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When the algorithm puts you into a wrong turn or a dead end, it’s a good reminder that you used to have to search for things and think about what you wanted to watch, or get them recommended via other sites. Shit didn’t go viral by being on the home page of peoples feeds, it’s because it was organically shared.
That’s true, but for a long time I could count on opening YouTube and glimpsing something that would be interesting to watch. Now my experience is like the author’s: just a bunch of random crap, with the same few videos interspersed. I scroll a bit then decide there’s nothing good on offer and it would take too long to hunt for anything, then I put on some music, a podcast, or an audiobook instead.
Speaking of the enshittification of YouTube, the TV app update from a week or two ago has been a life saver. When I look at my subscriptions now, all new content is hidden by a row of months-old shorts. I know there’s new stuff down below, but I can only see the top edge of the thumbnail, so I never see anything that would encourage me to impulse watch. I pretty much have to seek out specific videod or find them around the internet like the old days. It’s been pretty nice, actually.
Turn off your viewing history!
Thank me later.