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YouTube Is Monetizing Human Suffering at an Open Air Drug Market (www.404media.co)

submitted 1 year ago by tree@lemmy.zip to c/technology@lemmy.world

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The Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia is one of the most brutally obvious signs of America’s public health crisis. The so-called “open air drug market” in the middle of the country’s sixth most populous city is where hundreds of people use drugs, some of whom are unhoused, usually without being arrested by the police. It is a failure of our health care system, our cities, and our drug enforcement policies on public display.

For some, it’s also a content farm, where they turn other people’s misery into engagement and profit.

As I am writing this, 675 people are watching a YouTube livestream from a channel called USALIVESTREAM of a camera that is panning back and forth over the corner of Kensington Avenue and East Allegheny, where there’s a SEPTA train station that people congregate around. As is normal on YouTube, to the right of the video is a chat where viewers can talk to each other, and pay to post stickers and “super chats,” highlighted messages that cost as much as $500. The revenue generated from this chat is split between YouTube and the YouTube channel owner. YouTube and the channel owner also make money via pre-roll ads viewers have to watch before the video starts. It is a live version of a growing trend, mostly on YouTube and TikTok, where people make videos of people in distress, specifically in Kensington.

The dire situation at Kensington is such that the live feed is always capturing multiple people who are clearly in distress, slumped over while they’re standing, asleep in camping chairs, or using drugs. None appear to be aware they are being filmed and exploited as a form of entertainment.

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[–] Jay@sh.itjust.works 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even though I agree with you that you shouldn't look away, there are two things that bother me:

If I understand correctly, this is completely unmoderated. This means it is up to the viewer how they interpret what they see.

In addition, the income should be made available to solve the problem. But it seems like someone is just putting it in their pocket.

[–] nonailsleft@lemm.ee -5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think the income from this would make the slightest dent...

Also, moderation? I haven't seen the stream but I imagine people stumbling, or performing sexual acts in exchange for drugs and such. There aren't many ways to 'interpret' it imo, at least not worse than it is

[–] Jay@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And if it were just a few dollars that were made available to the social workers there... That would be something, right?

And by moderation I mean that someone should explain what you see and thus point out dangers. Over and over again. They should try to rule out that anyone has fun watching these sad fates.

[–] Meowoem@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I totally agree, a charity trying to raise awareness and help the problem should be running it.

I'm watching now and from what I can tell it doesn't appear to be a monetized account as no adverts have shown, there's not been a single donation either only a lot of comments about how awfull the situation is. there are moderators in the chat though it's impossible to tell on a recorded stream how many comments they're removing.

Really it's just a street cam, you can see loads of them in all sorts of areas - it's different because there are lots of people buying drugs and hanging around but they're doing it on a public street so why should this one be any different to the popular time square or rue de mars streams?

Overall my take-home is that after watching fifteen minutes of it I'm somewhat less likely to do heroin today, and that's probably a good thing. These people's lives haven't changed because I've seen them buy and consume drugs, when you're smoking crack on a cold street it's not like every one in you life can't tell. It's sad but it's a reality hiding from won't help either.