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‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

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Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#191

Post by pimlottc »

shawnz wrote: post #166
pimlottc wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's why I recommend to avoid signing-in into YouTube. Better watch anonymously so you can always clean the cookies and get out of the pit. There definitely needs to be a "reset" button on these services, or at least a better way for your to actively monitor your algorithmically-determined interests and give feedback (I swear, you watch one SNL video...). Another poster in the thread said you can do this by editi…

You can also click the three dots icon next to the video thumbnail of recommendations and select "Not interested"

This is useful but it's pretty opaque to the user as to what exactly this does.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#192

Post by pjc50 »

read_if_gay_ wrote: post #33
barrkel wrote: post #5

I find YT does a gradient ascent into more popular videos. I start out listening to a song with 1000 views, I get recommended 10k view songs, then 100k, and before you know it it's back in the mainstream. There's no way to surf a niche, to hunt in a pile of bin ends. I imagine it's similar for conspiracy stuff. It'll point you in the direction of the most convincing nonsense.

If conspiracy stuff were the same way you describe music, you would eventually end up with the mainstream opinion, no?

Reality is too boring to film.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#193

Post by tartoran »

barrkel wrote: post #5

I find YT does a gradient ascent into more popular videos. I start out listening to a song with 1000 views, I get recommended 10k view songs, then 100k, and before you know it it's back in the mainstream. There's no way to surf a niche, to hunt in a pile of bin ends. I imagine it's similar for conspiracy stuff. It'll point you in the direction of the most convincing nonsense.

I'm big into discovering obscure music and unfortunately it's become very hard on YT, you're right. If I don't constantly search for stuff I end up on the mainstream over listened playlists which I really don't want.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#194

Post by dageshi »

Aeronwen wrote: post #175
dageshi wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could just pay for youtube premium?

No dark pattern there.

How else do you suggest youtube pays its costs? It probably uses more bandwidth and quite possibly more storage than just about any other website on the net.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#196

Post by LordNight »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #60

For me YouTube recommendations are not toxic, they are so amazing I some times wonder how comes the world around is not heaven when everybody has free access to this. That's because I always watch high-quality educational content and some beautiful comforting and inspiring music. So for me YouTube is a fountain of knowledge, visual and musical aesthetics etc. Every day I get inspiration, healthy kind of fun and learn…

It's actually much easier. Some time ago YouTube added a new tab 'Watch history'. You can open it and manually delete any 'junk' videos from your history with just one click. Algorithm changes accordingly, I've checked.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#197

Post by GreenWatermelon »

nobleach wrote: post #115

At the end of 2016, I was bored and decided to watch a flat earth video. I spent a few evenings going down that conspiracy rabbit-hole as it was completely fascinating. (I couldn't tell if these folks were expertly trolling, or if they were serious). Once I was back to reality (2017) I was done wanting to see anything conspiracy related. It took a year for that stuff to disappear from my right-hand column. I just kep…

Why didn't you click on "Not interested"?

It only takes a couple of days for interesting stuff to disappear.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#199

Post by tokamak-teapot »

nobleach wrote: post #115

At the end of 2016, I was bored and decided to watch a flat earth video. I spent a few evenings going down that conspiracy rabbit-hole as it was completely fascinating. (I couldn't tell if these folks were expertly trolling, or if they were serious). Once I was back to reality (2017) I was done wanting to see anything conspiracy related. It took a year for that stuff to disappear from my right-hand column. I just kep…

I watched some of one video whose content would be described by half of the US as political opinion and protected speech. It was mainly misogyny and incitement to racial hatred.

YT’s algorithm seemed to think that I needed to keep being exposed to this, so filled my recommendations with more.

Like the parent, it has taken over a year of me choosing ‘not interested’ for YT to stop trying to persuade me that I should hate most of mankind and actively seek to hurt people who are different from me.

I’m not sure how far from ‘Do no evil’ it is possible to get but this seems like it’s the opposite to me.

Re: ‘YouTube recommendations are toxic,’ says dev who worked on the algorithm (2019)

#200

Post by wintermutestwin »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #37

The YouTube algorithm's incentives seem to be responsible for so many videos being excessively long. Everything wants to waste your time because YouTube and the creator make more money that way.

Yep. I watch everything on 1.5 speed these days and skip around like crazy due to this. YT is going to give me ADD.
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