Logan Paul has had a turbulent couple of months. A couple of days into January, Paul released a graphic video of his venture into the famous Japanese ‘Suicide Forest.' This video showed how Paul and his friends discovered a dead body hanging below a tree. Paul’s reaction was hardly respectful with many scenes showing him laughing or making jokes out of the situation. Critics have argued that the video should have never been released. But, the conscious decision to air the video demonstrates a fervent desire for views and attention.
He began the video explaining that YouTube had never seen a video like the one he was about to present.
The suggestion that he would be the first to release such a graphic video demonstrate how conscious he was about the impact of his recording. He knew the video would achieve virality across the internet. Logan Paul specializes in viral videos. This began with the app 'Vine' and continued onto YouTube.
The appeal of Paul is his extravagant and excessive character. Each video or daily vlog is intended to reach as many eyeballs as possible. This purpose has landed him into a lot of trouble. The video on the 'Suicide Forest' is only one half of the picture. His behavior throughout his time in Japan has been viewed as disrespectful and obnoxious.
The mindset behind Paul's videos
The need for a catchy title and thumbnail encourages Logan Paul to be unusual and disruptive.
It also forces him to manufacture scenarios that the viewers will see as extraordinary.
So far, this formula has worked. He had amassed a YouTube following of ten million subscribers in only one year. His recent figures are almost about to reach seventeen million. These astonishing numbers are what drives Logan Paul to create more and more viral content that will hopefully satisfy his huge fan base.
He is under immense pressure to perform, and because of this, it is no wonder that Paul released the 'Suicide Forest' video. The mentality behind the video is understandable even though the actual content is disgusting and despicable.
Following the videos on Japan, Logan Paul took a break from YouTube for the first time since he began two years ago.
The negative reception of the 'Suicide Forest' video had forced him to re-evaluate his behavior on the platform. He then released a short documentary discussing the issue of suicide. This is a great video and is sure to have a good impact on the charities that he brought attention to.
Many believed Logan Paul had redeemed himself, although the internet seemed split between two ways on the issue.
Nonetheless, Paul returned to his usual routine of vlogging one week ago and continued as if all the drama before had not happened, his behavior no different than it was in Japan. His actions in the last five of his videos have clearly caused the management of YouTube some concern.
YouTube announced that it would be temporally suspending Logan Paul's Ad Revenue from his videos.
Yesterday, YouTube released new guidelines declaring that the actions of a few YouTubers can harm the rest of the community. Those that release harmful content will be liable for punishment such as removing the ability to earn ad revenue and removing videos from the Site's popular page.
The reaction from the YouTube Community
The YouTube community has overwhelmingly supported this action. However, many were displeased that it took so long and did not happen as soon as he released the 'Suicide Forest' video. It seems that trigger for this action was relatively minor in comparison to Paul's actions in Japan last month.
Logan Paul will not suffer very much from this financial action. He owns a successful merchandise brand called 'Maverick' and holds various other revenue streams.
But, the significance is that YouTube has put their foot down. YouTube has shown that it will not stand for harmful content and are willing to act in order to protect their community. Many people in the community believe this was the right course of action and appreciate their attempt to secure the reputation of the platform.
