Logan Paul, the phenomenally successful YouTube vlogger who earlier this week uploaded a video appearing to show the body of a suicide victim, says he is taking a break from the platform to “reflect” on his actions.
In yesterday’s brief Twitter post, Paul said the next edition of his near-daily videos had been postponed.
taking time to reflect
no vlog for now
see you soon— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 4, 2018
On Monday, Paul removed the video from his channel, after fans and other prominent YouTubers criticised him for his insensitivity upon discovering a body in Japan’s Aokigahara forest.
A written apology followed on Twitter. Paul then issued a tearful video apology, admitting his shame over the video, and saying “I’m disappointed in myself. I promise to be better. I will be better.”
The initial video has sparked broader conversations about content moderation on YouTube, and a culture which may have propelled users like Paul to film more and more provocative scenarios in the race for views.
“While YouTube might not explicitly encourage Paul to pull ever-more insane stunts, it stands to benefit financially when he and creators like him gain millions of views off of outlandish episodes,” Louise Matsakis wrote for Wired.
Matsakis added that if YouTube doesn’t adopt a more transparent moderation system, incidents like this – which have been defended by pockets of Paul’s young fan base – will continue to happen.
As for Paul’s next instalment, we’ll just have to wait and see.
