Many fans of different social groups were excited for their favorite events of the year to take place. 

However, this year that excitement was quickly followed by the disappointment of cancelations due to COVID-19. Yet, Youtube Rewind seems to be one of the few events that has had the complete opposite effect on people.

YouTube Rewind was once the most anticipated video series of the year. Created in 2010 created by YouTube itself, the Rewind featured a recap of trends, music, viral videos and the many loved creators who viewed the platform as their main domain for income and fandom. The original point of the annual series was a way for YouTube enjoyers to look back on the year and feel nostalgia. However, things soon changed as YouTube became more about money and less about the people.

Videos became a major disappointment, as they featured many monetized promotions that people did not care about, with trends such as fidget spinners, which meant to cater to the younger generation of watchers. The creators who our generation begged to have in the rewind — ones they loved for years — were now replaced by one-hit wonders who nobody but angry 12-year-old boys would appreciate watching. 

People were angry, and rightfully so. The series did not hold any significant value anymore. The majority of YouTube watchers were not young children, so not only did the content of the Rewind not appeal to them, but they could also see through the clear marketing strategy that was the videos. 

Many comments were left, but in 2018 people had finally had enough and decided to give YouTube a taste of their own medicine.

The video series, which once accumulated millions of excited children and teens as myself, was now something not tolerated, but hated by millions of people. It was so hated, that when YouTube Rewind 2018 came out, it broke the record — which it still holds — for the most disliked video on YouTube with 18.6 million dislikes. After this astonishing record was placed, many believed it would cause the corporation to rethink their capitalist schemes. But then followed more disappointment, as YouTube Rewind 2019 was mostly a montage of videos of creators through the year instead of something everyone got together to film.

It actually exceeded my expectations. They couldn’t even bother to put another corny “we care about our creators and fans” message. I can guarantee that the budget of this video was actually less than $100 to put this whole video together. It was an utterly useless joke that nobody asked for. That nobody wanted. 

This year, the Rewind was simply canceled, said to be due to COVID-19. Which poses the question, why wasn’t it made like Rewind 2019, with a montage of viral videos through the year? People were still making videos this year, even with the pandemic. Could it be that YouTube has finally accepted that it’s a money-hungry failure?