Over the last few months I and others (via comments I see on various solar technology groups) have noticed a distinct favoritism and/or polarization to particular companies or products which has creeped into the YouTube reviews themselves. This sometimes leads to recommendations that may not have revealed all the facts or fair comparison. I guess it had to happen, as YouTube channels become such serious income or revenue generators for many of the reviewers. As the technology is becoming more mainstream you are also seeing distinct fanboy/girl division a la Android vs. iPhone kind of nonsense... can you say Bluetti vs. Delta Eco. Hopefully true transparency and integrity will prevail, but for now it can be challenging for us buyers, and I assume especially so for the newcomers who depend on these reviews to navigate the technology and make their purchases for increasingly big ticket items.
I wish there was a more designation about the Paid Promotion banner that hangs in YouTube. I know that this is required for any reviewer who although may not receive financial "consideration", but do receive merchandise to review and test which they keep, and hence the generic warning. By better disclosing the arrangement between vendor and reviewer, will help the viewer know whether they are watching a genuine independent review or a partisan advertisement. One comment I read tonight on a YouTube page asked the reviewer for transparency sake what their financial arrangement was with the vendor. The reviewer essentially said that any financial disclosure was none of their business and if they didn't like it to go somewhere else.
The line seems blurred right now and I think a storm of sorts is brewing.
I wish there was a more designation about the Paid Promotion banner that hangs in YouTube. I know that this is required for any reviewer who although may not receive financial "consideration", but do receive merchandise to review and test which they keep, and hence the generic warning. By better disclosing the arrangement between vendor and reviewer, will help the viewer know whether they are watching a genuine independent review or a partisan advertisement. One comment I read tonight on a YouTube page asked the reviewer for transparency sake what their financial arrangement was with the vendor. The reviewer essentially said that any financial disclosure was none of their business and if they didn't like it to go somewhere else.
The line seems blurred right now and I think a storm of sorts is brewing.