Logan Paul is a reminder of the responsibility social influencers have towards their audiences
In the wake of the Logan Paul suicide video controversy, Ashleigh Bruton, senior strategist at The Remarkables Group, considers the duty of care influencers have over their audience.
There was a major YouTube incident over the last few days you may not be aware of. But I guarantee, if you have children over the age of 11 at home, or sub 25-year-olds on your team, they know all about it. Ask them now.
Logan Paul is a highly recognisable face on YouTube. He has amassed a YouTube audience of over 15 million subscribers and has partnered with brands such as PepsiCo, Disney, HBO, Dunkin Donuts. All have since denounced him.
For those not familiar with what happened, on a trip to Japan, Logan visited the infamous Aokigahara, or, as it is commonly known, the Suicide Forest. During his 15-minute vlog of this trip, he stumbled across a man who had committed suicide.
A shocking event for anybody to have to come across, instead of turning his camera off, he can be seen yelling at the deceased body ‘Yo, are you alive?’ and then laughing hysterically.
Logan then uploaded it with the title ‘WE FOUND A DEAD BODY’ to his YouTube channel which is home to 15 million subscribers, mostly between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. The video received 6 million views within eight hours of being uploaded.
Whether you are an Instagrammer, YouTuber or blogger or have any sort of social following on any channel, you have power. You have the power to infiltrate the homes of every single one of your followers. Some use this power very wisely, and some are still very much in the mentality of ‘doing it for the Vine’.
This past week YouTuber Logan Paul has come to realise exactly how much influence he had and how far the reach of his actions would take him.
The backlash Logan received caused him to remove the video after it had been live for eight hours and then issue a first apology. A rather ghastly apology. His second apology – a 1 minute 45 second video, receiving 40 million views – was then monetised. YouTube was slow to respond to this and only very recently said they would be cutting professional ties with Logan Paul.
An open letter to our community:
Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You’re right to be. You deserve to know what’s going on.
— YouTube (@YouTube) 9 January 2018
Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week.
— YouTube (@YouTube) 9 January 2018
Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views. As Anna Akana put it perfectly: “That body was a person someone loved. You do not walk into a suicide forest with a camera and claim mental health awareness.”
— YouTube (@YouTube) 9 January 2018
We expect more of the creators who build their community on @YouTube, as we’re sure you do too. The channel violated our community guidelines, we acted accordingly, and we are looking at further consequences.
— YouTube (@YouTube) 9 January 2018
It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying. 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.
— YouTube (@YouTube) 9 January 2018
This controversy has raised a very important question of what responsibilities lie with influencers when creating content for their audience – and their advertisers.
Influencers are experts at navigating their audiences and connecting with consumers on an emotional level. As role models who are influencing the lives and thoughts of young people, this never should have happened.
Australian blogger Woogsworld tweeted her 12-year-old son was lying in bed crying with her after watching the video where you can clearly see the lifeless body. The effects of this video were felt world-wide and there were many young children and teenagers who as a result of this video either learnt what suicide was or saw an actual dead body for the first and hopefully only time.
This world can be awful! Am lying in bed with my 12 year old boy who has been crying because someone he watches on YouTube filmed a dead body and he felt bad for the mans’ family that might have seen it.
This YouTube account belongs to someone called Logan Paul. #loganpaul
— Mrs Woog (@Woogsworld) 4 January 2018
Influencers, whether their audience is significant or small, impact the lives of everybody who watches their content. They do have a responsibility – both to their audience and their advertisers – to ensure what they are publishing is not harmful or offensive.
It is my hope for the future other young influencers such as Logan Paul will realise the force their content can have and will fully understand the responsibility they carry for their audience.
On a positive note, this is a good opportunity to talk to any young people in your life about the topic of suicide. It is a devastating circumstance to happen to anyone and their families. And if anything should arise, services such as Lifeline on 13 11 14 can help.
Ashleigh Bruton is senior strategist at The Remarkables Group.