
YouTube videos have been my obsession for quite some time now. I'd much rather consume content through that platform than television. I can't remember the last time I turned on the TV for something other than video games. That might change when Superstore comes back, but otherwise, I'm on my computer.
And something I've noticed a TON of lately, are apology videos. They've been littering my home page. Often titled, "I'm sorry..." or "My truth..." or "I need to be honest..." these videos are long trips down the excuse highway. If I'm coming to your channel to try and figure out how to finally do a damn cat eye (which still hasn't happened. I'm hopeless), I don't want to hear you ramble for 45 minutes about your tweets from five years ago.
I'm pretty sure I've talked about this before, but I'm not going digging for it, so here's an article about how to apologize that I've referenced. Apologies don't need to be long and tear-filled to be done well. Like the article says...
1. Really be sorry
2. Validate the other person's feelings (And this doesn't mean some half-assed apology with "I'm sorry some people felt that way..." Fuck that. Apologize for what you did, not that people were offended.)
3. Explain what happened (Not how you're not really at fault...just the now understood incorrect frame of mind that got you there)
4. Admit your mistakes (Which is kind of the same thing as 3 IMO)
5. Explain what you'll do differently from here on out.
That does not take 45 minutes of video, youtubers.
I appreciate it when people say they're sorry for things. I do. However, let's not turn it into a spectacle for you to cash in on. Which is why your video is so long in the first place, right? More commercial breaks?
Public apologies are weird in general, because most people don't need to make a statement when they fuck up. But folks in the public eye feel they need to parade themselves in front of a camera to emphasize how sorry they are. My opinion is, unless you change your actions, your vocalization of your fuck up doesn't mean shit.
Honestly, if you change what you're doing, unless you've personally wronged me, I don't need the apology at all. And if you've personally wronged me, you need to tell me you're sorry, not put it in a video.
What is your opinion on the public apology trend on YouTube lately? Or on public apologies in general? Do you think they are necessary? Do you think they are effective? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
~Roxy