Creators, it’s time to take responsibility.

Creators, it’s time to take responsibility.

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 24 seconds

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YouTube videos can change the world.

But, wait…

This isn’t just a plea to the modern-day philosophers questioning the fundamental nature of existence and sharing it on YouTube, it’s a plea to everyone.

Whatever type of content you’re making, you need to start taking responsibility.

Why?

Well, let me break it down into 3 parts:

Part 1: The influence of content

The saying use to go ‘you are what you eat’, it’s now ‘you are what you consume’.

The amount of time people are spending on their phones is ridiculous (and it’s not on the calculator app).

In the US, younger people are spending an average of 61 minutes on YouTube a day (not quite the 99 minutes on TikTok but we’ll save that for another time).

You expose yourself to anything for an hour a day and it’ll start to shape who you are as a person.

Now, I’m not saying spending that amount of time on YouTube is good or bad and that kids should get outside more, that’s not what The Curious Creator is about.

But I think we're missing something.

In today's world, it’s a battle for people's attention and platforms are constantly trying to keep and maximize it.

But the platforms themselves don’t keep people's attention, the content on them does.

YouTube without videos is nothing.

So, while platforms often get the blame for this situation (and the potential negative effects it’s causing), what about the creators?

I’m not saying they should take the blame, but some responsibility.

How? I’ve got an idea…

Part 2: Think of the viewers, not the views

So, without sounding like your parent or school teacher…

What do I mean when I say creators should ‘take some responsibility’?

Well, YouTubers often have the dream of hitting millions of subscribers, and we use them (or views) as the main measure of success.

And look, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. These are good measures of success and certain things (particularly making money) depend on them.

But it can get us in the trap of just chasing the numbers, trying to maximise them and the dopamine mega-party that comes with it.

We start making content for the views, not the viewers.

Let’s look at a real-world example.

While I’m sure 132,000 views is a lot for some of you, most of you probably have even bigger dreams, chasing the millions of views we so often see on the platform.

But let’s not forget just how big that number is.

Why did I use such a niche number? That’s the capacity of the biggest stadium in the world.

If I told you, you were going to be speaking in front of 132,000 people in a stadium, your mindset might shift.

You might start taking their time (or attention) more seriously.

Not just looking at it as ‘views’ but as an opportunity to say something worth saying, actually having a positive impact on their lives.

Time is a viewer's most important asset. Don’t waste it.

Part 3: Something worth saying

Before you stop reading, thinking “this doesn’t apply to my niche, content, channel…”

Let me explain…

Whenever I mention having a positive impact on people's life, people instantly think their videos need to change the world and include some life-changing advice that’s going to shift the trajectory of human existence.

That’s not true.

Good videos just have to have some lasting impact on the viewer.

That could be as small as putting them in a better mood after a stressful day at work.

Or making them think about something they're passionate about.

Or helping them decide what fridge to buy.

But the thing is, too many videos only last for the length of the video. Too many videos only last for the length of the video? Surely every video only lasts the length of the video?

Well, no.

Some videos are a dopamine-fueled, visual experiences that end when the video ends.

And some videos are something genuinely good that has a lasting impact on the viewer.

That’s your responsibility as the creator.

Taking responsibility for the content you’re making and the impact it’s having on the people who are watching it.

Not creating for yourself, but for others.

That’s how YouTube can change the world.

Thanks for reading. Jay Alto.

Too busy to reread? Here’s a summary written by AI:

This chapter of the Curious Creator discusses the responsibility of YouTube content creators to create content that has a lasting impact on viewers, rather than just chasing views.

Key takeaways:

1. Content creators should take responsibility for the content they create.

2. Content should be created with the viewers in mind, not just the views.

3. Content should have a lasting impact beyond the video.