The Moral Philosopher of YouTube

Dhar Mann has built an online video empire on contemporary fables.

The internet is not exactly a repository of moral guidance. Yet over the past few years, millions of viewers have flocked to the YouTube channel Dhar Mann to watch contemporary fables. Instead of talking animals, these videos feature stock characters learning lessons in a format tailored to the uncanny algorithmic currents of social media. It’s Aesop meets Upworthy, by way of Logan Paul. Dhar Mann’s video titles are openly click bait — “Kid FAKES Being SICK to Skip Class, What Happens Is Shocking,” “KAREN Next Door Goes WAY TOO FAR, What Happens Is Shocking” — and the films feature mawkish, scripted moralistic tales. But the strategy seems to be working. According to the analytics firm Social Blade, Dhar Mann is the 91st most influential channel on YouTube, a metric arrived at through indicators including views (nearly five billion, plus 15 billion more on Facebook) and subscribers (11.2 million). Olivia Rodrigo is ranked 36th on the list.