I was super excited to hear about Joe Rogan moving his entire Joe Rogan Experience podcast to Spotify and getting away from YouTube. Yes, I’m sure the cool 100 million dollars he allegedly signed a contract for has a STRONG influence on his decision but let’s face it, Joe Rogan isn’t hurting for money. I actually believe that his REAL motivation for moving to Spotify is due to the increasing censorship that big flagship tech companies like YouTube and Facebook are implementing against shows like his.
Yes, YouTube and Facebook has a right to do whatever they want with THEIR site as, after all, it’s their site. And yes, if content providers like Joe Rogan don’t want to abide by their censorship rules anymore they can choose to stop using their service and go somewhere else, like say, Spotify. And thank goodness Rogan did. While YouTube had allowed him to get away with things most content providers would never get away with (due to the sheer number of people he drives to YouTube), apparently there was continual pressure on him to dumb his content down.
As one article I read pointed out, YouTube pressures content providers to deliver content that is not offensive or controversial so that they can sell more advertising. After all, major brands do not want to put their names all over something that might be controversial or blow up in their face unexpectedly the next day when a content provider says something outrageous that they might be associated with and frankly, Joe Rogan makes his living on saying outrageous things or having guests that are controversial. Thus, YouTube continually pressures content providers like Joe to tone down the controversy and deliver non-threatening, non boat-rocking content to sell more advertising. And, according to the article I read, Joe was getting tired of it.
In a world where the biggest, most viewed sites continually censor content behind the scenes, they are in effect shaping the opinions of the entire world. When Facebook simply bans accounts for life if they even mention Covid-19 might have been man made and released on purpose, they are in effect making the entire world (or at least those who read Facebook) believe that no one doubts the official story (which is not true). By banning anything THEY (Facebook) deem as offensive without warning and without contest, they in effect are manipulating the entire world into believing that only one opinion exists (the one THEY decide to allow you to see). By quietly and secretly just banning dissenting opinion they are essentially restricting freedom of speech.
But, you argue, it’s THEIR site and they can do whatever they want. True, and the only way to stop them from manipulating public opinion is for content providers to take their business elsewhere where they are free to say whatever they have to say without fear or pressure to confirm to the agenda of the corporation. Content providers like Joe should take a stand and move to where they can be heard and not censored or pressured to conform. And for that, Joe Rogan, I salute you…
….(even if it was for the 100 million dollars).