Netiquette Analysis of Youtube Content in The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The rise of videos on YouTube channels which content is viral yet insensitive to the current condition of the Covid-19 pandemic shows that ethical issues in creative content are becoming serious problems. The purpose of this study is to examine the issue of netiquette during the Covid-19 pandemic in YouTube content. This research used the qualitative content analysis method. The results concluded that a prank video, which showed the distribution of groceries containing trash and stones by Ferdian Paleka and the video of Indira Kalistha, who were reluctant to follow the procedures for preventing Covid-19, had very little ethics and did not educate the public. Both YouTubers also did not realize that they had the power to influence their many followers using their content. Prank videos made mainly by content creators are considered a kind of creativity to meet the audience's desire for entertainment. Moreover, fierce competition between creators cannot be avoided; hence ethics is ruled out sometimes, and they merely intended to gain more subscribers. On the contrary, a viral video of Edward Suhadi frying eggs in the campaign aimed for people not to panic buying during the Covid-19 pandemic received many positive responses from citizens. This video also inspires people to take social action.