The issue, as other YouTubers like Philip DeFranco pointed out, is that Sellitto is just a cog in the clickbait machine that drives YouTube. My humor is so messed up to the point where I didn’t know where to stop, like I literally don’t have any limits to clickbait, clearly.”
“My name’s kind of out there now, but probably not for a good reason. “I’m literally just a boy talking to my camera trying to make a few clickbait videos, trying to get my name out there,” Sellitto said. In a followup video to the controversy, Sellitto admitted he was using clickbait tactics as a way to become popular. He uses the 13-year-old sister trope often, makes references to starting fights with people that never really happen, and spent a portion of a video called “Reading My Brother’s Suicide Note” by asking people to “smash that thumbs up button 5,000 times.” Sellitto’s thumbnails and titles, which use clickbait tactics, represent a bigger problem than just one YouTuber looking to find success on the platform. Sellitto’s entire career is based on clickbait.
Sellitto isn’t a special case, he’s just another YouTuber who got caught for producing a never-ending series of clickbait titles and thumbnails. It’s a lewd concept, but Sellitto isn’t the first YouTuber to play along with “strip Fortnite.” Much bigger YouTubers like RiceGum, who boasts more than 10 million subscribers, have been called out for producing similar videos. She’s in no way related to him, and she’s certainly not 13. Entitled “One Kill = One Clothing With My 13-Year-Old Sister,” the video shows Sellitto’s friend and fellow YouTuber, Millie T, removing an article of clothing if he gets a kill in the game.
The video was by content creator Carmie Sellitto, who goes by touchdalight on YouTube. A recent video, however, caught the attention of almost every major creator and the community-at-large, reigniting conversation about the growing problem. YouTube is suffering from a clickbait epidemic - and has been for years.