This type of content has significant viral potential: it combines elements of sensation, macabre, gossip, and mysticism. In the age of social media, this almost guarantees success: people share such videos en masse with "wow, you have to see this!" reactions, discuss them, and express outrage—and each such reaction fuels the algorithms.
Monetizing death is unfortunately nothing new – the media has been doing it for years, reporting on events like disasters and high-profile murders to the delight of a thrill-seeking audience. However, in the case of EVP, an additional, predatory element is added: the creator not only describes a tragic story but also claims to have an exclusive recording of the deceased's "voice," thus appropriating this tragedy as their own content . As a result, death is completely subordinated to the logic of the viral video.
Titles often contain clickbait phrases with sensational quotes (e.g., "I COULDN'T EVEN RUN!" Shocking spirit box session… – Iryna Zarucka's alleged words, describing how she didn't manage to escape the killer during a spirit box session). Video thumbnails often show a photo of the deceased person with a ghost effect or dramatic captioning. These are all deliberate marketing tactics intended to increase clicks.
And they're increasing. For example, the aforementioned ImJayStation, just four days after Mac Miller's death, uploaded a video purporting to be a message from the rapper via a so-called "spirit box," with a dramatic title and a reference to Ariana Grande, guaranteeing it a spot in search results for anyone following the much-discussed circumstances surrounding the musician's death. The video was, of course, monetized with ads, which other YouTubers pointed out as a cynical exploitation of the recent tragedy.On another occasion, the same creator "contacted" rapper XXXTentacion or YouTuber Etika immediately after his death—each such video generated hundreds of thousands of views, meaning real earnings and an influx of subscribers. Cash and fame, therefore, became a sure temptation for many to treat death as just another opportunity to capitalize on online wealth.
Significantly, ImJayStation himself saw nothing wrong with it – he denied the accusations, saying that "everyone pays attention to celebrity deaths, everyone talks about it, so why shouldn't he make a film about it?" He also declared that it was "just entertainment" and that many people privately use EVP to try to contact their loved ones, so he supposedly did the same, only publicly. In other words, he justified himself by saying that he was giving people what they wanted to see , and that he was profiting from it – well, such are the laws of the market.
And indeed, if you look at it objectively, there's a demand for such extreme, controversial content. The online audience is often curious about the forbidden and the shocking . In the age of platforms like YouTube and TikTok, the algorithm often rewards those who first "capture" a given trend or topic. EVP creators, in a sense, hunt for the next high-profile death – if a pop star dies, if a crime occurs, they rush to "establish contact." Brutal? Yes. But the viral mechanism is ruthless here: whoever gets there first, grabs the attention. And the money.The attitude of online platforms and audiences should also be mentioned . Viewers, although many criticize such videos, actually contribute to their popularity – for example, by commenting on them en masse (often negatively). Paradoxically, internet users' outrage can be factored into the "success" of such material, as it increases its reach.
Online platforms, on the other hand, took a long time to react decisively to this trend. YouTube only imposed certain restrictions years later: for example, the ImJayStation channel was finally decommissioned, but only after the creator had engaged in a number of other controversies (including faking his girlfriend's death for views – which was the final straw). The mere publication of EVP from deceased celebrities wasn't explicitly prohibited by the regulations – because formally, it's difficult to classify it as a violation. It's not hate, it's not violence, and it's also difficult to prove harmfulness (after all, it's not political or medical disinformation). Therefore, platforms operate in the realm of moral judgment , which they prefer to leave to the community.
The community sometimes expresses its opposition through actions, such as petitions to ban such creators. In the case of ImJayStation, a petition was created on Change.org, accusing him of extreme callousness and demanding the removal of his channel. Although YouTube doesn't formally implement decisions based on petitions, the publicity surrounding them exerts pressure.
Another type of reaction is ostracism from within the community – many commentators, including well-known YouTubers (such as Keemstar or Adam22 in the US), publicly condemned these practices, calling them “disgusting”, “unthinkable” and pointing out the greed of the creators.
Such stigma may partially cool the enthusiasm of some content creators, fearing reputational damage. However, as reality shows, there will always be those willing to persevere – because the potential benefits (viral publicity) are tempting.Ultimately, the commercial aspect can be summarized as follows: the main fuel for online messages from the dead is sensationalism, which translates into reach and money . Creators often objectify someone's death, treating it as another trend to capitalize on. This evokes understandable distaste – because if death becomes merely empty "content" for the masses, we lose an element of humanity and empathy.
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