Mid-tier advertiser aggregation insulated platforms from brand boycotts

Evidence

The abandonment of even basic gatekeeping welcomed a rash of sinister content. The “Elsagate” scandal in 2017 involved content farms creating kids’ videos for YouTube with lewd and disturbing themes, including Spider-Man and Elsa from Frozen in “bizarre situations involving cheating spouses or public urination.” Outraged advertisers briefly boycotted YouTube, but Alphabet’s bottom line barely wavered. The real money on the internet didn’t depend on marquee brands; it thrived on aggregating mid-tier advertisers at scale. This shift eroded another avenue for non–tech elites to shape culture. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 520