Yahoo News Zoella among popular YouTubers facing backlash for #RedOut stunt
If you were online at all yesterday, you probably noticed that a lot of people weren’t too happy after a selection of the biggest YouTuber’s took part on #RedOut.
Zoella, Jim Chapman and Louise Pentland are among the 35 vloggers who all suddenly went offline at 6pm, posting a vague seven-second video to their channels that revealed the stunt is in aid of Red Nose Day.
However, fans aren’t happy with the YouTube community, asking what them going offline for 24 hours has to do with raising awareness for the charity.
Going offline until 6pm tonight, the vloggers asked their viewers to donate to the charity as they took part in #RedOut, with many followers infuriated that they are expected to sponsor the popular YouTubers to, effectively, “take a day off work”.
I wonder how much the youtubers are being paid for the day off #RedOut
— ga (@whynomeme) March 12, 2017
How does not uploading a YouTube video for 24 hours help a starving child? #RedOut
— Conor (@_ConorDowling) March 12, 2017
Is #RedOut literally just YouTubers going offline for the day? (ie. taking the day off work?) #RedNoseDay pic.twitter.com/9OdXaPkGIe
— Sophie (@OnceUponASophie) March 12, 2017
#redout why don't yt's make a video about the problem to raise awareness, instead of going offline and not even explaining what it's about?
— ???? (@lilylesterx) March 12, 2017
how????is????going????offline????going????to????make????money????and????raise????awareness????there????are????more????effective????ways???? #RedOut ????
— abby (@fooIscon) March 12, 2017
The whole #RedOut thing left me confused
"Lets raise awareness for homelessness, by doing…. nothing.." pic.twitter.com/JLlvZExkVm— Sam Chaplin (@_Sam_Chaplin) March 13, 2017
#redout aka sponsor a youtuber to…. take a day off work?
— keir (@ohneii) March 12, 2017
The campaign aims to raise money and awareness for children who face issues such as poverty, disease, conflict and injustice in their day-to-day lives, but the fact that none of the YouTubers have shared any information on this – instead opting to actively step away from their influential platforms – has left their fans riled.
#RedOut officially ends today at 6pm and it is unknown if the participating YouTubers will then do something else in honour of Red Nose Day that may help to actually raise awareness for the cause, or they may even resort to damage control following the backlash that their campaign has sparked.
