Editor's take: YouTube has paid out more than $30 billion to content creators over the last three years according to CEO Susan Wojcicki. As the Google-owned video sharing service turns the page to 2021, it remains steadfast in its desire to improve the platform and create a better environment for creators and viewers alike.

In 2019 alone, YouTube contributed an estimated $16 billion to the US gross domestic product (GDP). According to Oxford Economics, that's roughly equivalent to 345,000 full-time jobs.

Creators are diversifying their revenue streams as well. Wojcicki in a community letter said that last year, the number of channels making the majority of their revenue from Super Stickers, Super Chats and memberships tripled. The number of new channels that joined YouTube's Partner Program, meanwhile, more than doubled in 2020.

Wojcicki also outlined some of the changes YouTube intends to make in the year ahead.

Specifically, YouTube aims to be more transparent with regard to policies that impact creators and will make improvements to the appeals process. The video site will also start asking creators in the US to share details about their gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation on a voluntary basis in order "to understand what's happening at scale for different communities on YouTube" and to help make it "a better place for everyone."

Wojcicki's full letter, which additionally touches on topics like misinformation, health and helping people learn new skills, can be found over on the official YouTube blog.

Masthead credit insta_photos