Youtubers Union

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The Youtubers Union ( English Union of Youtubers ) is an association of YouTubers who are committed to the needs of the community of video producers for YouTube. The Youtubers Union was founded in March 2018 by Jörg Sprave . The main concern of the organization is to represent the interests of the video producers vis-à-vis the company Youtube and to improve the working conditions of Youtubers. In October 2018, according to the founder, more than 16,000 people were organized in the Youtubers Union.

Since July 2019, the Youtubers Union has been cooperating with IG Metall in the “FairTube” project to achieve, among other things, clear and comprehensible rules for the insertion of advertisements and the deletion of videos, the establishment of an independent arbitration board and the establishment of a co-determination committee for Youtubers vis-à-vis the group .

background

The company Youtube has been offering video producers the opportunity to receive remuneration through advertisements for their own publications since 2007; The prerequisite for this is to be a YouTube "partner". Decisive for the allocation of the "partner" status is the range of the publications - minimum requirements are around 1,000 subscribers and more than 4,000 hours of viewing time within the last 12 months (as of July 2019). Videos on Youtube, however, are evaluated by an algorithm for the potential interest of the viewer, the specific mechanism and relevant factors are not public. In addition, advertising is also assigned automatically so that video producers do not know the basis for the (monetary) (failure) of their channel. Changes in the algorithm can consequently lead to spontaneous drops in income - without a video producer having any influence on it.

In 2017 there were various incidents and reports, some of which led to heated public debates about the video platform and its content. As a result, some companies withdrew advertising orders and put YouTube under pressure. The portmanteau "Adpocalypse" off "Advertisement" ( advertising ) and " Apocalypse " was coined. Advertisements from various corporations were shown in the "environment of extremist videos". A viral article from Medium.com highlighted various aspects of videos that have been automatically suggested for children and families. The author James Bridle discusses fundamental and specific aspects, for example the content-poor design - lack of delimitation and labeling of advertising - or the addiction factor and "disturbing" content. The Youtuber Logan Paul, for example, was denied participation in monetization opportunities in February 2018.

Youtube then adapted its algorithms so that “ads only run where they should run”. This means that a “more careful examination” will be carried out to determine which content is suitable for advertising. Specifically, the “guidelines for advertising-friendly content” were published at the beginning of 2018, which extensively name content that is unsuitable for advertisers. The Spraves videos, for example, did not violate the previously existing "content guidelines" (guidelines for content) . The 2018 amendment should make it more difficult "to earn advertising money with violent, overly sexual or simply tasteless films."

The current guidelines for “ad-friendly content” include, for example, “adult-only content” (such as “nudity”), “controversial issues and sensitive issues” (such as “political conflict”), or “content related to firearms” (such as “misuse of firearms ") (as of July 2019). Such videos would be labeled "Limited or No Ads".

As the operator of the Slingshot channel, Jörg Sprave was affected by this adjustment, according to a Golem.de article, his advertising income fell from around $ 6,500 to around $ 1,500 between autumn 2017 and spring 2018. monthly - without the possibility of influencing or claiming an individual, detailed justification.

founding

The main concern of the Youtubers Union is to improve the working conditions of Youtubers. Founder Sprave criticized in an article that appeared shortly after the founding of the Youtubers Union on Vice.com that the company Youtube, for example, does not maintain clear, direct communication with the video producers.

After demonetizing its videos at the beginning of 2018, Sprave tried to get in touch with his “partner manager”, a YouTube employee who maintains contact with video producers. After these attempts were unsuccessful, Sprave was invited to a seminar on monetization, along with other Youtubers. According to Spraves, it was conveyed there that controversial content was not desired. Even a "suspicious" term in the title of a video is problematic because the algorithms (" bots ") would misinterpret them.

According to Sprave, the concrete change in monetization conditions in 2018 was preceded by two years of various, non-transparent changes in terms of use and algorithms.

Organizational aspects

The Youtubers Union is not a trade union in the traditional sense or formally . It organizes transnational people and represents union issues and interests, but does not have, for example, national organizations in which members of this nationality organize. Accordingly, there is no international umbrella organization. In spite of the American membership, recognition by the National Labor Relations Board cannot take place. Basically, Youtubers are not employees of the Google group or a subsidiary of the company. In Germany, the partner IG Metall therefore also speaks of “movement”. Daniel Joseph, who works as a freelance researcher with digital platforms, sees this as a fundamental problem in digital work.

“[This] prevents people from organizing in traditional ways, they have to meet on Slack, and Discord. They can't meet at the watercooler to complain about the boss. "

“This prevents people from being organized in classic forms. You need to discuss it on Slack or Discord . You can't just meet [in the tea kitchen] to complain about the boss. "

- Daniel Joseph

Jörg Sprave contrasts this with the basic idea of ​​the possibility of expressing opinions and participation:

"For me it is important that the people who are not satisfied with YouTube's new guidelines form a community - instead of just common frustration."

The Vice.com article about the founding of the Youtubers Union shows a parallel to the labor dispute for better conditions at Uber , a brokerage service for passenger transport. According to Uber, its drivers are formally independent entrepreneurs. A lawsuit that began in the US state of California in 2016 regarding the recognition of the dependency of drivers on Uber led to the recognition of a “Drivers Association” (driver representation) by way of an out-of-court settlement . This is also not formally a trade union, but represents the interests of drivers vis-à-vis company management. The Süddeutsche Zeitung also looks at the similarities between Youtube and Uber. The article about the Youtubers Union - class war of clicks - refers to a ruling by the European Court of Justice , according to which Uber is not only an online service but also a taxi company and trade unions are entitled to negotiate fair working conditions.

"FairTube" campaign

The FairTube campaign is a joint project of IG Metall and the Youtubers Union. In a video published on July 26, 2019, Youtuber Jörg Sprave, IG Metall chairman Christiane Benner and lawyer Thomas Klebe appear as labor law experts. The video introduces the collaboration and explains individual aspects. The company Youtube will be asked for talks. On the campaign website published at the same time, the demands are described as follows:

  1. Transparency of all categories and decision criteria that have an impact on the monetization and recommendation of videos
  2. Traceability of individual decisions - for example: which parts of a video violate which criteria?
  3. Human, qualified and decision-making contact persons for the YouTubers
  4. Opportunities to object to individual decisions
  5. An independent arbitration board
  6. Co-determination for YouTubers, e.g. B. in the form of an advisory board

IG Metall has been striving to improve working conditions on digital platforms since 2015

Jörg Sprave sums up his ten years of experience as a video producer on the occasion of the launch of FairTube for Youtube as follows:

“Being a YouTuber is only apparently a dream job. Extremely high workloads, livelihood worries and strong fluctuations in income are the hard reality for the "Creators". In reality, one is at the mercy of an overpowering platform. It is high time for changes. "

- Jörg Sprave

Classification under labor law & bogus self-employment of video producers

The labor law expert Thomas Klebe sees various indications of the existence of bogus self-employment among video producers who publish and monetize their work on YouTube. For example, the constant evaluation and the complete acquisition and management of advertising via the YouTube group would speak for this. Christiane Benner formulates the question: "Are these [Youtubers] still free, self-employed partners - or miserably treated employees?" The employment law classification of the video producers as employees meant, for example, the additional payment of social security contributions. According to Klebe, the redefinition of the term employee through the legislation would be conceivable in the future, since one thing is certain: "Youtubers are in great need of protection."

General Data Protection Regulation & Youtuber

According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies (data controllers ) are obliged to users (data subject) to receive information about all personal data. FairTube regards the automated or human evaluation of videos as personal and the confidentiality of the criteria as a violation of the GDPR. The basis for this classification is a court ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union , according to which the categorization of video products on YouTube can also represent personal data.

public perception

In his article Class Struggle for Clicks in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Caspar von Au emphasizes the monopoly position of YouTube and the special responsibility that goes with it for video producers and viewers.

Christoph Neuberger , professor of communication studies, sees similarities between the concerns of the Youtubers Union and the beginnings of the labor disputes during industrialization in the 19th century. During this historic phase, collective agreements and regular working hours were won for the first time . ( See also : social question )

Communication scientist Bertram Gugel criticizes the working conditions of Youtubers for video producers becoming the “raw material” of an “advertising platform”.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Steinlechner: Further dispute about advertising on Youtube , Golem.de , April 4, 2017. Retrieved on July 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ Achim Sawall: Union of Youtube Stars has 16,000 members , Golem.de , October 22, 2018. Accessed July 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ James Bridle: Something is wrong on the internet , Medium.com , November 6, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b c d Emanuel Maiberg: A Viral Slingshot Channel Started a YouTuber's Union , Vice.com , May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Peter Steinlechner: Youtube intensifies the fight against problematic content , Golem.de , December 5, 2017. Accessed July 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ Peter Steinlechner: Youtube tightened guidelines for professional streamers , Golem.de , February 12, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ Guidelines for Ad-Friendly Content , support.google.com/youtube. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ a b c d e Caspar von Au: Class struggle for clicks , Süddeutsche Zeitung website, October 22, 2018. Accessed on July 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Sarah Jeong, Uber Settles Driver Lawsuits for $ 100 Million , Vice.com - Motherboard , April 22, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ a b IG Metall and YouTubers Union work together , igmetall.de, July 22, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Edward Ongweso Jr .: The YouTubers Union Is Not Messing Around , Vice.com , July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.