Yahoo News Joe Sugg: People will leave social media unless companies tackle trolling
Joe Sugg says he often 'just wants to talk to a human' as he shares his ideas for how the online world can be a safer and more enjoyable place.
The YouTube sensation and Strictly finalist spoke to Kate Thornton on White Wine Question Time about the positive relationship he had always had with those high up at YouTube, because of his rise to fame on the platform at an early stage.
Sugg, 31, thinks social media users will leave the platforms behind if more isn't done by providers.
He said: "I think we're going into a time period where people will, if they're not being heard, and they're not having the experience that they want, they will start to look elsewhere and will stop using certain platforms."
WATCH: Joe Sugg on falling in love on Strictly
Among his ideas were people having to provide information before they could use social platforms, and he said it could be difficult for some people to know who they could talk to about trolling if their friends and family weren't online in the same way.
While he said he had always been 'very fortunate' to have a direct contact at YouTube and been surrounded by other friends doing the same thing, he recognised that wasn't the case for everyone.
Of people on social media providing details before they could post, he said: "[People should] provide information so that anything you put out there, you can you can see who it's coming from, and I think that will just eradicate trolling by a massive proportion.
"It would probably make people think think before they speak. That's something that I think should be looked at."
Sugg says that people who love social media, but face trolling, will often just be told to use it less.
But he didn't feel that was the advice people wanted to hear, because social media sites shouldn't be like that in the first place.
He would also like to see everyone have the same experience he had with YouTube, where you have someone online to support his account.
"That experience for me has made my experience on social media," he said. "So I think a big part of what kept me going on it for so long is the interactions that I've had and being able to know that I can reach out to someone. So I think applying that to all users [would work]."
He said even now when he gets a phishing email trying to get hold of his details, he will report it, but 'you just know it's not going to a human being who's going to genuinely look into it'.
Read more: 'Strictly' star Joe Sugg sometimes thinks he was happier as roof thatcher
While he said he knows a lot of things now are sorted by algorithm and robots. He added: "I like the idea of being able to reach out and speak to a human.
"The amount of times you probably call up people and you go through to a robot and talking to a robot, you're like: 'No, I just want to talk to a human, because a human will understand my wants and needs right now.'"
WATCH: Joe Sugg on his YouTube fame, Strictly and challenging himself by performing on the West End
