YouTube's top dog, MrBeast, a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson, boasts a whopping 233 million subscribers. He's not shy about calling out YouTube's meh monetization for influencers. Think it's not worth his while.
Enter Elon Musk, the man on a mission to revamp Twitter's ad-revenue-sharing. His goal? Attract big fish like MrBeast. But so far, it's been a tough sell.
MrBeast, always up for a challenge, told Musk he'd give Twitter's monetization a whirl. Fast forward to January 15, and boom! He drops a video on Twitter. It's a reupload titled "$1 vs $100,000,000 Car!" – a hit from YouTube with a staggering 215 million views.
But how did it fare on Twitter? By January 23, it racked up 161 million views. Impressive? Sure. But here's the kicker: Donaldson revealed he pocketed a cool $250,000 from it.
However, Donaldson hints there's more than meets the eye. Advertisers swarmed his Twitter video, possibly bumping up his earnings. He suggests this might not be the norm for everyone.
Skeptics were quick to raise eyebrows. Rumors swirled that Musk might have rigged the game, boosting views or even the ad payout for Donaldson. Some thought there was a secret deal between Musk and Donaldson.
Social media experts like Jack Appleby spotted something fishy. Donaldson's Twitter video popping up a tad too often in feeds, missing timestamps, and ad markers. Was Twitter pulling strings behind the scenes?
Mashable shed light on Twitter's murky ad practices since Musk took over. Ads playing hide-and-seek, not clearly marked. Advertising watchdogs weren't pleased, filing complaints about the lack of transparency.
Experts like Rebecca Mardon from Cardiff University stressed the importance of clear ad identification on social media. If Donaldson's Twitter post was indeed a sneaky ad, it's a big no-no.
Chris Kubbernus, CEO of Kubbco, pointed out that other platforms had been guilty of similar tactics. So, Twitter doing the same wouldn't be a shocker.
Musk, however, denied any special treatment for Donaldson's video. But users dug up evidence suggesting otherwise, spotting a "promoted" label on older versions of the app.
Kubbernus warned that playing favorites with big names like MrBeast could backfire, alienating smaller creators on Twitter. Musk's challenge? Make Twitter appealing for all creators, not just the heavy hitters.
The real struggle for Twitter lies in convincing brands it's a safe bet for advertising. Relying on a handful of star creators might not be enough to win back advertisers' trust.
In the end, YouTube's success with family-friendly content underlines a hard truth Musk is learning: Free speech and ad-friendly content are a tricky balancing act.
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