YouTube Rewind 2018, the annual review of the platform’s highlights, has become its most “disliked” video.
It has almost 10.1 million “dislikes”, with more than 82% of its viewers saying they did not enjoy it.
With almost 9.9 million “dislikes”, the video for Justin Bieber’s 2010 song Baby had filled the bottom slot for several years.
And fans’ comments below Baby reveal many “disliked” Rewind in a deliberate effort to bump Bieber off the bottom.
“Justin must be feeling so relieved now,” posted one YouTube member, whose comment rapidly attracted more than 1,000 likes itself.
‘Giant ad’
The Rewind video has been widely criticised for failing to feature some of the site’s top performers, such as Logan Paul and PewDiePie, and for ignoring significant web-culture events.
PewDiePie, also known as Felix Kjellberg, joined the chorus of criticism in a video saying Rewind featured too much of the Fortnite game and too few YouTubers.
Prominent YouTuber Marques Brownlee said Rewind had been a “big celebration” of YouTubers and the biggest events that had happened on the site in a particular year.
“It became an honour to be included in Rewind,” said Mr Brownlee.
But now, he said, YouTube saw Rewind as a way to “showcase all the best stuff that happens on YouTube for advertisers”.
Instead of honouring creators, said Mr Brownlee, it was now a list of “advertiser-friendly” content.
“Rewind has turned into a giant ad for YouTube,” he said.
