YouTube will be honoring the end of 2021 by hosting a live event that will look back on the best that this year had to offer to both the platform and its community.
If anyone’s knee-jerk response was to internally cringe as they remembered Rewind 2018 and Will Smith saying “it’s rewind time”, I just want them to know that they are valid and I acknowledge their feelings. If anyone doesn’t have that reaction, congratulations! You clearly don’t make a career out of writing about internet and tech trends, and are much healthier for it. At any rate, YouTube planning any sort of event to commemorate a year in retrospect is a troubling thought for the community. While complaints that the Rewinds had been declining in quality since the first one in 2012 are simply a form of nostalgic attachment, 2017 and 2018 really were very bad years. It was truly a time where the disconnect between YouTube and its community was palpable. No other videos have managed to so accurately capture exactly what the userbase didn’t want, even if that result was fully unintentional. 2019 therefore saw a top 10 style breakdown of some of the best trends across the platform. Which would be endearing, if WatchMojo hadn’t been doing the exact same concept since 2007.
At any rate, 2020 saw absolutely no video, with YouTube declaring Rewind videos to be completely over. To its credit, and quite possibly its detriment as well, the platform isn’t giving up and is trying yet another avenue to connect with its audience. Or with advertisers, really, since this is a bit of a hit and miss project, isn’t it? At any rate, YouTube’s calling this new event Escape2021. The live, 24-hour virtual event will take users through key moments for the platform across the past year, capturing hit songs and popular videos. The event will also feature content creators and musicians during the live event, making sure that the online figures that the community consider to be part of YouTube make it there.
Since 24 hours is a long time for any event, Escape2021 will be divided into 3 chapters. The first is being held on the 16th of December at midnight. While details on the overarching narrative are rather scant, the overall event will center around helping the ever-famous Lofi Girl finally escape her room. For my readers above 30, the Lo-fi Girl comes from an incredibly popular series of live videos featuring music (lo-fi chill beats) that one can study or relax to. Other live events will involve trivia, challenges, and the like.
H/T: AW.
Read next: Consumer Spending on App Stores Reaches Record Breaking $133 Billion in 2021
If anyone’s knee-jerk response was to internally cringe as they remembered Rewind 2018 and Will Smith saying “it’s rewind time”, I just want them to know that they are valid and I acknowledge their feelings. If anyone doesn’t have that reaction, congratulations! You clearly don’t make a career out of writing about internet and tech trends, and are much healthier for it. At any rate, YouTube planning any sort of event to commemorate a year in retrospect is a troubling thought for the community. While complaints that the Rewinds had been declining in quality since the first one in 2012 are simply a form of nostalgic attachment, 2017 and 2018 really were very bad years. It was truly a time where the disconnect between YouTube and its community was palpable. No other videos have managed to so accurately capture exactly what the userbase didn’t want, even if that result was fully unintentional. 2019 therefore saw a top 10 style breakdown of some of the best trends across the platform. Which would be endearing, if WatchMojo hadn’t been doing the exact same concept since 2007.
At any rate, 2020 saw absolutely no video, with YouTube declaring Rewind videos to be completely over. To its credit, and quite possibly its detriment as well, the platform isn’t giving up and is trying yet another avenue to connect with its audience. Or with advertisers, really, since this is a bit of a hit and miss project, isn’t it? At any rate, YouTube’s calling this new event Escape2021. The live, 24-hour virtual event will take users through key moments for the platform across the past year, capturing hit songs and popular videos. The event will also feature content creators and musicians during the live event, making sure that the online figures that the community consider to be part of YouTube make it there.
Since 24 hours is a long time for any event, Escape2021 will be divided into 3 chapters. The first is being held on the 16th of December at midnight. While details on the overarching narrative are rather scant, the overall event will center around helping the ever-famous Lofi Girl finally escape her room. For my readers above 30, the Lo-fi Girl comes from an incredibly popular series of live videos featuring music (lo-fi chill beats) that one can study or relax to. Other live events will involve trivia, challenges, and the like.
H/T: AW.
Read next: Consumer Spending on App Stores Reaches Record Breaking $133 Billion in 2021