Hey guys, I’ve been thinking about all those big YouTube stars from around 2014-2016. It seems like so many of them have faded away or are struggling now. Remember Gradeaundera? Totally gone. JonTron’s views are way down. Idubbz tried to rebrand but it didn’t work out. Leafy’s on some weird sites now. Even Mattpat retired!
Boogie lost his fanbase, the H3 podcast is a mess, and PewDiePie stepped back. At least Filthy Frank and Markiplier got some mainstream success. Zach Hadel too. But KSI’s music flopped and Logan Paul’s always in hot water.
It got me wondering - are Maxmoefoe and Keemstar the only ones still doing okay from that time? What do you all think happened to the YouTube scene from back then? Did tastes just change or was it something else?
As someone who’s been on YouTube since the early days, I’ve seen this cycle play out before. The mid-2010s crowd hit a perfect storm of factors. Monetization changes hit hard - remember the adpocalypse? That killed a lot of edgier content creators. Plus, the push for daily uploads burned people out fast. I knew a few smaller creators who just couldn’t keep up.
Another big thing was audience aging. Those teens who made pewdiepie huge? They grew up, got jobs, had less time for YouTube. New viewers wanted different stuff. And let’s be real, some of those old school YouTubers just didn’t evolve their content. What was edgy and cool in 2015 feels dated now.
Honestly, I think we’re due for another big shakeup soon. The current crop of top creators can’t stay on top forever either.
It’s a complex issue, but I believe several factors contributed to the decline of mid-2010s YouTubers. Firstly, the platform’s algorithm changes favored longer, more frequent content, which was unsustainable for many creators. Secondly, audience demographics shifted as younger viewers gravitated towards shorter-form content on platforms like TikTok. Additionally, many YouTubers struggled to evolve their content or branch out into new areas, leading to stagnation. The oversaturation of similar content also played a role, making it harder for individual creators to stand out. Lastly, increased scrutiny and the pressure of maintaining a public persona likely took a toll on many creators’ mental health, leading some to step back or change direction entirely.
The decline of mid-2010s YouTubers is indeed a fascinating phenomenon. Having observed this shift firsthand, I believe it’s largely due to the rapidly evolving nature of online content consumption. YouTube’s algorithm changes favored quantity over quality, forcing creators into an unsustainable cycle of constant production. This led to burnout for many.
Moreover, the rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels fragmented audience attention, making it harder for long-form content creators to maintain viewership. Many YouTubers from that era also struggled to adapt their content to changing social norms and audience expectations.
Financial pressures played a role too. As advertising revenue became less reliable, creators had to diversify their income streams, which not all were equipped to do effectively. Those who successfully transitioned to other mediums or built strong off-platform communities tended to fare better.
Ultimately, the YouTube landscape of today is vastly different from 2015, and only those who could evolve with it have managed to maintain their relevance.
yeah its crazy how things changed. i remember watching leafy n grade all the time lol. tbh i think alot of those guys just couldnt keep up w/ new trends. plus youtube keeps changing stuff makin it harder 4 creators. some prolly just got tired of it all. wonder whos gonna be the next big thing
ive noticed that too. think a lot of it is burnout + algorithm changes. some creators couldnt keep up w/ the grind or adapt to new trends. also drama/controversies took down quite a few. but yeah its wild how fast the landscape shifted. wonder who’ll still be around in 5 yrs