Member-only story
Not a week goes by without the Paul brothers being involved in some kind of controversy, and it is by design–the two Viners-turned-YouTubers have perfected the art of drawing ire only to feed their brand, and ultimately their clout. Some may be puzzled by this dynamic–after all, legacy media used to punish even the slightest infractions by stripping culprits of much-coveted social capital, but the age of internet fame has turned things completely upside down.
What gave rise to such an environment can’t be separated from a long-overdue conversation on the ills of YouTube culture in particular, which seems to prize above all a facade of nonchalant lawlessness, much to the chagrin of the platform holders. It was Logan Paul’s vlog of the Aokigahara forest at Mount Fuji — the infamous ‘Suicide Forest’ — that instigated a rule change about offensive content whose ramifications are still felt to this day–other creators have contributed their lot to the fire since, but the Paul brothers represent a unique challenge as their relationship to the platform rests on a very fragile thread, one whose integrity shall meet its ultimate test if yet another massive blunder was to occur.
