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Donaldson is one of the most well-liked YouTubers on the platform. A poll from Insider showed that 70% of respondents have a favorable view of him, compared to 12% who had an unfavorable view. His channel appeals strongly to younger viewers. Donaldson's way of displaying his philanthropy as a form of entertainment builds an very positive public image for him. In particular, Donaldson links audience engagement to charitable acts through statements like "every single time someone subscribes, I will give away ten cents" and "100% of my revenue earned from [Beast Philanthropy] is going to my charity", which allows Donaldson to perform acts of charity and build a large and loyal fanbase. Donaldson also builds a parasocial relationship with his viewers by "looking directly at the camera and talking to the audience" and displaying himself as "an exciting, relatable, authentic, down-to-earth person".

However, some critics have questioned Donaldson’s motives and ethics. Users on social media accused Donaldson of exploiting poverty for views and deemed his content "charity porn". His philanthropy has been criticized for not addressing the root causes of inequity in society. In response, Donaldson claimed that he doesn't profit from his videos and that all revenue goes towards charity. He also stressed the importance of the government’s role in solving systematic issues.

According to Charissa Cheong of Insider, Donaldson becoming the most-subscribed YouTuber marks a shift in YouTube content away from traditional vlogging towards high-production, elaborate videos that create a more "television-like experience". She wrote that "the future of YouTube content will likely look more 'experimental' now that Donaldson's high-stakes challenges are performing so well. Creators are going to keep trying to 'push the boundaries of what is possible' by trying new and 'extreme' formats and genres". Fellow YouTuber and former NASA engineer Mark Rober wrote that Donaldson is "constantly raising the bar for creators whether it's through re-creating Squid Game in real life or paying for the eye surgeries of 1,000 blind people." Donaldson has inspired many young YouTubers. His "extreme challenge videos" have influenced on other YouTubers like Fidias and Airrack, who similarly try to attempt difficult challenges in their videos. This trend has been called the "MrBeast-ification of YouTube"