For the engagement: The Natalie one is weird, as I feel like the Buck thing specifically, she didn't need to apologize for at that time (and this from a trans woman that saw what Buck later said about us). Asking her to apologize for having Buck read a line is like asking Harry Potter fans to apologize soon as JK mentioned Dumbledore was gay. Yes, there were plenty of signs of bigotry (antisemitism, fatphobia, transphobia, racism, etc.) in the book, and it read like the life story of a White Shooter. But it was inept enough at making sure the position of humanity was seen as bad, that many people could fit themselves in the cracks, and delude themselves into thinking the cracks were purposeful. Now, now that so much harm has been caused by JK's efforts, most of the good people have apologized, years and years after providing her the propulsion into being a bigotry leader. And this feels the same as with Natalie and Buck. He has fully revealed himself to be anti-trans, and she is clearly upset by his actions. But it still seems like an apology is not needed. Though, if she had just thrown herself under the bus and apologized like the mob wanted, it may have caused her less harm. Then again, the haters likely wouldn't have accepted any version on the line between apology and explaining that no apology is needed. Ofc, it also comes down to being careful who we demand what level of retribution from. US congressmen and British MP guys have done far far more harm to trans people than Natalie *could*, not just "having a bigot read a line". But the vitriol comes out against the trans woman because of a confluence of being in a marginalized gives more hegemonic permission to target her with the whole parasocial nature of UA-cam. And while I don't know too much about the others, what I gather is that the examples provided in this video included someone who raped people, someone who groomed people, someone who pushed for race attacks, and someone who had a bigotry read a line. One of these seems like a different category from the others!
Well said! I agree wholeheartedly. And I will also add that no apology from her would probably ever have been good enough bc, having seen up-close when several close irl friends were Cancelled TM, that's how it works. Regardless of how much truth/validity there is to the Cancellation, there will always be people who just jump on the bandwagon for clout/to rag on someone they already hated.
When I first saw Natalie's Cancel Culture video, I was like "what, is that it?" Buck Angel is awful and Natalie could have done more research on him, but she did not give him a chance to platform his horrible outdated views, he just read a short John Waters quote. Feels more like there were lot of people to bring Natalie down a peg and then came up with everything she ever said that would look bad without context, it became more about mob raging about her being successful left-wing trans woman and nobody even caring what she had done, it was more about open season on misogyny and transphobia.
How to make a UA-cam apology video: *Start video while you’re setting up the camera. *(Sigh) *”I didn’t want to make this video.” *”I was in a dark place.” *”I’m sorry I offended you.” *”I’m taking a 2-day break from UA-cam.” *”Like & subscribe for more content.”
One thing I kind of missed in this conversation about apology videos is how the parasociality only really goes one way. And for a (bigger) creator it's hard to even phantom how many people actually watch them. So I do genuinely believe that for some creators, the legitimate criticism gets drowned out by people screaming death threats. And then you get a "well maybe I did something wrong, but surely I don't deserve this!" And they get defensive. Or, in the other extreme, their audience is so large there is no way to properly appease everyone. So what is the point of an apology when people are just going to be mad at you anyway?
I think one of the main things that get lost about apologies is that they're as much about just being accountable as they are about appeasing the receiver. I mean, yeah, you're not going to make everyone happy no matter how sincere your apology is. But that's not really why you do it. You do it because being held accountable is part of the social contract. Accept your lumps, move on, etc etc. That being said, Colleen knew exactly what she was doing, this is just business as usual for her at this point.
@@ItharlI dunno, I think even then it's an *illusion* of accountability. What the most extreme people seeking "recompense" often want is, frankly, real blood, which is an extremely ill-advised thing to give anyone, but even setting that aside, actual accountability to the people that one has harmed is generally not going to be achieved through a public-facing apology. If the hurt in question were personal, you're going to want a more direct redress of grievances which isn't necessarily a matter of public record; if it were a matter of feeling hurt as a member of the audience, I think just doing better and being willing to admit that you fucked up matters more than a formal act of extended self-abasement.
Natalie's video is great, but Lindsey Ellis is the GOAT of that genre of "I'm not actually going to apologize you cretins" type video. true queen, we are legally obligated to stan.
Yeah, and it's like, addressing the whole list of things that one Twitter person put together was astonishing. Some of it was legit, some of it was outright fake, and in the case of the rap, it was literally something made out of trauma that got stolen and passed around. Welcome to the internet, I guess. The whole thing with Lindsay's original tweet still gets me to this day. I find it especially amusing/infuriating that a whole fuckton of Asian UA-camrs created videos shortly thereafter to explain their own takes and rightfully complain about the fact that the thing with Lindsay Ellis was dominated by a bunch of white folks anger-tweeting on their behalf and not actually letting them speak.
You've obviously never seen Cody Showdy chugging an entire bottle of green goo. It's freaking glorious!😄 I have no idea why they keep paying him to promote their crap, but I sincerely hope they never stop.
You know, I wondered if the reason she'd decided to sing her apology was to CC anyone who tried to clip it. Other UA-camrs had mentioned it. But your word - diabolical - is a perfect description of this behavior. Also, if I ever need to make an apology video, this will be really useful.
little did she know how popular itwould become to dunk on it due its bizarre nature and catchy tun. I men way to put spotlight on your drama. Which turns out ,yeah given her stuff attetio was the least things she need or digging her creepy stuff up.
I love not knowing a single thing about UA-camr drama until it drifts to my side of the internet weirdo essayist sphere and I finally have context for what people are freaking out about
I decided awhile ago that if I ever have to make an Apology Video TM on youtube dot hell, I'm going to open it with "Hi! I fucked up. Here's how and why." I figure the bare minimum I could do would be to be blunt and not waste anyone's time. Anyway, great work as always!
I accidentally fell into a drama content-vortex after having had 2 surgeries which made my brain foggy from the anesthesia and painkillers. I just laid in bed and watched YT videos, and at some point I ended up watching a recommended video from Illuminaugty (or whatever her channel is called). I watched part of it but noped out at the point where she started attacking former colleagues/friends. This led to my recommendation page wonking out and sucking me into a black hole of sadness. Fortunately, I eventually got better and now I limit myself to strictly watching wholesome, high-fiber content like yours. Skøl!🍺🥑🍞
Natalie regretting doing that really amazing video on cancelling is kind of depressing tbh. I get wanting to avoid the ire of that part of the internet but... C'mon.
That was a very funny way to close out the video essay. Gave me a good chuckle. And yeah, it's bizarre that apologies have become a video genre unto themselves as monetizable content, isn't it... what a time to be alive and human
since this video was recorded, her subs have grown by a factor of about 1.643. This means it's mathematically certain that you should mark your calendar to unsub on 2026_06_11, and she will reach 11million subs before 2029.
Sense of community in the chat and I believe, like things like uploading your own subtitles, it’s slightly rewarded by the algorithm. Not enough to really push the needle a ton if you have very many or very, very few subs but for a small-ish channel like mine, a few hundred more views in the first couple of days can really make a difference in a video.
The Spiffing Brit has a video on this, but essentially youtube algo goes crazy over premier videos. He got the top trending video by just putting it on premier for 70 days or something crazy like that
The best, most genuine apology video I've ever seen was from a UA-camr 1. with less than 100k subs 2. whose channel isn't their full time job but a creative outlet and 3. who actually gave full context, explained what they were criticized for, and displayed full understanding of why what they did was wrong. It was a white person who had used the N-word in a cover they made of a song by a black artist. They explained that, at the time, they thought quoting the word as a form of reported speech was fine, but had since learned better. They displayed a clear and nuanced understanding of the many forms racism takes on, apologized for their ignorance and use of the word, and removed the video in question. They also explicitly asked for other white people to take a step back and stop dominating the conversation, but to let black people have the word as the people actually affected by anti-black racism. It was short and concise, yet didn't leave anything unanswered. And from what I saw, their black viewers appreciated it a lot, and were very much willing to forgive them and move forward.
I think one of the best apologies I've seen on UA-cam came from TomSka: He brought up some racist things he had done when he was younger (I think it was in his video "The Complete History of Me 3/3?) Part of why I think it was a good apology was because 1) it wasn't connected to any current drama, just him wanting to address something he had done that he regretted, 2) didn't try to force people to be sympathetic towards him, 3) it wasn't just an apology video, and 4) accepted in advance that some people were not going to forgive him for what he had done and expressly said it was fine that people didn't forgive him. Clearly not all the things he did here is applicable if someone should find themselves steeped in drama all of a sudden, but I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned here if you want your apology to be seen as genuine.
Your emphasis on the term parasocial being neutral made me feel *much* better as I jokingly refer to Caelan as "my (parasocial) bestie" when posting Ani Difranco lyrics on their videos. I certainly don't want to be read as "you don't know me but I know you!" - I just want to contribute to the algorithm and joke about that shared interest (my Ani quotes make Jessie Gender's Trek knowledge seem amateur. It's ridiculous.) TLDR; I feel less like my dorky joke about enjoying your friends' work may have alternate connotations. So tyvm for that.
"Painfully millennial" Oof. I'm old enough to be almost Gen X, and that means I went from infantilized to boomerized in like, a year or two. I think I understand Gen X's wry complaints about non-existence despite heavy negative media attention now
You should do a follow up piece or maybe just a short discussing how it can also go the other way a la James Somerton and how some won’t even apologise but just cut and run?
I think I will start a meta-apologies channel, where I offer deeply authentic apologies for whatever inane junk is happening on social media this week.
Hoots, I try and stay away from internet drama so I'm not familiar with a lot of the examples you use, but THANK YOU for calling out the "I'm only human, I made a mistake" line. It's so common to hear that. It's really a different laying out of the "we're not so different" trope in fiction. And it's a seductive line because in some of these situations it's a valid argument to have. But, c'mon. Some of this stuff being 'mistakes' is a pretty thin description. Like Ted Bundy getting up in the courtroom and saying, "Oh. Was I not supposed to do all that? Again and again over months and years? Whoops. Big misunderstanding there, guys -- mistakes were made. I must have forgot to carry the 3 in my exhaustive moral calculations."
I'll never understand parasociality. Bo Burnham had it right, as soon as a creator stops doing it for you, throw them to the curb. You don't owe them nothing! They don't know you lil bro! It was pretty hilarious the meltdown Doja Cat's literal stans (as in, they're *this* close to kidnap and putting her in the trunk of a speeding car) had when she tweeted "I don't love you, I don't even know you" lmao. Mental health seems to be steadily declining all around the globe, and we're not doing much about it. The good news is that we'll have much worse things on our plate soon if the climate continues to deteriorate.
...You know accepting a sponsorship which seems like you're doing a bit is an incredibly effective way to keep me watching the whole thing because I'm too busy trying to figure out whether you're doing an advert for a real product or not. Like I fully expected the colonbroom (what a name!) to segue into something.
how many truly great villain songs do we have though apart from poor unfortunate souls and be prepared, not forgetting all the money she's making for the thousands of people reacting to her vid and the entertainment we get from them, she's literally contributing to society
I love your videos, hoots. Do I think I will watch more of them? Yes. Will I rewatch older videos? Of course. Am I going to shamelessly make a suggestion for a future video? Absolutely. Can you talk about Tremors? I love it and I love you so, you know. Ok go. P.S. literally how much is colon broom paying you, I will literally pay to never see a “colon broom” ad again
One thing I want to say is, for people who really are trying to apologize, it's normal to exhale at the start of that and have some tremble in their voice. Not that all UA-cam apologizers are genuine
15:15 This seems a bit nitpicky. I don't think an apology requires the words "I'm sorry." "I apologize." or "I take full responsibility." and a lot of times people just use those phrases like incantations. She acknowledged why she was in the wrong. Did she say it loudly enough? No, but admitting to being wrong is more difficult the more people you have to say it to.
you have a point. my mate's been in nothing but abusive relationships and as soon as they realise they've done enough for her to want to leave they say sorry and even though everyone else knows they don't mean it she goes right back. but i think if you're actually sorry you still feel the need to say sorry but you reinforce it with actions.
i didn't even really know that Cancelling video by Contrapoints was a stand-in for an apology video. i've been making ppl watch that since i found it bc it really does bring up good points about who actually is affected by cancelling and how it's def not celebrities, etc. There. Natalie Wynn engagement, as requested.
Just discovered this channel today and started working through the backlog, so I know I'm super late to comment here. It's been awhile since I've though about parasocial bonds, so this was kind of a wild context to see that concept pop up in. Out of curiosity, do you actively think about the parasocial relationships with your audience members when you create and edit your videos? If so, how much do you foster those relationships? Do you do anything to prevent or limit how much of a parasocial bond you create?
You very clearly can tell that none of these people have read Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s amazing book “On Repentance and Repair”. Yes, that is me shilling for someone I’ve never met. It’s a really fucking good book and makes me even happier I’m Jewish
Top notch vid as always. As a sicko, there's something compelling about DramaTM in the same way reality TV is compelling - but i get to pretend I'm more sophisticated than a reality TV viewer, because influencer culture has stakes that whoever gets cut from the Batchelor doesn't. Drama can feel like accountability and consequences for wrongdoing in a culture where the actually rich and lowerful are immune from those things. Theres a hunger to see wrongdoing punished thats amplified by the absence of justice: Henry Kissinger will never answer for his crimes but by God Lindsay Ellis *will* answer for a tone deaf Raya and the Last Dragon take! I mostly stick to political streamer and debate bro drama because that genre has the expectation of beef baked in and it has the sizzle of stakes, but without the possibility of it really mattering. Tim Pool is at once an influential figure and a massive clown; any Drama about him will be satisfying but also meaningless.
"Stealing paywall content... in order to send revenge porn to a minor" *Gets caught* "Oh crap what do I do... what do I d-" *Stares intently at Ukulele* "Of COURSE!"
Great video, as always! I love your work, and you seem like a really charming person in general. My buddy and I have been binging your vids on our lunch breaks-- we might be the only construction site in the world to listen to Les Misérables, thanks to that vid you did a few years ago. Praxis? Probably not, but to hell with it. Anyways, keep slaying.
not me watching this, happy to finally get context for those references to a ukulele apology video i'd been hearing for months (including from you on respect the dead) and then getting BODIED by "yes. she did. on bluesky three years later. so you can only see it if you have an invite code." djflsjflsdkjf hoots PLEASE
I fail to see the practical difference between DramaTube content and members of Congress squawking about conspiracy theories in the Capitol building. There’s the argument to be made that one directly affects the legislative process, while the other can be plausibly written off as entertainment. But dang man, the attention economy incentivizes the proliferation of upsetting nonsense and shameless noise over actual art or coherent governance. “Profitable” and “valuable” become more dissociated from each other by the year lately.
On my side of the parasocial relationship, i said, "same water bottle!!!" And was a little abashed when you went on to talk about audience feeling like they're friends with creators. It's a good bottle though. I should not be surprised that someone has done an apology video using interpretive dance.
Great news, Miss Hoots. The team and I have reviewed your PhD Thesis on _The History And Current State Of Apologia Youtubian_ and found it outstanding. Congratulations... **Doctor** Hoots. Now if you'll pull up to the second window, we're just waiting on your fries.
12:01 - can I just say that I randomly love that you used the word née here? I’m not even sure why I like it so much, but I do. :) (Probably has something to do with it being used outside of the context this word is most commonly used in. Because f the systems that give us that reason for needing it.)
Thanks to ColonBroom for sponsoring this video!
Get yours colonbroom.org/hoots
Use code HOOTS10 at checkout!
I’m glad that Hoots is finally taking accountability for all the things she’s done.
already put her song in my playlist, it slaps so hard
Maybe now all the haters and loosers will back off
NOT CLICKBAIT
Well, not in this video. Stay tuned for "Hoots-i'm sorry. the Series."
Finally
"I don't profit-share with terrorists" is the moment hoots became my favorite UA-camr.
I'm here in the comments to ensure someone said this.
Excellent video! For my part, I am not sorry and had every right to say what I said.
I didn't know who Colleen was until people started dunking on her non-apology song. Really shows how hard she dug a grave for herself.
For the engagement: The Natalie one is weird, as I feel like the Buck thing specifically, she didn't need to apologize for at that time (and this from a trans woman that saw what Buck later said about us). Asking her to apologize for having Buck read a line is like asking Harry Potter fans to apologize soon as JK mentioned Dumbledore was gay. Yes, there were plenty of signs of bigotry (antisemitism, fatphobia, transphobia, racism, etc.) in the book, and it read like the life story of a White Shooter. But it was inept enough at making sure the position of humanity was seen as bad, that many people could fit themselves in the cracks, and delude themselves into thinking the cracks were purposeful.
Now, now that so much harm has been caused by JK's efforts, most of the good people have apologized, years and years after providing her the propulsion into being a bigotry leader.
And this feels the same as with Natalie and Buck. He has fully revealed himself to be anti-trans, and she is clearly upset by his actions. But it still seems like an apology is not needed. Though, if she had just thrown herself under the bus and apologized like the mob wanted, it may have caused her less harm. Then again, the haters likely wouldn't have accepted any version on the line between apology and explaining that no apology is needed.
Ofc, it also comes down to being careful who we demand what level of retribution from. US congressmen and British MP guys have done far far more harm to trans people than Natalie *could*, not just "having a bigot read a line". But the vitriol comes out against the trans woman because of a confluence of being in a marginalized gives more hegemonic permission to target her with the whole parasocial nature of UA-cam.
And while I don't know too much about the others, what I gather is that the examples provided in this video included someone who raped people, someone who groomed people, someone who pushed for race attacks, and someone who had a bigotry read a line. One of these seems like a different category from the others!
Well said! I agree wholeheartedly. And I will also add that no apology from her would probably ever have been good enough bc, having seen up-close when several close irl friends were Cancelled TM, that's how it works. Regardless of how much truth/validity there is to the Cancellation, there will always be people who just jump on the bandwagon for clout/to rag on someone they already hated.
When I first saw Natalie's Cancel Culture video, I was like "what, is that it?" Buck Angel is awful and Natalie could have done more research on him, but she did not give him a chance to platform his horrible outdated views, he just read a short John Waters quote. Feels more like there were lot of people to bring Natalie down a peg and then came up with everything she ever said that would look bad without context, it became more about mob raging about her being successful left-wing trans woman and nobody even caring what she had done, it was more about open season on misogyny and transphobia.
couldn't have said it any better. commenting for engagement tho
@AlexisWenberg some criticism is not worth honestly engaging with
Also, the person you replied to never used the word “jealous.”
Well said
How to make a UA-cam apology video:
*Start video while you’re setting up the camera.
*(Sigh)
*”I didn’t want to make this video.”
*”I was in a dark place.”
*”I’m sorry I offended you.”
*”I’m taking a 2-day break from UA-cam.”
*”Like & subscribe for more content.”
you forgot a key step, a sponsorship with colonbroom
You forgot the ukulele
Buy my merch! Link in description!
It wasn't my fault.
This video is sponsored by Peepee Poopoo!
Reach out and turn off the camera with your own honest-to-god actual hand.
"I'm sorry you were offended" because "I'm sorry I offended you " recognizes your own agenxy.
Hoots knows her audience is 99.8% bottoms, hence the sponsorship 😁 we love an apology vid with a weekend cleanse
How dare you perceive me so accurately?!
Being the only top in the comments section terrifies me but I guess I just have to live with that burden. u_u;
@@ConvincingPeople you've seen zombie movies, just replace the word zombie with the word bottom and you've described the situation you're in 😂
@@ConvincingPeopleIt's okay, you're going to be too busy to have time to worry about it. My advice though: start stocking up on condoms and lube.
@@ConvincingPeople Not alone my friend
One thing I kind of missed in this conversation about apology videos is how the parasociality only really goes one way. And for a (bigger) creator it's hard to even phantom how many people actually watch them.
So I do genuinely believe that for some creators, the legitimate criticism gets drowned out by people screaming death threats. And then you get a "well maybe I did something wrong, but surely I don't deserve this!" And they get defensive.
Or, in the other extreme, their audience is so large there is no way to properly appease everyone. So what is the point of an apology when people are just going to be mad at you anyway?
I think one of the main things that get lost about apologies is that they're as much about just being accountable as they are about appeasing the receiver. I mean, yeah, you're not going to make everyone happy no matter how sincere your apology is. But that's not really why you do it. You do it because being held accountable is part of the social contract. Accept your lumps, move on, etc etc. That being said, Colleen knew exactly what she was doing, this is just business as usual for her at this point.
@@ItharlI dunno, I think even then it's an *illusion* of accountability. What the most extreme people seeking "recompense" often want is, frankly, real blood, which is an extremely ill-advised thing to give anyone, but even setting that aside, actual accountability to the people that one has harmed is generally not going to be achieved through a public-facing apology. If the hurt in question were personal, you're going to want a more direct redress of grievances which isn't necessarily a matter of public record; if it were a matter of feeling hurt as a member of the audience, I think just doing better and being willing to admit that you fucked up matters more than a formal act of extended self-abasement.
Natalie's video is great, but Lindsey Ellis is the GOAT of that genre of "I'm not actually going to apologize you cretins" type video. true queen, we are legally obligated to stan.
Yeah, and it's like, addressing the whole list of things that one Twitter person put together was astonishing. Some of it was legit, some of it was outright fake, and in the case of the rap, it was literally something made out of trauma that got stolen and passed around. Welcome to the internet, I guess.
The whole thing with Lindsay's original tweet still gets me to this day. I find it especially amusing/infuriating that a whole fuckton of Asian UA-camrs created videos shortly thereafter to explain their own takes and rightfully complain about the fact that the thing with Lindsay Ellis was dominated by a bunch of white folks anger-tweeting on their behalf and not actually letting them speak.
I literally can't tell if that ad is a joke or not. This is art.
You've obviously never seen Cody Showdy chugging an entire bottle of green goo. It's freaking glorious!😄 I have no idea why they keep paying him to promote their crap, but I sincerely hope they never stop.
@@Itcouldbebunnies I live to watch him drink that goo for my amusement
@@Itcouldbebunnies They keep doing it because there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Colonbroom’s motto should be “sweep that shit up” 😂
Great analysis as always! Also appreciate not re-infecting our ears (or profit sharing with terrorists 💯)
You know, I wondered if the reason she'd decided to sing her apology was to CC anyone who tried to clip it. Other UA-camrs had mentioned it. But your word - diabolical - is a perfect description of this behavior.
Also, if I ever need to make an apology video, this will be really useful.
little did she know how popular itwould become to dunk on it due its bizarre nature and catchy tun. I men way to put spotlight on your drama.
Which turns out ,yeah given her stuff attetio was the least things she need or digging her creepy stuff up.
Very thoughtful video! In a world full of Colleens, be a Hoots
I love not knowing a single thing about UA-camr drama until it drifts to my side of the internet weirdo essayist sphere and I finally have context for what people are freaking out about
same except I'm even more out-of-the-loop and don't usually know people are even freaking out
I decided awhile ago that if I ever have to make an Apology Video TM on youtube dot hell, I'm going to open it with "Hi! I fucked up. Here's how and why." I figure the bare minimum I could do would be to be blunt and not waste anyone's time.
Anyway, great work as always!
I'll still rewatch the Contrapoints apology video when I feel like getting into a christmassy mood. Now Lindsay Ellis' apology video, that was raw.
I accidentally fell into a drama content-vortex after having had 2 surgeries which made my brain foggy from the anesthesia and painkillers. I just laid in bed and watched YT videos, and at some point I ended up watching a recommended video from Illuminaugty (or whatever her channel is called). I watched part of it but noped out at the point where she started attacking former colleagues/friends. This led to my recommendation page wonking out and sucking me into a black hole of sadness. Fortunately, I eventually got better and now I limit myself to strictly watching wholesome, high-fiber content like yours. Skøl!🍺🥑🍞
A three day wait till the premier?!? I’m going to need an apology, STAT
Natalie regretting doing that really amazing video on cancelling is kind of depressing tbh.
I get wanting to avoid the ire of that part of the internet but... C'mon.
I'm not interested in videos about these apology videos. But I am interested in videos about the phenomenon of apology videos. Well done Hoots! 💖
To be totally fair, Natalie does apologize, several times for a few different things, in her cancelling video. Just not for working with Buck.
What about Hilary Clinton?
@@EezhamDemonWhy does Natalie have to apologise about Hilary Clinton?
@@ninawth appearing on the show of a war criminal and capitalist
@@EezhamDemon Natalie appeared on Hilary Clinton's show? I didn't know she even had a show 🤔
Smart move to get out ahead of this, we support you. Those kittens had it coming and old ladies shouldn't be crossing streets anyway.
I started thinking about when I first encountered a UA-cam apology. I could have gone the rest of my life without thinking about Sam Pepper again.
That was a very funny way to close out the video essay. Gave me a good chuckle. And yeah, it's bizarre that apologies have become a video genre unto themselves as monetizable content, isn't it... what a time to be alive and human
I promise the day you hit 675,000 I will unsubscribe to show my support
since this video was recorded, her subs have grown by a factor of about 1.643. This means it's mathematically certain that you should mark your calendar to unsub on 2026_06_11, and she will reach 11million subs before 2029.
I'm genuinely curious about the metric impacts of a "premier" on YT. What function does it serve exactly?
Sense of community in the chat and I believe, like things like uploading your own subtitles, it’s slightly rewarded by the algorithm. Not enough to really push the needle a ton if you have very many or very, very few subs but for a small-ish channel like mine, a few hundred more views in the first couple of days can really make a difference in a video.
The Spiffing Brit has a video on this, but essentially youtube algo goes crazy over premier videos. He got the top trending video by just putting it on premier for 70 days or something crazy like that
@@hootsyoutube Interesting, thanks for sharing.
@@nondescriptname of course!
The best, most genuine apology video I've ever seen was from a UA-camr
1. with less than 100k subs
2. whose channel isn't their full time job but a creative outlet
and 3. who actually gave full context, explained what they were criticized for, and displayed full understanding of why what they did was wrong.
It was a white person who had used the N-word in a cover they made of a song by a black artist. They explained that, at the time, they thought quoting the word as a form of reported speech was fine, but had since learned better. They displayed a clear and nuanced understanding of the many forms racism takes on, apologized for their ignorance and use of the word, and removed the video in question.
They also explicitly asked for other white people to take a step back and stop dominating the conversation, but to let black people have the word as the people actually affected by anti-black racism.
It was short and concise, yet didn't leave anything unanswered. And from what I saw, their black viewers appreciated it a lot, and were very much willing to forgive them and move forward.
Wu-tang cover guy?
I think one of the best apologies I've seen on UA-cam came from TomSka: He brought up some racist things he had done when he was younger (I think it was in his video "The Complete History of Me 3/3?) Part of why I think it was a good apology was because 1) it wasn't connected to any current drama, just him wanting to address something he had done that he regretted, 2) didn't try to force people to be sympathetic towards him, 3) it wasn't just an apology video, and 4) accepted in advance that some people were not going to forgive him for what he had done and expressly said it was fine that people didn't forgive him.
Clearly not all the things he did here is applicable if someone should find themselves steeped in drama all of a sudden, but I think there are some valuable lessons to be learned here if you want your apology to be seen as genuine.
Colon Broom is to Coleen Ballinger what Bendy Cucumber was to Benedict Cumberbatch
POV: you're a WGA member with free time
Column Bollywood
Well made as always and a fresh take! I liked how you incorporated elements of the UA-cam apology into the video, as well.
This was a lot more than I was expecting. A lot more thoughtful and in depth on the format of the apology video and the reasons for the thing.
Your emphasis on the term parasocial being neutral made me feel *much* better as I jokingly refer to Caelan as "my (parasocial) bestie" when posting Ani Difranco lyrics on their videos.
I certainly don't want to be read as "you don't know me but I know you!" - I just want to contribute to the algorithm and joke about that shared interest (my Ani quotes make Jessie Gender's Trek knowledge seem amateur. It's ridiculous.)
TLDR; I feel less like my dorky joke about enjoying your friends' work may have alternate connotations. So tyvm for that.
thanks for caring about my colon hoots
the colonbroom ad 😭😭😭 i thought it was another fake-out like the ukelele about how apology videos are full of 💩
Oh my lord, I'm so glad I stumbled on your channel... This is amazing stuff!
"Painfully millennial"
Oof. I'm old enough to be almost Gen X, and that means I went from infantilized to boomerized in like, a year or two. I think I understand Gen X's wry complaints about non-existence despite heavy negative media attention now
The whole video was insightful. The last 5 mins is why I love UA-cam we get to have honest (hopefully) conversations and critiques about anything
I deserve an apology too for from all the people who made me feel bad for victimizing them.
Jeez I sure hope you don’t ever have to apologize for anything because this is incredibly comprehensive.
You should do a follow up piece or maybe just a short discussing how it can also go the other way a la James Somerton and how some won’t even apologise but just cut and run?
Thank the hoots! I was good with Contrapoints non apology! Also I big fan of The Leftist Cooks!!
Can’t wait for the apology for this apology video
3:51 thank you so much for that cut 😋 I was running to my phone like "noooooo please don't! 😱"🤣
The midpoint Contra Bluesky tangent into ad read was ART
I'm glad that Hoots is looking after the health of her audience's colons.
Finally, i knew this specific content was missing from my life, but i had to wait foe you yo release it.
There has to be a youtube channel that does exclusively apologies in every video
I think I will start a meta-apologies channel, where I offer deeply authentic apologies for whatever inane junk is happening on social media this week.
Hoots, I try and stay away from internet drama so I'm not familiar with a lot of the examples you use, but THANK YOU for calling out the "I'm only human, I made a mistake" line.
It's so common to hear that. It's really a different laying out of the "we're not so different" trope in fiction. And it's a seductive line because in some of these situations it's a valid argument to have.
But, c'mon. Some of this stuff being 'mistakes' is a pretty thin description. Like Ted Bundy getting up in the courtroom and saying, "Oh. Was I not supposed to do all that? Again and again over months and years? Whoops. Big misunderstanding there, guys -- mistakes were made. I must have forgot to carry the 3 in my exhaustive moral calculations."
I busted out laughing when you reached for the camera!
I'll never understand parasociality. Bo Burnham had it right, as soon as a creator stops doing it for you, throw them to the curb. You don't owe them nothing! They don't know you lil bro! It was pretty hilarious the meltdown Doja Cat's literal stans (as in, they're *this* close to kidnap and putting her in the trunk of a speeding car) had when she tweeted "I don't love you, I don't even know you" lmao.
Mental health seems to be steadily declining all around the globe, and we're not doing much about it. The good news is that we'll have much worse things on our plate soon if the climate continues to deteriorate.
Private Christian university? Say no more.
I had the same thought. Absolute cringe-on-cringe violence.
I expected a doki doki discourse style scene change a few times. I think that's my fave new gen z filming trend.
Love ur vids
It’s a *quiet* vocal fry, that the best name I’ve heard for is “1 HP voice”.
Incredible work and I hope her patreon sees oodles of action; but, I can't imagine wanting to watch a version of this essay without ads
"Three reskeets? engagement on bluesky is brutal"
was biinging some of your videos recently and this part is specifically why i hit subscribe
...You know accepting a sponsorship which seems like you're doing a bit is an incredibly effective way to keep me watching the whole thing because I'm too busy trying to figure out whether you're doing an advert for a real product or not. Like I fully expected the colonbroom (what a name!) to segue into something.
Algorithm, please distribute more widely.
If we sign up for Nebula will we get the song version of this video?
Thanks for the well done and witty video 🦉
how many truly great villain songs do we have though apart from poor unfortunate souls and be prepared, not forgetting all the money she's making for the thousands of people reacting to her vid and the entertainment we get from them, she's literally contributing to society
Finally selling out i see!
That was great.
Here have a comment, hoots!
I love your videos, hoots. Do I think I will watch more of them? Yes. Will I rewatch older videos? Of course. Am I going to shamelessly make a suggestion for a future video? Absolutely. Can you talk about Tremors? I love it and I love you so, you know. Ok go. P.S. literally how much is colon broom paying you, I will literally pay to never see a “colon broom” ad again
Before her nonpology video I had never even heard of this ukulele woman
One thing I want to say is, for people who really are trying to apologize, it's normal to exhale at the start of that and have some tremble in their voice. Not that all UA-cam apologizers are genuine
15:15 This seems a bit nitpicky. I don't think an apology requires the words "I'm sorry." "I apologize." or "I take full responsibility." and a lot of times people just use those phrases like incantations. She acknowledged why she was in the wrong. Did she say it loudly enough? No, but admitting to being wrong is more difficult the more people you have to say it to.
you have a point. my mate's been in nothing but abusive relationships and as soon as they realise they've done enough for her to want to leave they say sorry and even though everyone else knows they don't mean it she goes right back. but i think if you're actually sorry you still feel the need to say sorry but you reinforce it with actions.
i didn't even really know that Cancelling video by Contrapoints was a stand-in for an apology video. i've been making ppl watch that since i found it bc it really does bring up good points about who actually is affected by cancelling and how it's def not celebrities, etc.
There. Natalie Wynn engagement, as requested.
Just discovered this channel today and started working through the backlog, so I know I'm super late to comment here. It's been awhile since I've though about parasocial bonds, so this was kind of a wild context to see that concept pop up in.
Out of curiosity, do you actively think about the parasocial relationships with your audience members when you create and edit your videos? If so, how much do you foster those relationships? Do you do anything to prevent or limit how much of a parasocial bond you create?
You very clearly can tell that none of these people have read Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s amazing book “On Repentance and Repair”. Yes, that is me shilling for someone I’ve never met. It’s a really fucking good book and makes me even happier I’m Jewish
Excellent analysis!
Love what you do, keep going 💕
Everyone should comment for the algorithm gods!
Top notch vid as always.
As a sicko, there's something compelling about DramaTM in the same way reality TV is compelling - but i get to pretend I'm more sophisticated than a reality TV viewer, because influencer culture has stakes that whoever gets cut from the Batchelor doesn't.
Drama can feel like accountability and consequences for wrongdoing in a culture where the actually rich and lowerful are immune from those things. Theres a hunger to see wrongdoing punished thats amplified by the absence of justice: Henry Kissinger will never answer for his crimes but by God Lindsay Ellis *will* answer for a tone deaf Raya and the Last Dragon take!
I mostly stick to political streamer and debate bro drama because that genre has the expectation of beef baked in and it has the sizzle of stakes, but without the possibility of it really mattering. Tim Pool is at once an influential figure and a massive clown; any Drama about him will be satisfying but also meaningless.
Mandatory comment to please the algorithm gods. Really liked the vid!
"Stealing paywall content... in order to send revenge porn to a minor"
*Gets caught*
"Oh crap what do I do... what do I d-"
*Stares intently at Ukulele* "Of COURSE!"
'Crying on UA-cam' sounds like a great new RomCom, coming soon to Netflix!
Fantastic as always.
Great video, as always! I love your work, and you seem like a really charming person in general. My buddy and I have been binging your vids on our lunch breaks-- we might be the only construction site in the world to listen to Les Misérables, thanks to that vid you did a few years ago. Praxis? Probably not, but to hell with it. Anyways, keep slaying.
I worry that, if I had ColonBloom in my pantry, I’d drink it all in one day lol
Gotta use my code to buy more then 😔
"A level of cowardice that swings back around again and becomes gutsy" is my new favorite way of describing Contrapoints
Excellent summary of the drama plague, loved it.
not me watching this, happy to finally get context for those references to a ukulele apology video i'd been hearing for months (including from you on respect the dead) and then getting BODIED by "yes. she did. on bluesky three years later. so you can only see it if you have an invite code." djflsjflsdkjf hoots PLEASE
Holy shit (pun intended) that was the longest ColonBroom ad I've ever -seen- had to skip through! 😮
I fail to see the practical difference between DramaTube content and members of Congress squawking about conspiracy theories in the Capitol building. There’s the argument to be made that one directly affects the legislative process, while the other can be plausibly written off as entertainment. But dang man, the attention economy incentivizes the proliferation of upsetting nonsense and shameless noise over actual art or coherent governance. “Profitable” and “valuable” become more dissociated from each other by the year lately.
On my side of the parasocial relationship, i said, "same water bottle!!!" And was a little abashed when you went on to talk about audience feeling like they're friends with creators. It's a good bottle though.
I should not be surprised that someone has done an apology video using interpretive dance.
I think you should do an apology video titled "Elon, I am sorry". For practise, demonstrating the arts of the genre as well as the BAITZ. 😊
Great news, Miss Hoots. The team and I have reviewed your PhD Thesis on _The History And Current State Of Apologia Youtubian_ and found it outstanding. Congratulations... **Doctor** Hoots.
Now if you'll pull up to the second window, we're just waiting on your fries.
First time seeing your channel, good everything, subbing 🌟
I like that Miranda feels like a character from a different time. She is. I know.
The funny thing is I never heard of her before the apology dropped.
12:01 - can I just say that I randomly love that you used the word née here? I’m not even sure why I like it so much, but I do. :) (Probably has something to do with it being used outside of the context this word is most commonly used in. Because f the systems that give us that reason for needing it.)
I have no vid yet I must hoot
ya know what fuck it theres no good way about it: COLONBROOOOOOOOM!
Respect.
On point, as always.
I cannot tell you how much mad chortling I'm doing over the ad read after the Wynn skeet. Tell my family I loved them.
I swear I thought the Colon Broom spot was a joke. You remember the SNL ColonBlow sketch? Blammo.
Legit thought ColonBroom was a Colon Blow style gag.
The Disk Horse?
How do you know the distant cousin to the Space Horse, or the Clothes Horse?
Are you made of magic?
Much love.
I thought you were doing a bit, but it was an actual ad.
Thank you for the video. For the algorithm.