Do scandals ever really knock YouTubers like Logan Paul, PewDiePie and Zoella?
IN almost any job imaginable, publicly mocking a man's suicide would guarantee you the sack.
But then most of us aren't YouTube sensations like Logan Paul.
Logan Paul caused worldwide outrage after uploading a clip where he mocks a man's apparent suicideLast week, the 22-year-old YouTube personality found himself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons after being slammed for a clip where he shows a dead man hanging from a tree in Japan's "suicide forest".
The video has been condemned by celebs and fellow YouTubers, leading to a grovelling apology video from the star which itself has racked up a staggering 36 million views in six days.
It turned him into a pariah overnight, but YouTube stars like Paul have a knack for weathering storms of mass-outrage and coming out fine on the other side.
In many cases - whatever the scandal or public outcry - popular vloggers will always find a way to cling on to their subscribers - and in some cases even grow their fan base as a result.
A brief history of YouTube scandals
How do scandal-hit YouTubers hold on to their subscribers?
Beauty blogger Zoella came off unharmed after tweets were dredged up where she had mocked "fat chavs" and gay men.
Likewise, YouTube's biggest star, Felix Kjellberg, AKA PewDiePie, was barely scratched by racism and antisemitism rows last year.
YouTube expert Zoë Glatt, a PhD researcher at the LSE's Department of Media and Communications, says it's likely we'll see the same thing happen with Logan Paul.
She told Sun Online: "If his past actions are anything to go by, it does not seem that he cares what the wider community thinks.
"In terms of popularity with his own subscriber base, this video does not seem to have made a negative dent.
"Indeed, his subscriber count continues to grow at an exceptional rate, and his existing fans have rallied around to defend him."
Known as the Logang, Paul's legion of 15 million subscribers hasn't switched off after any of his outrageous videos in the past, so many will question why they would now.
It's their dedicated clicks which have helped Paul rake in an estimated $12.5 million (£9.2m) in the last year alone, according to Forbes.
Money from YouTube adverts make up the bulk of his income, despite the video sharing site skimming 45 per cent off the revenue made from ad sales.
And while it's true that Paul hasn't posted a daily vlog since his apology clip, the view counts on his past videos just keep on climbing - no doubt as a result of his increased media attention.
Many people who hadn't heard of him this time last week will have trawled through his past clips after seeing him in the news, while his apology video is one of his best performing uploads to date - boasting more than four times the view count of the last vlog he uploaded.
In the past, we've even seen YouTubers like Sam Pepper and Michael Martin, known as DaddyOFive, bounce back from accusations of sexual harassment and even child abuse.
So is it the case that there's no such thing as bad publicity on YouTube?
Digital culture expert Jessa Lingel, assistant professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, isn't so sure.
She told the Sun Online: "Logan Paul has built up a dedicated audience, but it's in an attention market that's very fickle.
"In general, we know that there can be consequences for bad behaviour, even among extreme characters with dedicated followers."
Essentially, there's nothing to guarantee that Logan's army of young fans won't get bored of him and move on to the next rising star at any time.
But it's unlikely they'll switch off purely because they are disgusted by him.
Although it clearly crossed a whole new line, the controversial suicide forest clip was only marginally more outrageous than Paul's regular content.
One of his videos from the same trip to Japan shows him throwing Pokeballs at strangers, fighting with his friends in the streets and continually disrespecting locals.
In another shocking clip from March 2017, the YouTube personality fakes his own murder in front of a crowd of adoring fans.
However, the steadfast support from his fans doesn't mean that Paul is invincible, particularly when it comes to money.
Zoë Glatt said: "He might find it harder to work with brands in the future, who fear looking bad by association.
"But greater than this, he has further alienated himself from the broader YouTube community.
"For the most part, the wider YouTube community - creators and viewers alike - has unequivocally denounced his Aokigahara video."
What's YouTube's part in all of this?
Zoë explained that YouTube's click-driven business model has pushed many content creators to make increasingly shocking videos - and said the site was slow to respond to Paul crossing the line.
The tech expert said: "YouTube failed to respond quickly and decisively to this situation. They did not remove Paul’s video - he deleted it himself eventually due to criticism from the wider community.
"In fact, YouTube promoted the video by featuring it on the trending page, either inadvertently or on purpose.
"It is possible that they fear him defecting to another platform if they are too strict. This is part of a broader problem on YouTube, that high value creators are sometimes given preferential treatment."
However, YouTube does recognise that it faces a delicate balance between keeping content creators, viewers and advertisers happy.
It has been trying to discourage vloggers from going to these tasteless new extremes by demonetising offending videos and blocking creators from the "trending" page, where content can easily be discovered by new viewers.
A spokesperson for the site said: "Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video.
"YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated.
"We partner with safety groups such as the to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center."
More on YouTube
Paul's reputation may be in tatters as far as the broader public is concerned.
He's gone from one of YouTube's shining lights to a figure so toxic that even PewDiePie has heaped criticism on him.
But it's up to his 15 million fans - not us - to decide whether he deserves to lose his job.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123 or 020 7734 2800