YouTuber Joey Graceffa has revealed that it took time to brush off hatred online and believes that web trolling comes from a state of jealousy.
In an interview with the Press Association, the American video maker, who has almost nine million subscribers on his main channel on YouTube, said he became more comfortable in his skin once he had accepted his sexuality.
“When I was in the closet and I wasn’t out, I think that’s when I became mostly offended and hurt by those types of comments but once I learnt to accept myself for who I am, it definitely didn’t hurt anymore because I was comfortable in my skin enough to not let those things hurt me and I definitely used my sexuality as something that makes me unique and different and something that I’m proud of, so words about that don’t affect me,” he said.
“I think, definitely, other insecurities that I have, if people point those out, then for sure, that gets under my skin. But throughout the years, I’ve learnt to brush it off and not pay too much attention to that.
“I’ve realised that hate comes from a state of jealousy and if someone is hating on me then they clearly see something that I have that they want and that they’re jealous of.”
The 27-year-old, who is appearing at the first VidCon conference for video makers in London this weekend, said that the golden age of YouTube is over and is now a dark place because of “negative energy”, cancel culture and an apparent desire among users to see others fail.
“The direction it’s in right now, I don’t personally agree with the types of videos and content that does well,” he explained.
“I definitely think there was a golden age of YouTube but currently now it’s a bit of the dark times, and hopefully we’ll get out of that soon.”
Despite the issues, Mr Graceffa said he still finds the site fun and has no intention of retiring.
“If I go a week without posting – which is very rare – I always deeply miss YouTube and the connection that I have with my audience.”
Responding to the concerns raised, a YouTube spokeswoman said: “We always appreciate feedback from the YouTube community and are committed to supporting our creators and helping the platform thrive.”
