As the social network system develops, a lot of new internet applications are created. One of the most popular applications is YouTube. Children, as well as adults, enjoy watching videos on YouTube. As the scale of YouTube is getting larger and larger, its influence is getting bigger and bigger. As a result, YouTubers, whose job is making videos and upload them on YouTube can take the initiative of the general trend.

▲ Han Hye-yeon is apologizing her mistake of PPL on her YouTube channel.

Despite the importance of their job, You Tubers made a big issue recently. The main content of the issue is paid product placement. Paid product placement, also known as PPL or embedded marketing, is a type of marketing where references to specific products are incorporated into other media works. Most of the TV programs or videos include paid product placement, and those are legal. However, some You Tubers' method of the paid advertisement became the problem.

▲ This is Moon Bo-ki, who is having a lot of food on her YouTube channel.

Moon Boki, a mukbang YouTuber, notified viewers that some of her videos had been produced as paid product placement. After she uploaded an apology video, the viewers' comments were negative, and most of the subscribers turned against Moon Boki. Another case, the famous fashion coordinator, Han Hye-yeon apologized about the paid advertisement. Han Hye-yeon repeatedly said in her videos that all the items she introduced were selected and purchased with her own money. Except for these people, about 70 YouTubers and entertainers uploaded a video to apologize for paid product placement.

Social network systems are considerably close to our life. They can give important effects naturally to us. Unmarked back advertising is strictly illegal, and it is reprehensible. YouTubers need to be aware of and careful of their influence on society. Not only YouTubers' efforts but also the efforts of viewers are needed. Viewers must be able to judge whether this is really the right thing to do and have the right to criticize.

August 30th, 2020

by Kim Na-Young