Google has announced it will not publish its annual Rewind video at the end of this year, because no-one wants to celebrate anything about 2020.
In a tweeted statement on Thursday, the company said it was taking a break from the tradition, which usually looks back at the year’s trends, viral videos and noteworthy creators.
Given the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, the continuing racial strife in the US and beyond, and the unpleasantness of the US election, YouTube said that it didn’t feel right to publish the video in 2020.
The firm wrote: “Since 2010, we’ve ended the year with Rewind: a look back at the year’s most impactful creators, videos and trends. 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.
“We know that so much of the good that did happen in 2020 was created by all of you. You’ve found ways to life people up, help them cope and made them laugh. You made a hard year genuinely better. Thank you for making a difference.”
Although this year’s circumstances might have dictated the decision, it’s not like YouTube Rewind has been a raging success in recent years. Rewind 2018 was a gigantic cringe-fest and became the most disliked video ever published to the platform. To this day it has 18 million thumbs downs, compared with 2.9 million upvotes.
Google was pretty self-aware about it all, with the 2019 video reverting to a montage of the most popular creators, videos, and most liked dance videos, for example. It still got a pretty poor reception, suggesting the company can’t win either way.
About Rewind this year. pic.twitter.com/oVayH8iyqG
— YouTube (@YouTube) November 12, 2020
Would you have liked a YouTube Rewind video this year, highlighting all the good folks who’d made 2020 a little brighter? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
