Monetizing On YouTube & Some Interesting Trends When Working Or Socializing Online

Some of the trends on YouTube revolve around the standard televangelist type monetizing, which is as old as TV itself. Some of us can recall the Jimmy Swaggart and Tammy Faye scandals back in the eighties with the Assemblies of God church.

Most memorable for me is the massive amount of eye makeup Tammy Faye wore, along with the crying and numerous public apologies. After the scandals and affairs became public, I do recall a T-shirt promotion. It had a big black smudge on the front of the shirt, with the caption “I hugged Tammy Faye”.

So it is no surprise that YouTube has many church related fund raising sites, some of which may be quite legitimate. Regardless of the topics or the truth surrounding the many topics, people can easily donate to whatever subjects or organizations they choose.

Pop psychology is not much different than many of the church sites, as there is a fair bit of heart tugging manipulation based on emotions such as fear and sympathy. The church broadcasters and psychology gurus, are comparable in many ways.

There are many topics now that can be monetized on YouTube, from courses, to pop psychology, diet, and true crime. One of the more recent surges in monetization and opinions comes from the fascination with the Idaho student murders.

It is truly amazing to me how many have jumped on this particular bandwagon. In one case, a very detailed and organized YouTube publisher sells subscriptions for one dollar a month. Given that she has thousands of viewers and subscribers, she is probably doing reasonably well, as long as she can keep up with delivering interesting content, which must be a full time job.

In addition, there are retired police officers who set up a panel of three, and sometimes have special guests. In those cases, people will donate certain small sums ranging between $2.00 and $20.00 on average, in order to submit a comment, and basically get a high five, and a thank you from the team.

One thing to note is that many of the broadcasters just love their audience, as if we can be totally enamoured by those we do not even know. It does have some of the same patterns as the early televangelists. But at least the sums are small, and the content creators are not claiming to offer anything but opinions and experience. So fair enough. Admittedly, it is more honest than claiming they will do faith healing, or set the viewers up for a windfall of pennies from heaven, like the prosperity gospel preachers do.  

Of course there is a great deal of speculation because the majority of the evidence in the case has not even been released. What is the point in going over every detail of a probable cause arrest document, when it is only the tip of the iceberg as far as evidence is concerned? But the fascination with the case fuels the input, and the money fuels the motivation for those who create the content.

In a sense it is similar to gloom and doom pop psychology. We seem to have a natural attraction to what makes lunatics tick. Why did he do it? Will he get away with it? Did he have an accomplice? Did he know the victims? Is he brilliant or is he a moron? Where is the knife? Did he throw it in the river or did he bury it? How long was he planning this? Did he stalk them on social media? What about the dog? Will the dog be the hero by shedding his hair so it is found somewhere in the perpetrators car or apartment?

Some of the commentators were saying how BK is nowhere near as sophisticated or brilliant as Ted Bundy or the BTK killer, Green River killer etc. But they are not taking into consideration the advancement of forensic science and technology. Anyone who claims a murderer is brilliant is giving them far too much credit. Bundy got caught and was executed, even though his crimes were committed before there was DNA profiling.

The inclination to give the murderers some kind of intellectual superiority is not truthful, and not the least bit helpful. In fact, many of them are so filled with narcissism and attention seeking, they revel in hearing the so-called experts describing them as being brilliant, geniuses, or fascinating, when in fact they are sick, sadistic and deranged.

The evidence in the case of the Idaho killer is already overwhelming, with a great deal more to come. The killer might have been studying for a PhD but all it goes to show, is that you do not have to be brilliant to be a University student either. Some people are brighter than others, and he clearly was not one of the bright ones.

The truth is – no one gets away with murder. Nothing is hidden from God. But even for those who do not believe in God, the forensic evidence or DNA through familial genealogy, can track them down at any time, even ten, twenty or forty years later.

The other aspect of it is their own conscience. I remember reading about a case where a man killed a woman he barely knew after a drunken altercation. They were in a remote location, and he left her for dead somewhere. Her death was never solved, and had become a cold case.

But his conscience bothered him even though he tried to stifle the memories of what happened. One day, he got a mistaken call to pick up a Costco prescription. The pharmacy retailer left him a message something to the effect, “your number is up”. He panicked and thought it was a message about the murder twenty years prior. As a result of a random mistaken call, and the wording of the message, he promptly went and turned himself into the police. What a good description of self driven justice, in spite of never being caught.

The rise in monetizing the macabre, could have indirect consequences, in the various nuggets of information, and ideas that surface as a result of it all.

In fact, if not for widespread public interest in true crime, the Gabby Petito case might not have been solved. At least one could surmise they may never have found her body, if not for a couple of adventure seekers who happened to drive down the same remote road where Brian Laundrie had parked, in order to bury her body. The couple who drove past not only saw the distinctive van parked there, but they filmed it, so it became a crucial part of the evidence that solved her disappearance.

In addition to the advancement and sophistication in forensic technology, there has been a huge increase in social media sleuths, doorbell cameras, dash cams, cell phone footage, screen shots, and armchair detectives. You would think the murderers would know they cannot get away with it, but it does not seem to stop them.

It seems that a whole new genre of monetizing true crime podcasts, and information sharing is on the rise. Unfortunately only certain cases really capture the public’s attention, and other cases quickly go by the wayside. But one thing it does highlight is the interconnectedness between the general public and the crimes that happen. When you watch the footage of the white car the killer drove, and follow all the places it went at all hours of the night, it must make those who live in the vicinity feel creeped out to know this person was driving around their neighbourhood like a wild beast circling its prey.

All of social media has merits as well as drawbacks. It is interesting to note in the latest developments, the killer is reported to have stalked his victims, and sent them messages on social media. This will also be taken in as evidence to help convict him. Ironically the very same things that set his sights on the victims, will bite back, in providing more incontrovertible evidence against him.

On the cautionary note however, is that social media can attract predators. It can also set young people up on an illusory quest for giving an outward appearance of living a romantic or perfect life. Like all content creation, it becomes difficult to keep up with, and difficult to live up to.

The world of technology has us hooked. I think the young people who use it freely for sharing and social engagement should be very cautious when it comes to disclosing their locations. There seems to be an assumption of safety. It is true, no one can jump through a computer screen or cell phone with a knife. But the social media disclosures, can put the person with the knife in proximity to the victims, as the Idaho case has shown.

Therefore in all cases, people should lock their doors at all times. They should also review video footage of security systems on a regular basis, and go through messages they receive to see if there are any common denominators. For those of us who are not in the University stage, or in the habit of using Instagram and Tik Tok, we don’t really grasp the law of attraction surrounding these methods of communication.

The potential for crime and victimization cannot be ignored. Not long ago a senior was ripped off for over $40,000 due to an email phishing scam. Many more have been duped by fake calls from Canada Revenue Agency.

One tip on email scams, is the return email will often have a whole string of random characters, instead of a legitimate email address. Many times they will show screenshots, with all the standard logos and colours, in order to dupe people into thinking they are legit. If anything suspicious comes in, and you wonder about it, it is better to go to the source separately, as opposed to following any links. 

For email and phone scams, it is common for them to say you have a refund or a parcel to pick up. These are used as bait to get you to click on a site that can grab personal information. In the case of the senior who was defrauded of 40K a company he was familiar with told him they had accidentally deposited money into his account, and showed a fake bank statement. But rather than take the bait, it is better to ignore it, and then check your account. 

Personally I do not respond to any notifications or warnings. Nor do I store passwords on any device. Also if you get a pop up when logging into a bank account telling you to change passwords or change security questions, don’t fall for it. Say no thanks and log out because it could be a pop up screen shot to steal your information.

When you decide to change a PW or security questions, log in to your account separately and go to the profile or account settings to make the changes. I have learned to be suspicious of any sudden pop-up screen shots during a log in, asking for a verification or a change in the information you have set up for that account. It is amazing what scammers can do online to gain access to personal information. 

There are also advanced settings you can explore on your computer, to see if there is any suspicious activity, or security breaches. You have the options of setting controls, limits, set up scans, and encryption options as well. The other thing to do is clear the browsing cache on a regular basis. 

For all forms of Internet presence, we should all be careful to set boundaries and protect ourselves. For those who broadcast publicly, on YouTube and various other platforms, never meet with someone you do not know, and above all always lock your doors.

Countless people make money online in one way or another. Most of us have some kind of online presence. Many use platforms like Twitter and FB to keep in touch or share opinions.

Social media has become a convenient, and often interesting part of life. However, it is a rapidly changing world from a technology perspective, and is becoming increasingly complex. We simply cannot afford to be naive.

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2023). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.