YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start earning money

good. hopefully this will improve the quality for the first time in 14 years or so. Monetization is essentially synonymous with enshittification. Less monetization -> less enshittification. Less need to put stupid red arrows and bug eyes on your thumbnails. etc. I don’t even care if youtube is just straight taking all the difference. Anything to decrease the number of people who are in it for the money is good.

Easy to say if you’re not a creator.

I write, edit, record, and publish everything I create, all by myself.

Devaluing smaller creators is going to mean more AI slop, because more people will be motivated to take shortcuts.

And those who don’t will probably quit. Creating authentic content and growing a channel takes time, and a lot more of it now.