepie, Logan Paul, and Shane Dawson. Instead, the rewind seems to smash way too much in 8 minutes and focused heavily on advertising material.
Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, released a video yesterday explaining the main problems with YouTube Rewind. Brownlee was featured in this year’s video and had a first-hand look at how the project went down. One of the issues, he explained, was the production itself. Surprisingly, Brownlee explains how the filming took extremely long, with most of the footage not even used. Take a look at his video here.
A representative from YouTube responded to this global outrage by issuing the below statement to The Verge:
“Honest feedback can suck, but we are listening and we appreciate how much people care,” the representative said. “Trying to capture the magic of YouTube in one single video is like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. We also learned that creating content can be really hard and this underscores our respect and admiration for YouTube creators doing it every day. Keep the feedback coming and maybe we’ll release a top 10 list of ‘Rewind dislike’ reaction videos.”
We’re hoping YouTube can learn from the feedback they’ve been receiving and improve next year’s video. To be fair, they were trying to create something entertaining. They just needed more direction on what was actually memorable this past year.
If you haven’t seen YouTube Rewind 2018, take a look at what it takes to earn the title of the most disliked video on YouTube. Lastly, let us know what you think of this year’s rewind and what you believe went wrong.
