YouTube has
a knack for trapping people into content rabbit holes. Ask anyone who uses the
service regularly and he or she can probably tell a story of clicking on a
single video, only to look at the clock and realize the last two hours were spent
watching vine compilations or finding all the uses for a crayon. Content gets
oddly specific, yet makes a tour through the recommended videos in feeds across
the platform. Comments from other users sometimes praise the unique discoveries
while others wonder why it appears in the first place. I am no champion of the
YouTube algorithm, but I do use the service more often than Netflix or Hulu.
Maybe the reason why the program is so successful is the range of wacky,
entertaining, or informative content which manifests itself from thin air.
I don’t remember
showing interest in botany on the platform, but watching a guy with a Boston accent
talk about plants is oddly enjoyable (Crime Pays but Botany Doesn’t). This is an
example of how a strange or catchy title and the mystery of YouTube connect people
and ideas in unexpected ways. I never would see this content otherwise. Videos
range drastically and the type of content can be difficult to identify. Do I
click or watch all the recommended panels? Of course not. I use half my time
wondering who else got caught up in the bizarre derailing of a feed and the other
effort trying way to prevent it. Meanwhile, every tweak to the algorithm shifts
the way users see content.
Is this
seemingly random selection beneficial for people? It’s great to expose new
ideas and prevent echo chambers, but the “how” and “why” specific videos surface
across the platform raises questions about who or what stimulates the views.
For now, the algorithm appears as a mystical omnipresent code, which perhaps
YouTube doesn’t fully understand. Don’t forget to like comment and subscribe. As
always, I’ll see you in the next blog.
I watch YouTube videos more than any other actual show, so I definitely have wondered the same thing. Once I get through all of my subscription videos, I almost always go to my recommendations and there are always some strange video that ends up sending me down a rabbit whole of videos I never would have watched otherwise, but this has definitely become a routine for me.
ReplyDeleteThe YouTube recommended section can definitely turn into a black hole. I cannot tell you how many times I sat down to watch a YouTube video and hours later I'm still watching YouTube, but a completely different area of discussion. Although the seemingly random recommendations can be frustrating, they can also expose you to videos you would have never searched for before.
ReplyDeleteYouTube is certainly...a place. While I can attest to years on the platform, there are very obvious pros and cons to the website. While this may be a better consequence of the algorithm, it is has had its fair share of scrutiny in the recommendation of polarizing, political and occasionally far right commentary, which is blatantly racist, homophobic or antisemitic.
ReplyDelete