YouTube’s OG creator, Shane Dawson, has been uploading his eight-part documentary series about Jake Paul and it has left some viewers divided.
Dawson’s new investigative documentary series has changed the YouTube culture for the better by opening up a new discussion about difficult or taboo things.
This new format of filming is especially new to YouTube since the platform is about collaborations between YouTubers, vlogging, and doing outlandish stunts for views.
It has given viewers something to be excited for again, as if they’re watching their favorite television series like Game of Thrones or American Horror Story.
Since the docu-series is being uploaded every other day, this gives an immediate feedback to Dawson as viewers are watching the series.
In this case, the subject of the his latest documentary is the infamous YouTuber Jake Paul. Paul rose to stardom from the short-lived video application Vine along side his brother Logan Paul. He later appeared as Dirk on the Disney Channel’s series “Bizaardvark” which he later got fired from in 2017.
Jake Paul is known for his painfully catchy songs like “It’s Everyday Bro,” his controversial relationship with ex-girlfriend Alissa Violet and his crazy, and sometimes evil, pranks.
His pranks eventually led to the Los Angeles City Council to kick him and Team 10. out from their residence due to the numerous complaints by his neighbors. Team 10 is a social media incubator and management company, co-founded by Jake Paul in early 2017.
Yeah he was THAT guy that climbed on top of a KTLA 5 News van while doing an interview with Chris Wolfe.
He sounds pretty chaotic right? Well that’s what captured Dawson’s eye for his new documentary series, but this time many viewers are not on board with this.
Not only because he is a problematic entertainer, but also because of the way Dawson has approached his docu-series with a re-occuring theme:
Is Jake Paul a sociopath?
The short answer: who knows and people shouldn’t assume someone is a sociopath without a correct diagnosis.
Since episode two of Dawson’s docu-series premiered, The Dark Side of Jake Paul, this has been a topic of conversation in the YouTube community.
It received backlash because of the way Dawson’s editing and interview with therapist, Kati Morton, made it seem that people who have personality disorders especially sociopaths, are considered evil and “gross.”
Mental disorders should be taken seriously and should be taken seriously whether it be in a school campus, the workplace, and even social media platforms like YouTube.
YouTube gives a platform for people, especially to young viewers, to express themselves and this is a good thing!
It could make the shyest people comfortable and help them becoming more outgoing.
However, it has also brought out the worst in people.
YouTube has created a competitive atmosphere where in order to survive you have to do outlandish things to get views thus making more money. YouTube personalities like Paul and Dawson should be taken with a grain of salt.
As viewers, people should understand that most of the time, like celebrities, YouTube personalities are often fabricated for entertainment purposes and should not be taken seriously.
However that doesn’t mean we should excuse Paul’s actions whether he is suffering from a personality disorder or not, YouTubers should be held accountable for their problematic actions.
