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I'm beyond the point of declaring YouTube bankruptcy for my personal / main channel - which is the only one anybody ever went to (despite trying to go niche on different YouTube channels). Splitting attention merely made everything *worse* for everyone.
Now, I'm sure that YouTube knows what it's doing with features (doesn't it?) - but they've rolled 'em out over the years and have created massive gaps with engagement probabilities & possibilities. Now they're chasing TikTok after trying to topple Twitch? Cool.
But it *isn't* cool for creators - and it's absolutely not cool when you've always been a variety creator / streamer. I learned that lesson the hard way. This isn't a problem that's going to be fixed - it's how that platform is deciding how it wants to operate.
So, live streaming. Yeah, I've been doing *that* for quite a while. YouTube has always treated it as an add-on feature - and I wouldn't expect that to change. Consider, however, when live streaming *is* the value prop - like it is on Twitch. The differences are night and day.
I'm sorry, but I'm interested in talking about more than ONE thing. But YouTube doesn't like that. They need me to talk about just ONE thing and NOTHING else in ONE channel. No deviation - even when the expectation is that I'm a person WHO is of interest - not necessarily WHAT.
Yeah, I bet that's frustrating for folks who follow actual people. They're all like: "Hey, I only want to hear about your latest Star Wars thing and I really don't care about your dog dying." Okay. I get that. But where does that leave so-called variety creators like me? Unsure.
I enjoy *connecting* with other *people* - and not just over *topics* of interest. This is why Twitch > YouTube for me. It has been far more enjoyable to stream every night on Twitch than stressing out trying to do the exact same thing on YouTube (for aforementioned reasons).
Having known this world since long before it was called "social media," I have always reveled in the ability to better share thoughts and experiences with others. But when such a platform demands that I remain hyperfocused... yeah, I'm never going to win that battle. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
It is what it is. This was just me going through a moment of catharsis (and little of it would make sense to anybody who has not been in a similar situation). I'm not a brand, I'm not a single subject, I'm not an automaton. And, honestly? At this point, I don't even know...
...if I can be considered a "creator" anymore.
I've done a great job at being myself - but the me today is NOT the me from 1996. I'm not a product! As stupid as that sounds, it's what "the industry" needs me to be. Still, I'll enjoy being creative - with Twitch streams and whatnot - but YouTube is taking a back seat. For now.
