- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
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Google’s algorithm has forced people into using click bait thumbnails and titles. If they don’t attract more views and subscribers, then their channels are not pushed.
I think a bigger problem is they demonetize and depromote any video discussing a controversial or kid-unfriendly topic. This affects the actual content.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe, hit that like button, smash that bell, and leave a comment letting me know what you think!
The only way to win the game, is to not play in the first place unfortunately
Are you implying that content creators don’t themselves want more views and subscribers? Of course they do!
“They only use thumbnails and titles that get views and subscribers because if they don’t… they won’t get views and subscribers since Google isn’t pushing their content.”
That’s what it sounds like you’re saying.
I think the point is that you can’t get more views by being genuine and honest, as the algorithm awards griftiness
You can, it’s just exceedingly difficult.
I mean, you just aren’t going to get as many views if you don’t. Veritasium has a video on it, regarding his rubber balls video.
I never said otherwise, but it is possible to be successful without the clickbait. There are a few creators that have managed it. They would just make more money if they went with clickbait.
Linus also mentioned it, he said he hates doing it but the clickbait videos significantly outperform others.
The point is that channel growth, clicks and interactions as a metric is used more for suggesting videos than relevancy and the likelihood that someone will watch a video to the end.
This creates a click bait arms race between creators.
isn’t the whole point of running a YouTube channel to get views and subscribers?
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You decide for yourself which videos to click. I usually only watch channels of which I know they will deliver.
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It’s real easy to solve this problem by just not pushing videos with text, arrows, symbols or reaction soyfaces in thumbnails. The issue is that they push all of that to the top and push everything else to the bottom.
great extension but slows down YouTube loading a lot :(
Good thing I can already use uBlock to remove the jumpscare that is “verified badges.”
Just like sponsor block this is only going to improve with time. Hopefully it gets integrated into revanced as well
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This is awesome. Just installed it.
Need this on SmartTube for AndroidTV
It does have it. You can choose at which part of every video to take the thumbnail from. Just might take a while to find it in the settings.
Yes I have it turned on. I was interested about the title generation
And then there’s that extension that puts Mr. Beast’s signature clickbait grin on every thumbnail
I went to install it but realised it’s already among the 30 or so extensions I have to make the web bearable. Does that happen to anyone else?
You should compile a list
This really feels like another one of those bandwagon pet peeves, like Comic Sans, pineapple on pizza, or toilet paper orientation. Like, if it pisses you off so much, then don’t reward the creator by watching their video. In fact, the addon kind of defeats its own purpose by making you more likely to do just that.
More and more channels have been using this type of clicks ate, because if they do not then they get buried by the algorithm.
There are lots of good channels that should be cleaned up.
YouTube creator guidelines encourage clickbaiting because engagement means more ads being served. They also encourage begging for “like, subscribe, ring the bell and comment” in every video for the same reason.
The algorithm burying other videos is just the side-effect. Non-clickbaity videos are still suggested if the engagement is high.
I hate that the YouTube scheme works, it’s extremely unfriendly to both the consumers and the creators. But that’s how the world turns nowadays. My YouTube bookmark links to my subscriptions tab, so I never have to go to the main site.
Sadly I don’t think boycotting clickbait channels is a solution at this point. First, because almost every Youtuber does it. Second, even if you boycott it, it will remain a shockingly effective strategy. Case in point, after installing this extension I was shocked as to how little I wanted to click on videos - clickbait works.
This really feels like another one of those bandwagon pet peeves
Open YouTube in a private tab, and if you aren’t convinced click on the first MrBeast video you see, mute and let it play through then return to the homepage and see the results. Some creators are far worse than others, but the top .1% of channels are so insanely over the top with this
I use this extension, clickbait remover for youtube. Does it’s job perfectly well!
Clickbait remover uses YouTube’s auto generated ones, which while are seemingly random, are not. They use some algorithm to target faces in exaggerated expressions.
DeArrow uses actually random ones (and then a user can submit specific timestamps if there is a better one). It’s noticeable better on many channels imo
(I made DeArrow)
Wait, the default thumbnails are no longer just chosen from three points in the video based on percentage? Now they use algorithms to generate a suitable thumbnail too?
I really like your idea. What do you think about showing 4 random thumbnails in split-screen to give a better impression of the content?
YouTube Clickbait-Buster has a feature where you can see all the images from the hovering preview from the seekbar. A more refined version of that could be interesting to look into in the future maybe.
Oh thanks for the heads-up! I’ll check out DeArrow then!
Really good extension, I’ve added it to my browser.
While some creators like Linus have said they dislike the clickbaity titles and thumbnails but they have to do it due to engagement that’s simply because the younger generations are the ones engaging with that content. As an older person I’d rather just have a to the point description of what I’m going to get.
I don’t think it can be said to conclusively be an age issue. I assure you that many Boomers and older Xers love clickbait titles.
It’s a more granular demographic than just age.
It’s definitely an intelligent based issue, not necessarily age.
Maybe but I can only go with my own anecdotal experience and It tends to be the younger audience more attracted to them.
Of course, I fully admit I may be completely wrong.
Don’t forget that creators will release a video that you might want to watch later and then change the information.
You’ll see a video you want to check tomorrow but not enough to add it to the “watch later”. But when you check your subscriptions the next day it’s been 12+ hours and they’ve changed the title and thumbnail to further game the algorithm.
I might get it for the titles alone. The clickbaity thumbnails don’t really bother me, but I’d like to have a good title at least.
I’m going to set the fallback thumbnail to the original instead of a random thumbnail. The randomly generated thumbnails are too out of context to be useful.
Yeah the titles are actually a huge draw for me.
There is a reason clickbait images and titles are used, they work. If they didn’t work, no one would use them.
You must think marketing is made of infallible geniuses. Just because it exists doesn’t make it good.
Nobody said “good”, but if it keeps existing, it works or at least isn’t harmful. Bit like evolution.
Or there are people with an interest in keeping it that way.
I don’t think there’s any big conspiracy about YouTube titles, but let’s not pretend thing like wealth inequality still exist because they’re not harmful.
What “interest” would they have to keep it that way if it wasn’t working?
Wealth inequality exists because it works for the people who have the power to control it. In a way, it’s not harmful ENOUGH to change evolutionarily.
Are you serious? You literally answered your own question with the very next sentence.
What? The original argument was “Just because it exists doesn’t make it good.”, implying that it (click-bait thumbnails) doesn’t necessarily work. To which I said that the fact that it exists means it works. To which you seemed to object by saying that there may be people who have an interest in it existing - like they want it to exist despite it actually not working. I’m confused about what it is you’re saying.
Good is what generates money. If it works it’s good
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=S2xHZPH5Sng
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
They didn’t say it was good, just that it’s what works; that’s why it’s everywhere.
Pretty useful
The real engineering original is basically spot on.
Removed the clickbaity thumbnail though!
I don’t really see how it’s click baity. Click bait implies that it’s lying or exaggerating something, and that thumbnail is basically spot on. You click that link and you get exactly what you expected.
Click bait implies it’s giving you a reason to click. “Doomed to fail?” Has a subtext of “Click and watch the video to find out!”
Wo a new extension worthy of installation, the last time that happened was a years ago, Channel Blocker. Feels like an ongoing battle with yt, to make it viewable to a human rather than it’s own bots.
Or rather, the trained dopamine minorit monkey that it tries to turn you into
