Communication: Internet witchhunting and how to respond to it.
By: Dylan 'Lee' Burrows
Tags: Drama, Logan Paul, YouTube, Vlogs, Gaming

How do you respond to criticism when the whole world wants you branded an online heretic? Well these two influencers were in that exact situation, so let’s break down how they responded and see what we can learn from them!

Logan Paul

The first case study I will tear into will be of a man who is known as ‘Logan Paul’, an internet vlogger. Logan came under some serious flak when he visited Aokigahara (a forest in japan infamous for people committing suicide there [1]) and spotted himself a dead body. Now, what did Logan do, you may be wondering? instead of ending the video and reporting the body to the authorities, he kept the cameras rolling and continued his vlog without even dropping his zany online persona [2]. Now, understandably, Logan came under some heavy criticism for his actions in the video, however, one may wonder as to what his response and justifications were for his actions — so let’s get right into that, shall we?

Logan Paul’s infamous ‘apology’ video in response to the aforementioned criticism he faced.

First, let’s talk about what Logan did correctly in his apology video. The most important part of apologising is that you explicitly say ‘I’m sorry’, and you would be surprised how many content creators neglect this simple expectation — fortunately, Logan does directly apologise and it does seem genuine. He also pleaded that his fans and followers do not defend his actions, which was a very responsible and courageous thing for him to say.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Logan apologised for his actions[3], Logan originally tweeted an apology in written form which came under scrutiny for its egotistical tone and attempts at justification for his irresponsible actions (see below). The key mistake Logan Paul made in his apology video was his failure to mention his original apology and address it, as well as the fact that he claimed his reactions were ‘raw and unfiltered’. This excuse might have been valid if the video was recorded live, however, an affluent man such as Logan Paul has access to editing teams and camera crews who could have removed the footage of the body and his reaction (or better yet, not posted the video at all). In response to the criticism Logan Paul later made a mental health awareness documentary, which was the best course of action, however, it does not excuse his poor choice of words in his original apology.

‘I didn’t do it for views. I get views.’

ProJared

Moving swiftly on, we will now look at an example of a mature and appropriate response to criticism carried out by gaming Journalist ‘ProJared’. ProJared was the target of an internet witchhunt after allegations that he was sexually soliciting his underage fans and having an affair with his wife [4], causing him to lose over 200,000 subscribers on YouTube [5].

ProJared’s subscriber gain, notice the huge dip on May of 2019 — the time of the allegations.

ProJared was mercilessly hunted online over the allegations (of which there was little evidence supporting [6]) and a hate bandwagon was formed with thousands crying out for him to be brought to justice, despite the lack of any reliable source of information supporting the claims. This is what is known as ‘Cancel-Culture’, meaning that when an influencer makes a mistake or is believed to have made a mistake, they become a target for the entire platform that they operate from, who make a vindictive effort to have them removed and marked as a terrible person (otherwise known as being ‘cancelled’). Now obviously, ProJared’s response to these allegations was critical to his continued existence as a journalist, so let’s take a look at how he responded to these lofty accusations.

‘ProJared’s long-form response to the allegations’

Before he even uploaded his response, Projared was already taking the necessary steps to counter an online witchhunt — he laid low and waited for the accusers to calm down, as often with a lynch mob being at its peak, no evidence or reason will be enough to calm them down — they are simply out for blood. After seeking out the correct legal advice for his situation, ProJared then uploaded his response to YouTube, and broke down the allegations and gave sound evidence and reasons as to why he took certain actions during the time of the accusations — while also maintaining his composure for the entire video. A highlight for me, however, was ProJared’s sound response to the allegations of him cheating on his wife, Heidi, stating: ‘Sometimes, relationships don’t work out — and anything to do with that, is none of your business.’

In conclusion, I would like to say that before you jump onto a hate bandwagon, consider both sides of the story, ask questions and never assume. If you are ever on the receiving end of an internet lynching, take a break, collect yourself and break down the arguments and if like Logan Paul, there is evidence that shows the accusations are valid, address them, apologise and learn from your mistakes.

Dylan ‘Lee’ Burrows

Reference List