TRW Strips #052 (Patreon)

Here we have the first fully canonical TRW Strip, taking place during the current scene of the comic as of this writing. As I've said in the past, I try to keep these strips separate from the main comic, but I wouldn't personally say this is plot-crucial material here.

To me, the current managerial state of Youtube is what happens when a real competitor never emerges. I can't think of another platform where the odds are stacked this high against the creators who make it what it is. Made a music video? Well John Bumblefuck thinks it sounds too much like a song he thought about writing once, and he filed a copyright strike against you. And Youtube is on Team Bumblefuck until you convince them otherwise.  

But the ad situation is the worst offender, I think. Follow the terms of service to the letter, and even some letters they didn't tell you about, or have ads pulled from your video. To combat this, many have resorted to sponsored content within the video itself. It's a fine idea on paper, but since the creators never know for sure if they're going to get their regular ads pulled or not, why not leave the ads enabled AND talk about Express VPN just to be safe? Don't get me wrong, I don't blame these creators at all for doing what they've gotta do, but that's what's led to the modern hellscape where it often feels like you're watching five minutes of commercials on a six minute video. 

Is there positive takeaway here? I try not to lean too much into my own spiteful grumbling in these blogs, but I honestly have a hard time seeing things on Youtube changing for the better. I don't see a scrappy new video sharing service rising up to take on Google. But who knows? Let me know what you guys think, and I hope you like the strip!