YouTube cancels Rewind 2020 and is a missed opportunity

Yesterday the announcement, in this round the YouTube team will not end the year with the publication of the usual summary video. In short, no Rewind 2020. It is not difficult to imagine what the reasons behind the choice are: the health crisis triggered by the coronavirus, the economic one that is gripping everyone, an oppressive climate of uncertainty and tension. A questionable decision in the opinion of the writer, certainly a missed opportunity.

Rewind 2020 will not be made and it is a mistake

Not so much for the film itself, but for what the renunciation implies in relation to the role played by YouTube, which has changed over time from that of a streaming platform dedicated exclusively to entertainment to a huge container capable, among other things, of guaranteeing freedom of expression and information. This is the explanation provided by Mountain View.

Since 2010 we have concluded the year with Rewind: a look back at the creators, videos and trends with the greatest impact of the twelve months. Whether you love it or just remember the 2018 edition, Rewind has always been intended as your celebration. However, 2020 was different. And it doesn't seem fair to us not to take them into account. So we decided to pause the Rewind this year. We know that much of the good that happened in 2020 was created by you. You have found ways to support people, to help them and to make them laugh. You made a hard year genuinely better. Thanks for making a difference.

About Rewind this year. pic.twitter.com/oVayH8iyqG

- YouTube (@YouTube) November 12, 2020



In the post a reference to that Rewind 2018 defined a misstep by the very top of YouTube, capable of quickly collecting a record number of dislike (over 18 million).



Precisely because as written "2020 was different" it could have been, and perhaps should have been, taken into account. Do not celebrate it, but also retrace it in its drama and thus help not to forget it. Oblivion is not what we need.

We are about to reach the end of a year that has seen profoundly, radically and suddenly change many dynamics and many balances, in a forced way, with online platforms called to loading on the shoulders (and on the servers) the heavy task of meeting the needs of what has been defined by many as the New Normal. Probably even with the YouTube Rewind movie little or nothing would have changed. Google and Alphabet have perhaps simply taken the wisest and most diplomatic decision not to offend any sensitivity, certainly the tough year that is drawing to a close should not be forgotten. And the most clicked video platform in the world could have done its part. A missed opportunity.

Source: YouTube on Twitter