YouTube Rating System Changes Clown Meme
Text content
We're ending the 5 star system
[stars with 1.5 filled]
Use this thumb system instead
[thumbs up 3.1M, thumbs down 20M]
We're disabling the dislikes
[thumbs up 3.1M]
Just tell us in secret with 5 stars
[5-star rating prompt: What did you think of this video? NOT SURE]
Overview
A multi-panel meme criticizing YouTube's inconsistent changes to its content rating systems. The left panels display text describing successive policy shifts: ending the 5-star system (with 1.5 stars filled), replacing it with a thumb system (showing 3.1M likes vs. 20M dislikes), disabling dislikes (only 3.1M likes shown), and finally reverting to a secret 5-star rating system with a prompt 'What did you think of this video?' and 'NOT SURE' option. The right panels show a person progressively applying clown makeup: starting with white face paint and a YouTube logo on their head, then adding colorful eye makeup and red lips, followed by a rainbow wig, and ending with a full clown look including a red nose, satirically framing YouTube as increasingly absurd for these changes.
Origin notes
Originates from Reddit (as specified in the source information). This meme uses the 'clown transformation' format, a popular internet meme template where a person gradually applies clown makeup to mock perceived foolish or inconsistent behavior. It critiques YouTube's 2020-2022 rating system changes, including replacing star ratings with like/dislike counts, hiding dislike numbers, and later reintroducing a private 5-star feedback system, portraying these decisions as absurd through the clown metaphor.