Influencers Have Been Cancelled Before, So Why Does David Dobrik Feel Different?

 

               Source: latimes.com

    The past year has been the year to hold social media influencers accountable. Over the summer, people like Shane Dawson had a slew of concerning videos dug up that all but pushed him off the internet. People were angry, and rightfully so. However, the recent allegations regarding David Dobrik feel somewhat different compared to past celebrities that have been held accountable. 

    For those who do not know, David Dobrik has been under fire for the last few weeks because of clips featured in some of his vlogs. David's vlogs are usually 4 minute and 20 second long videos made up of 3-4 "skits" or clips that happen in his life. These usually showcase his group of friends, known as the Vlog Squad. The vlog that is being talked about currently featured David and his friends Dom, Jeff, Todd, Jason and Trisha. Others were also present, but these 6 are the most involved. The vlog showed David inviting a group of girls over to have sex with his friend Dom. Originally, the girls did not want to, but after "persuasion" and "luck", two of them eventually agreed. At the end of the vlog, the boys joked that they would be going to jail. Flash forward a couple years, and this vlog resurfaces. Trisha, who was dating Jason at the time, states on her podcast that Jason was asked to go get alcohol to give to the girls, as they hoped it would make them more likely to sleep with Dom. Trisha stated that she was against this, and her and Jason left. However, she claims that Todd and Jeff did go out and pick up alcohol for the girls. During this time, an Insider article also comes out that discusses the experiences of one of the girls in the vlog. She states that later on in the evening, she was sexually assaulted by Dom. She also confirms that they were given alcohol. Jeff has since come out to deny being the one to supply the alcohol. 

    Since these allegations have come out, David and other members of the Vlog Squad have lost sponsorships and have had channels demonetized. David has stepped down from his app, Dispo, and has deleted more than 66 million views from his channel. He has posted two apologies, neither of which were received well by viewers. Since his second apology, he has gone quiet on social media as more footage from past vlogs resurface. 

                                            Source: poppy.fandom.com

    Though this "cancelation" may seem worse than others we have seen before, it is by no means the first, and will not be the last (clearly, since a week after David's apology, influencer and makeup artist, James Charles has had to release an apology of his own). It may seem like every influencer is under fire right now, but this is something that we have seen before. Back in 2014, Sam Pepper received similar treatment after he uploaded a video sexually harassing women as a "prank". This video was extremely controversial, and led to him losing a majority of his fanbase and respect on Youtube. Also during this time, stories and accusations started going around about other experiences people had with other Youtubers. I was in middle school at the time that this occurred, and I remembered being extremely upset to find out that some of the people I enjoyed watching the most were not good people. This wave of accountability was mainly surrounding British Youtubers, as now we are seeing it primarily with American Youtubers. Most of the people who were called out during this time have either left Youtube or are getting a fraction of the viewership that they once had. 

                               Source: wwd.com

    What makes David Dobrik different is the amount of status given to Youtube celebrities and influencers has changed. What used to seem like a hobby, and now a respectable and sought after career. People outside of the Youtube bubble had no idea who Sam Pepper and the other Youtubers were, but now things have changed. Mainstream media has learned that they can profit off of internet stars, which means that more people than ever before will recognize when someone like David Dobrik gets into trouble.  Even Saturday Night Live did a sketch poking fun at his apologies and him losing brand deals. They say the higher they fly the harder they fall, and David Dobrik breaking out of the typical Youtube mold has made it so that his downfall is not just being watched on Youtube, everyone can see it. People are becoming more popular than ever on Youtube. Even a couple years ago, the amount of people with 10 million subscribers on Youtube was still pretty low, but now this number does not seem like as big of an accomplishment, especially when other people have 20-100 million. 

    Another difference is that the victims of this are also able to have their story reach more people. They themselves are being given platforms. People can now see how many people are coming out against them, when before it was much harder to find. 

    I have seen a lot of concern on the internet that David's fans are too young to understand the severity of the situation, and that they will continue to support him. However, back in the early 2010s, when I was 13 and started hearing about similar accusations, I was quick to stop supporting them. Even when a person is young, they understand the difference between right and wrong, and bad people vs good people. The issue here may stem from it being unclear how much David's involvement led to the crimes that took place. This grey area might keep people holding onto the idea that David was being irresponsible and cocky, but maybe he is not actually a bad person. This will continue until he can either prove himself, or something else happens. However, there is a good amount of people that have already made their decision, and that is enough to push David off the pedestal that the public had put him on.