In a video blog titled ‘I’ll see you soon…’, Indian-origin comedian Lilly Singh says she no longer understands YouTube culture.
New Delhi: Lilly Singh, also known as “||Superwoman||” to her 14.5 million subscribers on YouTube, just can’t do it anymore.
The widely popular Indian-origin comedian from Scarborough, Ontario, said she no longer understands YouTube culture and needed to take a break from the video-sharing platform because she is “mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted.”
Singh made the comments Monday in a video blog titled ‘I’ll see you soon…’ to announce her decision.
In the eight years since Singh began using the platform, the artist has consistently uploaded music videos and comedy skits, along with a daily vlog. In 2017, she ranked tenth on the Forbes list of ‘The World’s Top-Earning YouTube Stars,’ taking home a reported $10.5 million that year.
But wealth does not necessarily guarantee well-being, it seems.
In the vlog, Singh said that while her decision is “in no way a reflection of how I feel about the platform,” it doesn’t take away from the fact that “it has been a lot.”
“YouTube has changed and people found a way to make it work for them, but I am not one of those people,” Singh added.
However, “||Superwoman||” isn’t the only YouTuber to fall victim to 21st century burnout.
To the contrary, she reflects a growing reality in the industry of content creators struggling with the stress, anxiety and pressure of keeping up with an ever-changing algorithm of success.
The age of YouTube burnout
On 19 May, Canadian YouTuber Elle Mills, with a little over 1.5 million subscribers, posted a video titled ‘Burn Out At 19,’ in which she asked the question, “What would you do if you achieved your lifelong dream faster than you expected?”
Mills, like Singh, detailed how her “anxiety and depression kept getting worse and worse” the more she felt this “overwhelming pressure” to perform for a growing subscriber base.
In her latest vlog, Singh also spoke about the perils of a constantly changing social media platform that pushes its creators to their creative breaking point.
“You know, the thing about YouTube is that, in all of its glory, it kind of is a machine,” Singh told her viewers.
She added, “It makes creators believe that we have to pump out content consistently, even at the cost of our life and our mental health and our happiness because if you don’t, then you’ll become irrelevant.”
YouTube’s ever evolving algorithm, which experimented with the order of videos that appeared in users’ subscription feed this year, has consistently frustrated creators on the platform.
Also read: What if Snapchat were to copy Facebook for a change?
‘We love Lilly’
Singh also acknowledged vloggers Alisha Marie and Grace Helbig, creators who have recently announced that they’re stepping away from the platform.
“I was too scared to do this, but shoutout to all of you for prioritising your mental health,” she said.
In a statement to CBC News, YouTube Canada’s Nicole Bell said, “We love Lilly and support her decision to take some time out. We and the rest of Team Super will be ready and waiting when Lilly comes back better than ever.”
The platform rolled out a series of mental well-being videos earlier this year to support creators in their endeavour to achieve a work-life balance.
While Singh has not put an end-date on her break, she said “this is not goodbye,” and that she will return once she feels healthier.
“Happiness is the most important thing to fight for, relevance is not,” Singh said.
I wasn’t a subscriber of any of them but the amount of hate these PDP army are spreading towards India and Indians just because of a mere music company, I had to subscribe T-series. The racism towards Indians is not a new thing but have a look at some channels of his supporters and you’ll feel disgusted. And still some Indians channels are supporting PDP. It is not a problem to choose any of them but don’t choose the one who is calling you and your entire creed some very bad and racist names.