All about this video screams "just unsubscribe" but I'm going to wait for strike 3.
FROM THE COMBOX
I can't remember when I discovered Van Neistat on YouTube, but I was an instant fan. I thought his videos were the best thing on YouTube. I loved his quirkiness, eccentricity, and love for all things analog and blue collar. When a Van Neistat video dropped, it was an event. Then, the quality began to decline. Finally, Van dropped this video:
Does AI Finally Work?
This one did not go over well with me or with the fans as evidenced by the pointed remarks in the comments section. The video amounts to simping for AI and a commercial for the paid content on Van's Patreon channel and his wife's AI project. I remember a combox commenter who said that a channel goes downhill whenever the creator starts a Patreon account. This is certainly the case with Van Neistat.
Van is the last guy you would think would become an AI fanboy. The guy uses a manual typewriter to type his scripts. His favorite tool is a mechanical pencil. The name of his channel is "The Spirited Man." Going over to AI just cuts the spirit out of a man.
I haven't unsubscribed from Van Neistat's channel, but I am definitely in the "pre-unsubscribe" zone. I am learning the lesson that a creator is done when he starts a Patreon account. He is definitely done when he starts flirting with AI slop. Meanwhile, Van's brother Casey does not have a Patreon account. When you have over 12 million subscribers, you don't need a Patreon to pay the bills.
I don't expect Van to change the path he is on. What I can say is that the red flag for a YouTube channel is the Patreon thing. Once you go down the Patreon path, your channel is done. My advice to creators is to keep working that day job. This advice won't go over well with those who want to make a living from their fun creative endeavors. The irony is that the ones who work a day job for a living make better content than those who play for a living.
UPDATE #1: Van Neistat posted another vid that went over about as well as the AI video:
$100 For What?
Van's wife has taken to running interference in the combox. This commenter nailed the problem:
he's working for his Patreon subscribers because they’re the people who pay his bills. YouTube monetization sucks
Apparently, YouTube changed the rules on how creators get paid and get selected by the algorithm. Van isn't making money anymore from making his videos.
For myself, I've decided to unsubscribe from any channel that uses Patreon. I'm never going to pay for the content, but the Patreon thing is a sure sign that the quality of the content will be diminished to the point of being a commercial for the paid content.
UPDATE #2: Van pulled out the promised long form of the short videos he was making and posting:
This Is My Computer: Long-Form Ep. 1
I hesitate to say that Van redeemed himself, but I watched every minute of this long form video and enjoyed it. Fundamentally, Van used AI to create an analog solution to a digital problem. I am mystified as to why he was making the chopped up shorter videos or where he is going with all of this long term. I am also not happy about the AI stuff. But the video was entertaining. That's about all you can ask from the guy. I remain subscribed to the content. I am still not paying for Patreon. Van is on probation for the time being.
