Desmond Amofah, better known as Etika, rose to popularity through his gaming videos, reactions, and spirited personality. However, his life took a tragic turn when he publicly underwent numerous incidents due to his struggles with mental health, leading to his suicide in June 2019. I nominated this article for three reasons.
Etika was the reason I created my Wikipedia account. When I first heard of his passing, an overwhelming mix of emotions whirled in the pool of my mind, with regret leaping for air the most. As someone who saw his unraveling in real time, all I wanted to do was change the past, but was powerless to do so – instead I focused on the future. In 2023, I brought the page to GA status as a healing process of coping with tragedy through copy-editing and typing. This year I continued my journey in hopes to bring it to FA.
If everything goes well, Etika would become the very first article of a YouTuber, and perhaps an Internet personality, to reach the coveted title. This is quite unprecedented territory in several ways, and I feel that in those same ways there couldn't be a more fitting person to wear that crown, because
His story is a compelling yet tragic tale about one's journey through fame and battles with social media and mental health. Although dealing with troubling subject material, Etika's life is one future generations deserve to know about. I wanted to do my part in honoring his life and legacy.
I only have time to look at the lead right this minute, but I picked up these points:
"He became known online for his enthusiastic reactions to Super Smash Bros. character trailers"......"He garnered popularity following the release of Super Smash Bros. 4, primarily stemming from his videos discussing news related to the game" - "enthusiastic reactions to trailers" and "discussing news" don't really sound like the same thing. Can you clarify?
It was meant to convey that he uploaded both news and reaction videos to the game. I'll rewrite to "...from his reaction videos of news surrounding the game" for now.
There are three refs against the penultimate sentence. Refs should only be in the lead in exceptional circumstances. Are the observers who commented also mentioned in the body? If so, just have the refs there....
I mentioned this in the GA review, and admittedly this is a bit unorthodox. But the reason why I kept those was because I felt they were the three best and most pertinent sources discussing him. I intended it so that if an interested reader had little time to read all the sources, they could at least check those articles. If anyone disagrees however, I'd be more than open to refactor them.
I'll look at the body later.... -- ChrisTheDude (talk) 15:44, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"Amofah had stated that he was distant from his father" => "he stated that he was distant from his father" ("Ambofah" is ambiguous as you have just talked about multiple people with that surname)
"Amofah had an older brother" => "He had an older brother" (same reason)
"He would be pulled out" => "He was pulled out"
"He had also stated in a livestream" => "He also stated in a livestream"
"Within months after creating" => "Within months of creating"
"screams "Mewtwo!" with other profanities" - Mewtwo is not a profanity, so saying "other profanities" doesn't work. Try "screams "Mewtwo!" with several profanities"
I also added specific profanities he exclaimed per sources.
"Despite his earnings, Amofah had revealed in a June 2017 video" => "Despite his earnings, Amofah revealed in a June 2017 video"
"Amofah continued to evince erratic behavior" - "evidence" is a pretty obscure word, I think. Maybe "display" would be better?
"where he was subsequently taken to a Brooklyn hospital in an ambulance" => "after which he was taken to a Brooklyn hospital in an ambulance"
" and as part of this, sends information" => " and that as part of this, it sends information"
Bridge image caption isn't a full sentence so doesn't require a full stop
That's what I got. An excellent (but, of course, sad) read -- ChrisTheDude (talk) 17:13, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Applied all of your changes above except where noted. PantheonRadiance (talk) 09:00, 13 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I'll take a look soon. I'll likely do an image review alongside one for prose. λNegativeMP1 19:26, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I wasn't able to find any issues with the prose, and all images are free to use. My only comment is requesting the addition of alternative text to all images for accessibility. λNegativeMP1 23:54, 17 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I would like to apologize for the halt on this, I forgot that I put this down. Since alt text has been added, I'm giving my Support.
Hi NegativeMP1, could I just check which of the following camps you fall into?
As I said in the peer review (though now I say as a view of mine instead of "what FAC reviewers may say"), I think some sources listed as "primary" can't be used, as they are fan reuploads of the original videos, meaning they could be altered, for example. The sources in question are 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 (from this revision). I'd try to find primary sources from Etika himself or secondary sources to confirm the information instead of fan reuploads.
Those primary references also need consistent formatting. Some examples are:
You should use ((cite tweet)) for ref 10 as you did with other tweets.
Some YouTube sources are lacking author and the |via=YouTube parameter.
References 5 and 11 list the author as "Etika @ 999 [@Etika]", while ref 7 lists him as "Amofah, Desmond [@Etika]".
@Skyshifter and NegativeMP1: Apologies for the late response - I've been trying to find more suitable substitutes for some of the primary sources the past few days. I replaced some so far, but even the Wayback Machine isn't helping me here - some of the videos aren't even archived properly (like the 200,000 sub video where source 8 comes from). This might be a case where the reuploads either remain as surrogate archives per WP:IAR or rewritten entirely; I'll let other editors weigh in on this. Considering how sparingly they're used however, I don't think it should be too much of a loss if removed. Also, I implemented the Alt Text. PantheonRadiance (talk) 09:05, 20 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hey, just checking in. Anyone still have more comments for the article? PantheonRadiance (talk) 00:00, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
4/19 Reply: Skyshifter Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I fixed the formatting for several of Twitter and YouTube sources. Unfortunately, after searching for several weeks, I was unable to locate other sources that replace 2, 3, 4 and 6. In advance for the source review, I would like to refer to this past discussion, and if the reviewer is okay with it based on said discussion, I'll leave that section intact. Otherwise, if I still don't find any by next week, I'll trim that info. Besides that, any other comments and suggestions? PantheonRadiance (talk) 06:00, 19 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Honestly I don't think the fact that these were reuploads was made very clear in that discussion. For example, one user referred to "self-published primary sources". However, self-published here would mean published by Etika himself, and that's not the case here: the sources were published by, basically, random Internet users. Again, the problem of reuploads is that the content could be edited or altered in a way not intended by the person themselves (in this case, Etika). I think more opinions are necessary here. Skyshiftertalk 13:04, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Skyshifter: As a compromise, I rewrote the Early Life section without the videos because I still haven't located his original clips through the Wayback Machine. I kept two SPSs directly from him - his own tweet and his "25 Things About Me Video": here's the proposed version. Also for the record, I did clarify in the discussion that they were originally self-published videos by Etika, but were deleted as a consequence of his channel terminations, meaning that the reuploads are literally the only remaining sources. PantheonRadiance (talk) 21:00, 23 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Skyshifter, could I just check which of the following camps you fall into?
A general (prose and MoS) support only.
An source review pass only.
A general support and an source review pass.
And if you have passed the sources, do you consider that you have also done a first-timer's source to text fidelity spotcheck and/or a first-timer's plagiarism check? Thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:21, 5 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hello. This is only a general support. Skyshiftertalk 13:27, 5 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Just a drive-by comment: In the second paragraph of the "Origins and popularity" section, the article states that he was earning over $300,000 a year through stream donations. The New York Times article to which this quote is attributed says that When the sessions got frank, or the high jinks got crazy [...], viewers would shower the chat with donations. At one point Etika claimed he was making over $300,000 per year. That source, to me, doesn't attribute the income directly to stream donations (although donations are mentioned in the previous sentence so it does carry that implication). Would it be better to rephrase that sentence to "he was earning over $300,000 a year through streaming" (or some other variant that doesn't explicitly mention donations)? DecafPotato (talk) 20:10, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
That makes sense; how about "$300,000 a year through his internet career"? PantheonRadiance (talk) 19:05, 5 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"and he stated that he was distant from his father because of his political occupation" this is a bit of a nitpick, but this could technically be read ambiguously (the "he" could refer to either his father or himself). Maybe could rephrase with a bit of expansion on why his father was in NYC at the time, and clarify when exactly he went back to Ghana (to get an idea of when the two had time together).
Expanded based on suggestions, but the GhanaWeb source notes that their relationship was unclear (a clip where he talks about his father was used as a SPS, but it's a reupload so it may not be permissible).
Looks good.
"During that time" is kinda redundant to "in 2007"; maybe do "Under that name"?
The previous sentence already has "under the name," so I'll just omit "during that time."
The comicbook.com source doesn't appear to be relevant to the sentence about Model Mayhem (it says less on the topic than the other sources do and as far as I can tell doesn't link the profile either).
That was meant to be for the claim that he modeled during his early 20s - swapped the sources around.
The first paragraph in the "Origins and popularity (2012–2018)" covers content from the following section as well. Kinda breaks the sequence here. If the info on subscriber counts is meant to be a summary, I'd pull it out to the "YouTube career" section and also integrate the information on subscriber counts to the particular sections where it's sequentially relevant.
Pulled to YT career section, but I couldn't find a way to integrate the subscriber info without it feeling awkward. I think it'd make a good summary as is.
That's fair.
Is there more coverage of his personal life? He was in a relationship with Cardona for six years but she, nor his other potential relationships, aren't mentioned anywhere outside the context of his YouTube career. Understandable if the sources don't exist, though (and it's not our job to try to dig up that sorta stuff from his YouTube videos).
AFAICT, his relationship with Cardona was his only verifiable one. Besides that, outside of SPSs and secondary sources already in the article, there isn't much I could find of his personal life anymore. Also, the only info of his mother I could find is in relation to the aftermath of his passing, which is why details of her are included later in the article.
"he blocked close friends of his and other YouTubers" not sure this is supported entirely by the sources? Kotaku: "Sky Williams, who apparently considers himself a friend of Amofah’s, realized he was blocked by the YouTuber today" and Shacknews doesn't say anything about Slasher being a friend with Etika at all.
4Gamer translation says this: "Amofah began sending direct messages to his friends and famous YouTubers one after another, and blocking them if they did not receive a sincere response". Appended ref there and readjusted accordingly.
"which he also posted to Twitter repeatedly" can't find this in the sources? All they say is that he posted it -- not repeatedly.
Decided to remove.
"he assaulted the police officer in self-defense" - assault is a crime, not an action. The Power Unlimited source says "hit" (at least, with Google translate as I can't read Dutch), and the People source doesn't mention self-defense at all. Would figure out a different phrase to use here (it's fine to use "assault" generally, but it doesn't make sense to say someone "assaulted in self-defense").
Agreed and changed; it has more source integrity (plus every other translator I used says hit). Also added his claim the officer hit him first based on both sources.
"A tweet Amofah posted" saying "had posted" would probably be clearer.
Agreed and changed.
"both from his fans and from mental health facilities" maybe better to say "by both his fans and mental health facilities" or similar.
Agreed and changed too.
"After raising money for charity, Abe Hunter and Double A worked with mural artist BK Foxx and graffiti artists Kestaadm and JMZWalls to create a 40-feet-long mural completed by November 2019 dedicated to Amofah in Bushwick, Brooklyn." would it be possible to add a picture of this? (think it would be considered non-free copyrighted artwork, but there's a good case for including it here).
I'd include one but I'm admittedly unfamiliar with uploading images, especially non-free ones. I'd leave this to anyone with expertise in this.
Overall, this is quite good. These are just some minor nitpicks and shouldn't be too difficult to deal with (also if you disagree with me on some of them, that's fine, just let me know what your thoughts are). Elli (talk | contribs) 23:34, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Elli: I think I addressed them all, and also added and revised some statements too. Please let me know if you have any other concerns or comments. Thanks, PantheonRadiance (talk) 05:55, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Everything looks good to me! Happy to support now :) Elli (talk | contribs) 20:15, 24 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Update 5/1/24: Just wanted to let you all know that as of now, I'm finished with editing the article for the time being. Most of the new additions from the past few days were basic copy edits and small but pertinent details, in line with the comprehensiveness criteria. At this point I'll continue editing after more feedback arises. Also pinging @Skyshifter and DecafPotato: any more comments, or do you offer support for the article now? Thanks, PantheonRadiance (talk) 02:10, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
No other comments, I'm glad to offer my support for the article. DecafPotato (talk) 23:18, 1 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Not worrying too much about identifiers or archives, but there's a couple of sources using only surnames, one of which sounds like a forename...?
IIRC, several Asian and European journalists typically write with pseudonyms or pen names. I can't pinpoint where I read this at the moment, so I just used the name listed on the articles.
Not sure of the necessity of using a typographical mark to identify primary sources. It's very cute. But we generally do not.
I based it off of other YouTuber articles like PewDiePie, Ludwig Ahgren and Drew Gooden. But would a simple ((reflist|group=PS)) suffice? PS for primary source? Open to any ideas here.
Quality
As expected in a topic such as this, most of the sources are devoted to popular culture. And why not. I don't suppose it's much within the purview of The Times features editor. Several papers are of record, and there's an academic text also. Must AGF on foreign language sources, likewise pay-per-view sources. Hey WaPo, democracy dies behind a fucking paywall, pal.
LMAO yeah, had to climb so many walls working on this. As a general note, I tried my hardest to make sure all the sources were fully reliable per RSPSS and/or WP:VG/S and used marginally reliable ones for more basic claims where appropriate.
1b "the East River from where Amofah's belongings were recovered, and reported to the NYPD"—check.
3b doesn't back anything; but everything seems supported by 48.
Sorry, did you mean 3b and source 4 for the "exaggerated style" statement? Or were you referring to the police officer incident for 48?
3k Keem quote—check.
6 Owuraku Amofah—check.
10a "Jerry Rawlings, he moved to the United States to become a Magistrate Judge"—check.
13b Article says: His last videos included reactions to the Sonic the Hedgehog film and Black Mirror along with Nintendo Direct presentations". Source says "he posted videos on Nintendo Direct presentations, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and Black Mirror". Pretty close, but as a list of facts probably OK.
Yeah, I tried to avoid close paraphrasing a bit here so I listed it chronologically from his first to his last upload.
17a Article says: "Amofah started modeling in his early twenties and continued until 2015". Source says: "Etika modeled for a bit in his early 20s". (2015 backed by following source) Self quotes—check.
24 —check.
26 Sandqvist, fakery etc—check.
30 Doki Doki—check.
34d photoshop, gun, Alice Pika—check.
40d No "simulation" quote; if it's in WaPo, then the telegraph is surely unnecessary.
Fair enough, decided to omit.
41 Alice/Cardona—check.
43 Article: "including homophobic and ethnic slurs". Source: "An anti-Semitic slur that has since been deleted... began using homophobic slurs". Check, although I suggest naming "anti-semitism" rather than the vaguer "ethnic".
47c publicity stunt/mental breakdown—check.
51 —check.
53 Supports the claim of Wednesday's disappearance/belongings discovery. 19 June was a Wednesday in 2019—check.
54 Supports other date—check.
58 Quote—check.
60 Confirms SonicFox; not "esports".
Trimmed esports.
63b That Keem "end[ed] his sponsorship" is self-sourced; the source actually says "with Keem saying that he "walked away".
Persona Studies also said "…resulted in Keemstar terminating his contract with G Fuel (he claims)".
67a Quote—check.
70 Only verifies 270,000.
Fixed, but it actually says it reached 370,000.
73 "tribute" / "homage"—check.
77 Source="posthumously awarded “Best Reaction” at the Smashies". Article=Posthumously, he was awarded the "Best Reaction" award at the 3rd Annual Smashies". Check.
There's a few things to be clarified.I adjusted the curious Wikidata link per WP:REDYES. If there's a real need for the WD link—I can't remember ever seeing it before on a FA—then a ((efn)) is probably the place for it, rather than in the middle of (per WP:FA?#1) otherwise "engaging" prose. ——Serial Number 54129 17:06, 5 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Serial Number 54129 Fair enough. I added it based on Vaticidalprophet's suggestion in the GA review (he worked on Marie Sophie Hingst which has them), but I appreciate your adjustment. As for everything else, besides the one question I had, I think I more or less addressed your comments. But please let me know if you have any more feedback or concerns. Thanks, PantheonRadiance (talk) 03:00, 6 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I've answered only where absolutely necessary, PantheonRadiance; my silence=acquiescence. Your reasons are acceptable and within the parameters. The sourced review is passed. It's a powerful article, a brutal exposé of the dark underbelly of what gets bundled into a lightweight, easy-listening culture... an effervescent but transistory "pop" culture with the eternal inner turmoil of human beings at its heart. ——Serial Number 54129 14:46, 6 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Awesome, thank you so much for reviewing it! And I agree, Etika's story is like a portal to the ever-expanding dark side of internet culture.
One last thing though: on the "Reactions and analysis" section, I just added one more statement from The Verge about doctor and then-Panda Global CEO Alan Bunney's thoughts on the situation as well (he was CEO at the time, but left in late 2022, so I omitted because I wasn't sure how to include this without another source). PantheonRadiance (talk) 20:55, 6 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]