02 September, 2018

Elsagate

1. Can we stop calling every single controversy -gate? It's being used for the slightest things now.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsagate
https://www.reddit.com/r/ElsaGate/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2017/11/28/youtubes-elsagate-illuminates-the-unintended-horrors-of-the-digital-age/
 
Ok there's a lot of fuss and mystery over kids' videos popping up frequently now on YouTube which have been adulterated with violence, gore and sex. This is a valid concern.

What I don't get is HOW DO WE NOT KNOW WHO'S BEHIND THESE VIDEOS?! These aren't some hack jobs by 1 person, these are fully animated videos. It would take 1 person with animation experience significant time to make - either a "talented" person spending a lot of time, or there are whole teams working on this. THERE ARE LIVE PEOPLE SHOWING THEIR FACES IN THEM. New videos are popping up all the time - almost faster than they can be removed. Yet we have no idea where this deluge is coming from, or what their purpose is? People are even suggesting they're computer generated - does this even seem possible? I'm sure AI hasn't developed to the point of being able to write and draw cartoons automatically.

And what is their purpose? People's suggestions seem rather weak. Ok let's take the 3 suggestions from Wikipedia:
  1. "financially lucrative" - as I've said, these require an investment to make and YouTube isn't famous for paying money directly. Rick Astley has only received $12 from rickrolling. As I understand, most people are earning from sponsorships by other companies, not from YT views. Also, kids aren't that great a market, I'm saying most views on such videos are by bots. In that case, why even appeal to kids and draw attention? Make videos by bots for bots, make money. HOW CAN YOUTUBE NOT KNOW WHO THESE ARE IF THEY'RE PAYING THEM MONEY?!
  2. Grooming/brainwashing - ookay, let's try to brainwash all the kids today using a method of no known efficacy, in the chance we'll come across them and they'll be susceptible to our lecherous plans. This is just like the "drug dealers give free drugs" urban legend, only it's only believable to 5 year olds. It's like the plot of an Austin Powers movie.
  3. Coded messages - let's send messages - that are so secret that we have to encode them - using the most visible and trail-leaving method possible online.

Ok, what? Seriously? Let me summarise:
  • Extremely visible and attention attracting videos, with personal identifiers. In large number.
  • Where do they come from
  • Where do they go? (what's their purpose?)
  • With so much information about them, we still don't know? Seriously?
Is this odd to anyone else? Why do I feel like a conspiracy theorist when I say IT'S NOT POSSIBLE THAT WE KNOW SO LITTLE? There's more information out there, and it's not being picked up or being hidden. It's like saying there's a motor vehicle abandoned in a major city, and nobody has any idea where it came from.

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