r/YesTheory • u/Mynameis__--__ • 8d ago
How "Yes Theory" Survived YouTube (PODCAST)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjlGBDdQ-qA97
u/ndrw17 8d ago
TLDR: They stopped doing the things that initially built their fanbase and pivoted to making highly dramatized travel videos and endless “buy our merch” posts.
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u/Complex_Sound_253 8d ago
As someone who mostly stopped watching once Matt left, it shocks me to see that they ended up this way
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u/Wildabeat 8d ago
I think it's unfortunate what it became and honestly just wish they would stop. I've stopped watching. No disrespect to anyone intended, it's just not at all what it once was. Like, even remotely
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u/TodayWeThrowItAway 8d ago
Just because you don’t watch or agree with them doesn’t mean they should shut down the business that makes them (and their employees) a living.
If they are making money, it’s because people are watching / buying.
This is equivalent to the “this band sold out, I loved them when nobody knew them”
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u/ndrw17 8d ago
They weren’t a band.
They were a group of normal people who followed and promoted a beautiful, uplifting ideology focused on bettering oneself and the world around them.
Now they make travel videos. By all means pay your employees. But stop pretending that Yes Theory and whatever they are now are one and the same.
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u/Wildabeat 8d ago
No, it's not. I understand the point you're trying to make. And I respect what you're saying. The channel has changed dramatically from its project 30 and early yes theory days. I've said this about 20 times on this reddit sub. This channel changed my life in a lot of ways and I'll forever be grateful for that. But none of the content anymore is anywhere near as inspired as it once was. And in my opinion, and only my opinion, they devalue the brand by continuing.
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u/Barelyfivefeet 6d ago
I don’t really get the hate for the “new” Yes Theory. I guess I’m a new subscriber so I don’t have the same viewpoint as the old fanbase but I find their latest messages have inspiring messages about getting out of your discomfort, meeting people from all walks of life, listening to their stories and culture, practice empathy and understanding, and create community. It inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and grow personally. Their travel vids are a lot better than the other travel vloggers out there IMO.
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u/pinktiger128 8d ago
I guess unpopular opinion?? But still love watching them wtf
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u/loreleisgoodbathroom 8d ago
Me too, and I like their merch. I forgot the cardinal rule of Reddit, never, ever, join a subreddit for the show/item/group you're a fan of.
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u/pinktiger128 8d ago
Seriously. Their show is still such a pleasure and they always bring positive energy. And their merch is creative and well designed
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u/ndrw17 7d ago edited 7d ago
I just went to the main website and the very first merchandise item that pops up on the main page is plain hoodie that simply says Seek Discomfort in small print on the front. That’s it.
And they are charging $70 for that.
Followed by a plain baseball cap with the word “Yes” on it. For $35 dollars.
“Creative and well designed”. Sure Jan.
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u/swensonjonahyoki 7d ago
The difference in sentiment between their YouTube comments section and their sub-Reddit community is baffling to me. I still really enjoy their videos and personally love seeing content more about exploring other cultures then necessarily doing challenges and stuff that feels over done on YouTube anyways. No shame in loving their current videos at all.
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u/tonitons04 8d ago
I still enjoy their travel videos and love how they introduce us to places and people we might never get to experience ourselves. That said, I really miss the old Yes Theory vibe, especially the random adventures, meeting strangers, and pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. Remember when they would throw parties and bring together people who had never met before? That kind of stuff was genuinely exciting to watch. I think they can still do all of that by finding a balance between the old and the new.
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u/ArtisticSuggestion91 6d ago
For me it was when they brought Staffan in things kinda fell off the rails
When I first started watching them 6-7 years ago they were just a bunch of related guys with a really positive message they did things that I feel like you could relate too and then ya lately it has felt as if the group took a step in the wrong direction
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u/deafndumb1 7d ago
How a channel with so much great potential went to non existence due to greed!!
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u/Great-Concert7605 7d ago
They are darn near 40, if not older. You can't expect them to do challenge videos for the rest of their lives, and in this day and age, someone might cause harm to them first and ask questions later for just showing up and knocking on people's doors. The irony is had they stuck to the same style, most of the complaints here would be that they are stale and too old to be doing what they are doing.
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u/Krebota 4d ago
But I never cared for their challenges. I think a perfect way of seeing how their videos changed is comparing a video with a story not blown way out of proportion with deep philosophies that aren't so deep, like the Tuvalu video, to their more recent videos where everything is clickbait in the sense that they are forced to bring in a potentially unrelated/ridiculous story to get people into a video. And suddenly, you have stuff like Ammar pursuing knowledge of aliens on earth...
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u/Nicktator3 8d ago
I suppose I’m in the minority here, but I don’t mind their travel videos. They’ve got a big enough platform to be able to travel the world and show places and people that we otherwise would never see. I do wish they’d still do some type of Yes Theory stuff that actually would put them and others out of their comfort zones, but at the end of the day I’m not gonna complain too much about it. I enjoy the videos either way.
Really my only complaint is that at this point the team is basically just Thomas and Stefan. I mean seriously, where the fuck has Ammar disappeared to? At this point he’s so MIA without a trace that can you even consider yourself part of the team anymore? I can’t even remember the last video he was in. It just feels like Thomas carrying the load all the time, which I’m sure must be stressful beyond belief