The Act Man Interview: Silenced by the platform he\u2019s fighting to make better Seemingly scorned by YouTube, The Act Man lies in creator limbo awaiting the verdict on his channels monetization. But how does one come back from being deplatformed by the company who signs their checks? Before tens of thousands of Twitter users would post #JusticeForActMan, before YouTube would choose to remove monetization from his channel, before a community of creators would band together to oppose the platform\u2019s actions, before the critique of an Elden Ring review would launch a two-month investigation, The Act Man was a creator known well-enough for his comedic game-oriented video essays. In April 2022, The Act Man launched an investigation into the online actions of fellow creator Quantum TV. Becoming frustrated with YouTube\u2019s lack of action despite the evidence he provided, the creator took to Twitter to post a series of satirical tweets, including one where he mentioned doxxing the employees of YouTube and their families. This tweet ultimately resulted in the demonetization of his channel. Now, as a result of The Act Man\u2019s intense investigation and emotional attachment thereof, he stands against two adversaries: the subject of his scrutinizing investigation and the platform that seemingly refuses to hear his pleas. In less than a week, Act Man went from being one of YouTube\u2019s most-watched detectives to having his main source of income stripped away. So, how does a highly-praised creator continue moving forward despite several major setbacks? A forced hiatus for The Act Man Following the removal of monetization on his channel, The Act Man announced he would be taking a break from making videos because of the potential risk of uploading. In an interview with Dexerto, he claimed a lot of \u201cstrange things\u201d had been happening to his channel as well as those of other creators. \u201cI had two videos that were age-restricted that were completely unrelated. Reaction streams to the video were taken down or demonetized. Asmongold\u2019s video was demonetized. Review USA had a stream that was taken down. Another channel was actually totally suspended for making two videos,\u201d The Act Man shared. He even claimed a friend of his tested video titles with various key phrases like \u201ccopyright abuse\u201d, \u201cfalse flagging\u201d, and variations of \u201cThe Act Man\u201d \u2014 all of which were demonetized. According to him, these actions are striking fear in the hearts of the greater community. \u201cIt\u2019s not just me getting screwed,\u201d he stated. \u201cThere are people that are afraid to show a blurred image of a guy with poorly Photoshopped cucumber. Because they don\u2019t know if that\u2019s okay, if that\u2019s considered nudity, if they\u2019re going to get taken down for that.\u201d But beyond the fear of what YouTube might do, The Act Man expressed how demoralizing it feels to be silenced by the platform. \u201cI don\u2019t make videos for the sole reason that I make money, but I have to. If I can justify the time to make these videos, then I have to make money on it. And I just, I can\u2019t really focus on just normal game content or go back to that at this point in time.\u201d Is moral support enough? While facing the Goliath that is YouTube, The Act Man has captured the attention of some of the platform\u2019s largest and most influential creators. Now, these creative titans have become allies in his fight for platform justice, but is the solace of their support enough? \u201cIt\u2019s really cool that I got to talk to [Philip] DeFranco and Keemstar. A lot of great content creators have reached out,\u201d Act Man said. \u201cBut then I hear from some guy whose channel was suspended for talking about this issue. I go back to feeling depressed and the reality of this situation.\u201d Through this experience, a number of creators have \u201ccrawled out of the woodwork\u201d to show their support for The Act Man, but this situation has already caused irreparable damage. \u201cThe trauma of what has happened\u2026 I don\u2019t know if YouTube is going to fix that. Are they going to f**k off and pretend this didn\u2019t happen?\u201d \u201cIf you get fired from your job because you brought a cucumber to work and you\u2019re fighting to come back \u2013 and you do come back \u2013 you\u2019re like, am I really safe here?\u201d There\u2019s no going back now Dexerto asked The Act Man if he would change anything he had done up to this point that ultimately led to his demonization. Unsurprisingly, the creator stood his ground. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would because, you know, I really went hard trying to expose the terrible things this guy has done,\u201d he explained. \u201cMaybe a tweet here or there, but I think everything happens for a reason.\u201d Despite feeling unwelcome if he were to return to YouTube, The Act Man also thinks a perfect resolution is still possible. \u201cAt this point, a lot of things need to happen.\u201d The Act Man listed the following changes he\u2019d like to see from the platform for a perfect resolution: Reinstate monetization of his channel – Both videos that were age-restricted be unrestricted – YouTube needs to launch a real investigation into Quantum TV – Clear concise rules for what copyright abuse really is\/policy reform – A public apology from YouTube – \u201cA public apology for mishandling the situation from YouTube I think could go a long way and that would make me feel very good and vindicated that they understand that they messed up,\u201d the Act Man responded. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to take accountability when you mess up.\u201d Is the war with Quantum TV over? Some would see the demonization, along with YouTube\u2019s not-guilty verdict, as Quantum TV winning this feud. But Act Man isn\u2019t ready to throw in the towel just yet. After being asked if he\u2019d be willing to give up his pursuit of Quantum if it meant he\u2019d be remonetized, Act Man replied he wouldn\u2019t. \u201cNo. What he\u2019s done is so f**king terrible, like the number of content creators he\u2019s harassed\u2026 He\u2019s not going to stop doing these terrible things until he\u2019s forcibly removed,\u201d he explained. As an example, Act Man referenced 16-year-old content creator Mischief, who\u2019s been involved in the situation from the start. He claims Quantum TV is still harassing this creator. \u201cI would rather YouTube be a better place without me than a terrible place with me.\u201d What happens in the next act? While the masses appear to be on The Act Man\u2019s side, it\u2019s still YouTube\u2019s call on whether or not he can continue making money on the platform \u2014 which is his main source of income. So, what happens if The Act Man\u2019s indefinite ban extends beyond 30 days into oblivion? \u201cWhat I will say is thank God I made a twitch account,\u201d he responded. If his channel does get remonetized and he feels comfortable on the platform though, he said he wants to return to his roots and make more gaming content. While he does feel there\u2019s a space on YouTube for \u201cwatchdog\u201d channels that look out for copyright abusers and harassment on the platform \u2014 however, a series like the investigation into Quantum TV won\u2019t be his normal content. A number of users on Twitter have advised Act Man to take legal action \u2014 something he\u2019s already considered. \u201cI\u2019m not super familiar with the laws, or what exact laws have been violated,\u201d Act Man admitted. \u201cI\u2019ve briefly talked with a couple of attorneys and I may continue talks with them in the future. I can\u2019t say for certain, but it\u2019s something that I think I have to consider.\u201d Beyond his worries for the future of his career in content creation, he also explained how this whole situation has instilled a fear in him, and his family, for what could happen. The Act Man\u2019s mother was even contacted by Quantum TV after he had found her personal information online. This roped her into a situation the creator believes should have stayed online. Act Man said his mother keeps close tabs on the situation and often references videos from other content creators he hasn\u2019t seen yet, \u201cIt illustrates the kind of invasion of privacy this has been.\u201d While he carries a strong persona online, often sharing memes to his Twitter followers, it\u2019s apparent this situation has taken an emotional toll on The Act Man and those close to him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Act Man Interview: Silenced by the platform he\u2019s fighting to make better Seemingly scorned by YouTube, The Act Man lies in creator limbo awaiting the verdict on his channels monetization. But how does one come back from being deplatformed by the company who signs their checks? Before tens of thousands of Twitter users would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}