We all love and appreciate a good piece of gear. And most of us love YouTube and social media too. These two facts inevitably mean that we all watch gear review videos on some of these platforms from time to time. But how many times have you watched a gear review in which the reviewer had serious criticism against the product being reviewed? And how many times have you seen that reviewer using that product after that video has been published? Well, it depends. If you watched it on an established and popular channel, you are probably not going to hear real criticism, and the product is not going to be used or even seen ever again on that channel. Otherwise, you might get some genuine reviews from time to time. The problem is that most gear reviews suggested by social media platforms are those of popular channels, and owners of popular channels usually make money from their videos, and money tends to spoil things for humans more often than not. This is why many channels change their focus as they become more popular. Good channels usually start with gifted people demonstrating their skills, or sharing knowledge. Later you start to see more and more gear demos and product reviews. Sometimes you will start to see specific companies logos shine in the background and sometimes it will be very explicit and they would say that the channel is sponsored by this or that comany. The explicit way is fair and legitimate in my opinion by the way, although it doesn't make the information that comes afterwards more authentic or reliable.
We Are All Humans
When you own a popular channel, your videos get played a lot, which means they get monetized. A channel owner that reaches that status wants to generate more popular content, to keep that cash flow going and hopefully even increase it. Gear manufacturers know that and what they want is their gear pushed to as many potential customers as possible. That is a perfect opportunity for a win-win situation! The company sends its product right to your favorite guru's door. They feature it on their channel, we get exposed to it, and some of us end up buying it as a result. The company gets a free promotion video that instantly reaches thousands of potential customers, the channel owner gets new content to generate revenue from, and everybody is happy.
Where Is the problem?
So, what's wrong with good people making good money? Where is the problem? There is absolutely nothing wrong with good people making money, and I have no personal criticism against any specific person here. What bothers me is that system that became so mainstream in recent years that few ever question. A system that many assume to bring genuine content from genuine ordinary people, while it is no longer that simple in many cases. The constant feeling of being hunted bothers me. The constant need to question everything I see or hear makes me uncomfortable.
If you are a shopping junky, that system is tuned to serve you, or should I say, you are tuned to serve it. In that case, either seek professional help or embrace it and continue shopping. But if you are looking to improve something in your life and are not careful, that system will make sure your journey is as long as is can be and your hunger never satisfied. It relies on studied brain chemistry, and the only way to help yourself endure is to raise your own awareness to the rules of the game you are forced into almost everywhere nowadays and start asking questions. Start by acknowledging that the vast majority of the product reviews you see on popular social media channels are commercials made to look like genuine reviews. If you treat them that way, you are already in a better position.
Use Your Instincts
If all you hear is great things about a product, you're probably missing something. Even if the reviewer owns the product, loves it and has absolutely nothing negative to say about it, someone else just might. Go and actively look for criticism! Nothing is perfect, and sometimes something that doesn't bother one person is a big deal to another.
In some cases it's enough to close your eyes and listen to sound clips and try to disregard anything that's been said before or after it. I found myself many times sitting in front of a review or demo video, watching a dude losing it trying to explain how amazing something is, when all I can hear is just mediocre guitar sound. If you remove the guy's inthusiasm and amazing playing, you are often left with yet another something, which is many times boring, more of the same, overpriced or all three. Again, if you understand that the guy is a salesman, you are fine.
It should be obvious I guess, but the best thing you can do for yourself is to always try to put your hands on something and give it a run in the physical domain before you make any investment. This is not always possible, but when it is, it can make all the difference.
I still use and will continue to use social media as a source of information about products such as tutorials, sound examples and technical videos. There is a lot to value in platforms such as YouTube and Instagram for that matter. But try to use your right sense, not just your eyes. Try to detach yourself from how cool the guy or girl who deliver the video is, how good they play, or how many guitars and pedals are there in the background. Focus on you and what you need to get out of that video, if anything at all. Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to avoid clicking on it in the first place.
Watch out, it's a dangerous world out there ;)
Cheers
A Little Story
About two years ago, I spent a significant amount of money on a product that promised to improve my guitar signal and make my life easier when I perform. That product is featured on countless YouTube videos and played by some trusted YouTube figures almost daily. The product indeed made my life easier, but the signal improvement part was a complete disappointment, and I am being gentle here. After I realized that was not my problem, I posted a review with a description of my issue, and soon I got three different people to approve my claims. Three people who bought that product for the same reasons I did and discovered that it just doesn't do what it claims and was made specifically to do. One of the guys who reached out to me is a professional guitarist who makes a living from music, fixing guitars and building pedalboards. If they got him, they can get you too.