PewDiePie struggles with the positives and negatives of his YouTube channel
Adelaide Weiss
PewDiePie struggled with the magnitude of his YouTube influence.
Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg mentioned his thoughts about his YouTube channel. In an interview with the New York Times, PewDiePie confronted his political and cultural influence. Recent events used his brand to promote far-right ideologies, including violent events.
Reported first by Kotaku, PewDiePie hints at his YouTube regrets. The reporter, Kevin Roose, questioned if he’d “ever delete his YouTube channel.” The answer is a bit shocking. For the number one solo YouTuber in the world and the wealth and fame associated with it, PewDiePie said: “Don’t tempt me.”
PewDiePie goes on to say that he did not prepare for all the negatives that came with the ever-growing channel. He added, “I kind of question if the positive outweighs the negative… It’s a lot more than I think I signed up for.” The writer, Roose, assures readers that PewDiePie wouldn’t delete his channel, it is merely something that has crossed his mind.
A lot of the negatives come from politics. In the interview, PewDiePie references his desire to stay out of it. He has apathy towards the political scene in general. Previous far-right groups have endorsed or otherwise utilized PewDiePie’s channel in association with their ideologies. An unfortunate example was the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand. The shooter encouraged people to subscribe to PewDiePIe during the massacre.
PewDiePie may question the influence of his YouTube channel, expressing some regret, but his fans sincerely appreciate his presence. That alone may be enough to outweigh the negatives.
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