Logan Paul is My Nephew’s Idol. Here’s Why That’s a Problem

How much of ‘outrageous content’ on the internet is harmless?

YouTuber and internet celebrity, Logan Paul.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Logan Paul)

“Have you heard of Logan Paul?”

The name rings a faint bell. The question comes from my nephew. He wants to be a YouTube star, his mother tells me. I am hardly surprised. I make a mental note of buying him a vlogging camera with my next salary. I want to be the cool aunt.

All this is before I enter his room. The tradition of putting up posters of one’s idols on the wall is still alive. Then it hits me. LOGAN PAUL.

YouTuber and internet celebrity, Logan Paul.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Logan Paul)

The face of the 22-year-old YouTuber — recently infamous for uploading a vlog with a clip of a man who had committed suicide in the Aokigahara “suicide woods” in Japan — stared back at me. Logan Paul is my 12-year-old nephew’s idol.

Here’s why that is deeply disturbing and problematic.

Let’s Rewind... What’s the Logan Paul Story?

On 31 December 2017, Logan Paul uploaded the vlog, wherein he and his friends encountered a man who had apparently committed suicide. In the video, Paul can be heard laughing and yelling, “Are you joking?”

The dead man’s face is blurred during parts of the video. “Yo, are you alive?” Paul shouts at the body. “Are you fucking with us?”

A screenshot from Logan Paul's Japan vlog. (Photo Courtesy: YouTube Screengrab)

The video was later age-gated, which meant that it required one to be logged into their YouTube accounts and be at least 18 years of age. By that time, however, it was too late.

A generic advisory label.(Photo Courtesy: iStock)

Age-gated advisories have often proved to be ineffective. It definitely did not stop my nephew, underage by these standards, from watching it. It did not stop his friends from having lengthy and animated conversations about it.

Paul’s ‘stunt’ was followed by drastic internet rage and condemnation. Paul’s subscribers (15 million, at the time) were quick and critical in voicing their disapproval, as were his YouTube peers.

Paul took down the video and uploaded the following apology video on 2 January 2018. YouTube too, issued a statement citing its safety guidelines.

I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity.

Logan Paul

Fast forward, at this point, here’s what Paul and YouTube are at: Paul’s channel has been reportedly removed from the YouTube trending tab, and is subjected to a period of probation, wherein some of the advertising and monetisation rights have been withheld.

The above video was Paul’s ‘epic comeback’, as he called it. Paul continues to vlog and now has 16 million followers — a one million more to his original subscriber base on YouTube.

Let’s Pause... What’s the Issue?

Besides Paul’s video being insensitive and the fact that he continued to upload questionable content, including using a Taser on two dead rats and performing CPR on a dead fish, there is more to this matter than meets the eye.

Paul is popular and an influencer — an influencer, in internet terms — in the ‘Watch Me Do This’ video culture that is a huge part of individual content creation on YouTube. He might even be termed as a provocateur.

Provocateur. Seems like a neutral or even a positive word, right? Think again.

An article in Polygon defines internet provocateurs as creators who “are known for saying outrageous things and acting in outrageous ways, wearing ridiculous getups, or performing questionable stunts disguised as pranks — and they do it all for the sake of content.”

The question is, how much of this ‘outrageous content’ is harmless? What happens when harmless fun transforms into tasteless, insensitive and harmful mockery? How much is too much?

If the makers deserve criticism, so do the consumers of such content. What excites us about such content? The thrill of it — what will they do next? — and the voyeurism perhaps. Again, how much is too much?

Let’s Forward... What Can We Do?

I am a millennial. I am from a generation of people who have grown up learning and mastering technology. My nephew was born (metaphorically) with an internet equipped smartphone in his hand.

The internet has played a significant role in teaching me about menstruation, sex, and mental health — all the things that I felt hesitant in talking about with my parents. But now, I am afraid of this dark web.

Also Read: Suicides, Self Harm and the Blue Whale Challenge: Truth vs Hype

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said that Paul doesn’t deserve to be banned.

He hasn’t done anything that would cause those three strikes... We can’t just be pulling people off our platform. They need to violate a policy.

Susan Wojcicki, YouTube CEO

So, what’s the way out of this dark web without curbing people’s freedom to express, without attempting to limit and regulate what my nephew or anyone watches and consumes on the internet?

I am no expert but here’s something that helped: Conversation. It mostly works with kids, friends, and even parents. Kids are especially difficult because they are bound to listen more to their friends than you, but they should know that there is always someone whom they can ask questions.

My nephew asked, “Did you hear about Logan Paul?” and I explained as best as I could, hoping that while it might not stop him from watching outrageous content on the internet, it will make him think.

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