Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault.
The phenomenon of online content creators abusing their power is not a new one. The cycle is continuous: a social media influencer acts questionably, gets “canceled” on Twitter and inevitably regains their popularity after enough time has passed.
The misconduct is written off as internet drama. Even when called out for legitimately harmful behavior, the greatest punishment an influencer will endure is the loss of a few sponsorships.
Business Insider released an article in late March of this year discussing the rape allegations made by a young woman against a member of David Dobrik’s “Vlog Squad.” Dobrik has accumulated over 18 million subscribers on YouTube since the creation of his channel in 2015, his main demographic being males ages 18-24.
He has been accused over the years of coercing those who are featured in his short vlogs and prank videos into acting in ways that made them uncomfortable. Dobrik has also been known to make racist and ableist comments towards guests and Vlog Squad members in past videos. This created an environment ripe with insensitivity and bullying. In the past, Dobrik’s personality has been charming enough to avoid much scrutiny for these past allegations. That is until the Business Insider article.
For some background, a slew of past members of Dobrik’s production team came forward in early February to recount their experiences of sexual assault. These allegations were mostly brushed aside. It was a group of girls, the ones profiled in the Business Insider article, who received the majority of the public’s attention for their story. They referenced a night in which Dobrik and his team gave them alcohol—even though they were under 21 at the time—to “loosen them up” and have better content to film. The girls were pressured to drink to the point of severe intoxication and were unable to consent to anything. That night, Vlog Squad member Durte Dom raped one of them. The interactions that preceded it were documented on video, which has since been taken down.
Following a lackluster apology video posted to his secondary YouTube channel, Dobrik’s brand partnerships began dropping him. This led to a second apology video to his main channel in which he tearfully promised to make himself available to anyone he has hurt in the past if they wish to reach out.
He claimed that all he wants to do with his content is “make people happy.” But based on Dobrik’s disregard for consent in past videos, he probably cares more about views and sponsorships in actuality. Dobrik and members of the Vlog Squad gained a reputation for harassing women, using body-shaming and slut-shaming frequently in their content. At the time, many brushed this off as simply edgy humor.
We are now three weeks removed from the release of the Insider article. Aside from losing the support of a handful of brands and around 400,000 subscribers, Dobrik has not faced many consequences for his actions. He stated in his apology video that he will be taking a break from social media but did not specify how long this break will last. Even during breaks from the internet, YouTubers are able to make a comfortable living thanks to passive income from old videos that are still being watched.
By the time he comes back, the majority of his loyal viewers will still watch his channel. He will still make a sizable living. To put it simply, Dobrik will be fine.
None of this made national news, aside from one article in the Washington Post with a timeline of the accusations. It’s somewhat understandable when internet stars are not seen as having the same level of fame and influence that traditional Hollywood celebrities do.
But 18.5 million subscribers is too large a number to disregard, especially when most of the audience is made up of young, impressionable men. Men are being taught it is okay to disregard sexual assault victims when it makes their friends look bad. The story should have gotten more attention and coverage from major news outlets. It should have been framed as what it actually was: a disturbing story of how influencers perpetuate abuse.
This issue goes beyond David Dobrik and the Vlog Squad. New stories surface almost every month about a social media influencer and their weaponization of fame to take advantage of viewers. Just last week, YouTube makeup artist James Charles admitted to grooming underage boys, sending the 16-year-olds messages with explicit content. Charles has been “canceled” so many times that it has become a running joke on the internet, but situations like Charles’ and Dobrik’s cannot be taken lightly. These instances are wrong and upsetting. Overlooking them is denying legitimate cases of assault and abuse, and they must be held at higher scrutiny.
These parasocial relationships that influencers develop with their fans blur the lines of what is appropriate or acceptable behavior. But social media influencers have just as much power as a traditional celebrity. Victims are often uncomfortable coming forward about the abuse they experience due to these power dynamics. The predatory behavior shown by influencers will continue if it is only viewed as a routine internet spectacle.
