Doesn't it seem more likely that Google and YouTube did some research and crunched the numbers and did what would be more profitable for them? What probably happened: Advertisers: Hey YouTube, here's our criteria of what we want our ads to be seen on. Do not put our ads on [insert restrictions here] or we will stop advertising with you. YouTube: Hi Advertisers, thank you for your input, we will do our due diligence and research and have our legal team get with your legal teams and we'll come up with something that will make us both happy and continue to make us lots of money. Advertisers: Sounds good! YouTube: *Implements new restrictions on what content can be monitized after doing said research, legal mumbo jumbo, etc.* Advertisers and YouTube are happy and roll around in piles of cash. You want YouTube to respond with: YouTube: No way advertisers, we'll put your ads on whatever we want! Advertisers: *stops advertising and providing money to YouTube* YouTube: Huh. Where'd the piles of cash go?
What will actually happen: YouTube: *Implements new restrictions on what content can be monetized after doing research, legal mumbo jumbo, etc.* Content Creators: Wait a minute, this is taking away our primary source of income! This is how we make more videos for you to put advertisements on! If we can't make more videos then you won't have any ad revenue! YouTube: Too bad. Those are the rules now. Follow them or get out. Content Creators: Fine, then! Have your stupid rules! If you won't let us make our content then we'll take our creativity someplace else! *abandons the site and looks for other outlets to make a living* YouTube: Huh. Where'd the piles of cash go? Google Management: You guys do realize that you have to have videos to put advertisements on, right? YouTube: ... Advertisers: ... YouTube/Advertisers: Oh, crap. *cue Seinfeld theme, roll credits*
Except that most content creators are unaffected, and will stay. And the ones that are affected generally aren't that popular, insofar as ad revenue goes. Would Ol' Pewds stop with the dick jokes in order to keep making literally 7 digits of revenue? You know he will. He literally already did this last time YouTube changed their TOS. Also that a ton of people who are partnered don't have YouTube as their primary source of income. In fact, very few do at this point. Most either have day jobs, or stream for the majority of their revenue. As such, losing a percentage of their monetization on videos (note: not even all of it in most cases, just a part) isn't that big a deal in the first place. Overall, some people are going to stop, yes. And YouTube will be laughing at them as they keep raking in piles of money from everyone unaffected.
Fun. Now we are playing the pointing fingers game. At this point, I've stopped giving a care. Call me entitled, call me a whiny cry baby for all I care. Maybe I am being nostalgic of the old days of Youtube. Maybe I should buy a time machine and travel to the time when we could Broadcast Ourselves and not have people say, "oh that's too offensive for advertisements!" At the end of the day, I think no one will cares who is right or who is wrong. If Youtube fixes the algorithms, good for them. If they don't, fine by me. I only go on there to watch videos. Though IDK, maybe no one will stop complaining. Paint your pictures how you like, and I'll do the same in return.
I don't like that people are blaming youtube for this when it's much more likely that it is the advertisers who have decided that they don't want to see their ads on certain kind of videos. Like, do you people believe that youtube started doing this for fun?