Wires, motherboards, GPUs. Snore. That’s all boring.
Well, at least you think. Linus Sebastian over on Linus Tech Tips wants to change your mind.
Sebastian’s videos blend tech reviews with tech-centric entertainment. In one video, he (or someone on his team) will express their opinion about the latest piece of tech to emerge onto the market. In another, they’ll build a PC from scratch using products from (the not-so-quality) Wish.com. They’ll walk you through exactly how to put a computer together just before testing how many tabs you can open before crashing a computer equipped with an inordinate amount of RAM.
But what can you expect in terms of content?
Many of Sebastian’s videos will be extremely helpful for someone who’s looking for tutorials or advice on how to build their very own computer, install programs or other tech-based needs. On a similar note, we saw many videos that claimed to help boost computer performance for free. In one video, Sebastian guides especially tech-savvy viewers through how to upgrade your computer to bypass hopping through unnecessary and greedy corporate hoops.
For those who aren’t good with tech, the channel may help them learn a bit as they watch. And, regardless of skill level, the channel implicitly teaches that, with enough patience, viewers can build and repair their equipment themselves. It also teaches viewers that problem solving and troubleshooting are necessary to overcome any obstacle—and we shouldn’t give up just because something we’re making doesn’t work the first time.
The team behind Linus Tech Tips faced controversy over several issues (expressed below). In response to the rising concern, the team decided to take a short break from posting to recollect themselves before posting a video expressing ways that they planned to address and fix those problems. While we aren’t tech-savvy enough to definitively state that those issues have been resolved, the response itself was met with general support.
A fellow tech YouTube channel, Gamers Nexus, published a video expressing some of the concerns it had with Linus Tech Tips. Among the issues the video raised were that some of the channel’s reviews contained faulty information that the channel did not do its due diligence to correct. In addition, Gamers Nexus alleged that Sebastian offered positive reviews for products that he had a personal and financial stake (evidence was provided for both claims).
Perhaps the most prominent example for the channel’s lax reviewing standards came when Sebastian reviewed the prototype of a small tech startup, Billet Labs, but failed to use the prototype under the circumstances for which it was designed (which made it appear as if the product didn’t work). However, when this was made known to Sebastian, he refused to retest the prototype or make a new review. The company behind Linus Tech Tips, Linus Media Group, then inadvertently auctioned off Billet Labs’ prototype without the startup’s consent.
The channel’s various hosts occasionally make sexual jokes. While these are mostly in the realm of “that’s what she said” style humor, some are more explicit innuendos. One video (which teaches viewers ways to hide their pornography from others) makes ample jokes about masturbation and male intimates. One of the staff members (who has since left the channel) is a transgender person.
We heard words like “a–,” “h—,” “d–n” and “crap.” God’s name is used in vain, and Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain. The f-word, s-word and “b–ch” are typically censored; however, such words are not censored in a video wherein the channel intentionally tries to get demonetized.
Linus Tech Tips offers a mix of entertainment and information, often within the same video. But despite the channel’s love of tech and some of the positive things we can glean from it, there’s still a few bugs in the channel’s system.
To be fair to Linus Tech Tips, the content issues we’ve noted, while present, are relatively infrequent. But while neither crude language nor sexual quips existed in every video we viewed, they’re both present enough that they warrant caution for parents. And while we won’t speak to the ethical issues brought up by Gamers Nexus, those company decisions may be another negative factor for parents to consider.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
