YouTube Rewind 2018 is already the second-most disliked video ever

Since 2010, YouTube has released a yearly wrap-up of its most popular videos and creators.

It did the same thing this year with YouTube Rewind 2018. It featured the likes of Will Smith, plus creators Molly Burke, Liza Koshy, and Simone Giertz in a predictably upbeat compilation released last Thursday.

There’s also an homage to K-pop, some late night show hosts doing Fortnite dances, and yes, more Fortnite references.

Fast forward a few days, and the video has the distinct honor of becoming the second-most disliked video on YouTube, racking up an impressive 7.7 million dislikes since its debut.

The number one spot belongs to the music video for Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” which has 9.7 million dislikes. However, “Baby” has 2 billion views, and it was posted all the way back in 2010.

The deep unpopularity of YouTube’s Rewind video, which becomes clear through the video’s comments and social media chatter, is that YouTube has omitted some of the platform’s biggest stars.

The likes of Shane Dawson, Logan Paul, and PewDiePie don’t make an appearance, and that weird, but ultimately very popular boxing match between KSI and Paul didn’t rate a mention either. What gives?

Well, given Paul and PewDiePie‘s rather odious behavior in the past, it’s perhaps unsurprising that YouTube has cut them, as well as other unsavory elements out of its recap.

PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, released a reaction video to YouTube Rewind 2018. Kjellberg revealed that he was told by the company that he wouldn’t be included in the recap, not that he seems to mind.

“I remember Rewind was something that was a homage to the creators that year. It was something cool to be part of,” he said. “Now I’m almost glad I’m not in it, because it’s such a cringey video at this point. It’s disconnected with the community and its creators.”

But there’s a bigger picture, as The Verge’s Julia Alexander notes: This year’s video feels especially marketer and advertiser-friendly, to the detriment of its own community.

“Ignoring the moments that YouTube’s community cares about and pays attention to, like a boxing match that brought in nearly 1 million live viewers, hides an enormous part of the platform’s cultural shift,” she writes. 

“It feels disingenuous, like YouTube is hiding its uglier side under a carpet while showing guests around.” It shouldn’t surprise us, but money certainly talks.