YouTube Isn't Doing Their Yearly 'Rewind' Because 2020 Is That F*cking Bad
YouTube ditches their annual “Rewind” video because 2020 was too depressing
For the first time since 2010, YouTube is not ending the the year with a “Rewind” video. The annual YouTube retrospective takes a look back at the year, highlighting the most popular videos and moments from pop culture in a cute visual yearbook of sorts. Unfortunately, because 2020 was so, well, bleak, the internet video juggernaut decided to take the year off, calling 2020 a “hard year.” Which is officially the understatement of the century.
“Since 2010, we’ve ended the year with Rewind: a look back at the year’s most impactful creators, videos, and trends. Whether you love it — or only remember 2018 — Rewind was always meant to be a celebration of you,” YouTube said in a statement. “But 2020 has been different. And it doesn’t feel right to carry on as if it weren’t. So, We’re taking a break from Rewind this year.”
For reference, in 2019, the YouTube Rewind video compiled the most liked clips on the platform which ranged from K-pop videos to a guy making slime to Ariana Grande music. It was cool and joyful and a fun visual representation of what people ingested on YouTube that year. In 2018, although everyone said the video was lame, YouTube put together a slightly cheesy scripted video featuring the biggest YouTube stars and highlighted the biggest trends in videos that year, like ASMR and Fortnite stuff. Basically, the videos are always lighthearted, a little cheesy, and certainly earnest. Unfortunately 2020 didn’t work out like that.
From the deadly pandemic to police brutality to Donald Trump’s dumb attempts to stage a coup, there’s not a lot anybody wants to remember about 2020.
“We know that so much of the good that did happen in 2020 was created by all of you,” YouTube said, seemingly directly, to their creators. “You’ve found ways to lift people up, help them cope, and make them laugh. You made a hard year genuinely better.”
Google (which owns YouTube) also typically does a “Year In Search” video at the end of every calendar year and honestly, I don’t really want to know what people searched for this year. Can you imagine the Google searches this year? “What happens if Trump doesn’t leave?” “Does bleach actually kill coronavirus?” I think we’d all like a moratorium on this god-awful year. Curious to see if Google holds off on their year-end retrospective as well. In the meantime, there are only 49 days left in 2020, but it’s not like the pandemic and our political reality is just going to disappear so, uhm, on that note, uhhh sorry?
