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It’s Monday and two metaverse-savvy celebs are ushering in the latest mini-season of Fortnite: Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice.

🗞️ Today’s News 🗞️

• 🗳️ YouTube makes money from election misinformation

• 🤫 Netflix and Roku stop reporting subscriber counts

• 💰 Russia hits YouTube with a 35-digit fine

• 🤝 Gen Z creators and entrepreneurs gather for ZCON

• 🎙️ This week on the podcast…

TALKING POLITICS

YouTube lets creators lie about election outcomes. And then it makes money off them.

The policy: Last June, YouTube reversed its ban on election misinformation to permit videos that spread lies about the outcome of the 2020 presidential race. At the time, the platform said it wanted to avoid “curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm.” Now, the consequences of that decision are coming to light.

The impact: From May through August 2024, Media Matters— a progressive group that monitors conservative messaging—tracked 30 of the most popular YouTube channels “identified as persistently spreading election misinformation” (per The New York Times). Channels included those belonging to right-wing commentators like Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Rudy Guiliani.

Collectively, those channels racked up 47 million views by posting 286 videos containing election misinformation—a third of which were monetized. The inclusion of YouTube ads on those videos means they contributed to the platform’s ad revenue earnings (which hit an unprecedented high of $8.9 billion in Q3).

Despite that research (which was independently verified by the Times), YouTube argued that “most” of the channels Media Matters found are “ineligible for advertising.” Yet, when Media Matters brought its research to YouTube, the platform reviewed some of the flagged videos and determined that they didn’t violate its Community Guidelines.

Next steps: Will YouTube fail to remove misinformation about the 2024 election results, too? When we asked this question last year, a spokesperson said the platform would “have more details to share about our approach towards the 2024 election in the months to come.”

Months later, YouTube has promised to surface authoritative information about election results, label AI-generated deepfakes, and terminate videos that spread lies about the vote process—but it hasn’t given any updates on how it will handle any misinformation related to the election outcome. Based on its response to Media Matters’ investigation, it’s likely election conspiracy theories will likely continue to thrive on YouTube in the days, weeks, and months to come.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• As YouTube increasingly dominates streaming, Roku is following Netflix’s lead by no longer reporting exact subscriber counts. (Tubefilter)
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• New inbox filters will allow Instagram creators to categorize messages based on whether they’re sent by “verified accounts,” “businesses,” “creators,” or “subscribers.” (Engadget)

• X has begun rolling out a controversial update that will allow users to view the profiles and posts of anyone who has blocked them. (Gizmodo)
  
  

• Disney has launched an Office of Technology Enablement to “explore the exciting opportunities and navigate the potential risks” of emerging technologies like AI, AR, and VR. (Engadget)

HAVE YOU HEARD? 👂

Have you heard? Apple’s worried about TikTok kids and Tim Walz is on Twitch.

Our latest round of weekly creator economy highlights has arrived. Here’s a snapshot of the latest trends and updates fueling the industry:

Politics as usual: The 2024 presidential election could trigger a marketing blackout on Wednesday. Depending on who comes out on top, creators and brands may need to make hefty adjustments to their content strategies. Some risk-averse types are already pausing activity until the election is decided.

The court of law: Even Apple has had qualms about TikTok’s effects on underage users. According to a South Carolina lawsuit, the former company advised the Bytedance-owned platform to raise its minimum age limit from 13 to 17 all the way back in 2022.

TikTok isn’t the only platform facing legal pressure. As retribution for multiple bans on state-affiliated channels, a Russian court has hit YouTube with a “symbolic” $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 fine.

The biz: Two years after Karat’s big marketing campaign, Patreon is bringing creator billboards back to Times Square. The platform has set up an application process to find the perfect talent for its new promotion. Will your face end up being broadcast across one of NYC’s busiest hubs?

Creator commotion: A MrBeast parody has become India’s hottest YouTube video. 14 of the biggest creators in South Asia joined forces to bring the upload to CarryMinati‘s channel, where it has now collected more than 57 million views. Even MrBeast made time to weigh in on the video and congratulate its creators for putting in an “insane” amount of effort.

Check out the full column here to find out about Leslie Fu’s return to Twitch and Tim Walz’ gaming stream with AOC.

Z IS FOR ZCON

A new creator conference is all about Gen Z

The event: The first edition of UTA’s Gen Z-focused creator conference is a wrap. From October 24-25, Gen Z thought leaders hit the stage at The Skylight Penthouse in New York as part of ZCON’s inaugural lineup. Speakers, panelists, and presenters included creators like Anna Sitar, activists like Amelie Zilber, actors like Moana‘s Auli’i Cravalho, and founders like Cam Kasky of March For Our Lives. An award ceremony at the convention also honored Gen Z tastemakers like podcaster Madeline Argy and fashion hub Depop.

The context: UTA—a talent agency with a significant foothold in the creator space—says it organized ZCON to “provide business leaders and stakeholders with the tools and knowledge necessary to better understand young people, so they can meaningfully show up for Gen Z.”

But is “showing up for Gen Z” still the goal for businesses in 2024? Zoomers were once the apple of every influencer marketer’s eye—but now, the generational tide is shifting. Gen Alpha has come to dominate creator economy discourse with Skibidi heads and “brain rot” memes. In response, marketers are setting their sights on Gen Alpha beauty queens and Fortnite worlds.

The takeaway: Gen A might be generating buzz, but Gen Z is still shaping the cultural landscape. Just as Millennials like Tyler Oakley and Bethany Mota created the content that Gen Z teens consumed, Zoomers like Alix Earle and MrBeast are now steering the culture that drives Gen Alpha. Still, a Gen A convention probably isn’t too far off.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

YouTube earns & Instagram erodes: Creator Upload hosts Lauren Schnipper and Josh Cohen hit the studio this week to discuss YouTube’s stellar Q3 results and Instagram’s decision to lower the quality of unpopular videos. Also on the agenda: a deep-dive into Kai Cenat’s partnership with pop culture icon and fictional therapist Kim Kardashian.

Check out the full episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.