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How I spend less time on YouTube

pawelurbanek.com

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Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#71

Post by titzer »

scoutt wrote: post #31

> Am I the only one who launches YouTube just to watch a single tutorial and ends up devouring dozens of fine-tuned recommendations? I'm hitting 40 next week, and seeing others asking for recommendations of videos on "programming a microcontroller" (or programming related) is something I can't understand. One day I sat and watched some of the videos they were recommending, and in most of them there were a person talk…

This is true for certain kinds of tasks, particularly programming or anything very instruction-oriented. However, for practical tasks, like installing a bathroom faucet, a short and succint video is gold. Now that YouTube has chapter labels, it's even better.

That said, YouTube is clearly going downhill for a host of other reasons, but hands-on tutorials remain one of its best forms of content.

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#73

Post by mavhc »

KineticLensman wrote: post #54
wingerlang wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. It is great because you can actually see where the steps are performed. It's sometimes faster than reading a bullet point than finding out where on the screen it is. And I did NOT grow up on videos, I just think they're neat. Of course, there are times when I dislike them too. It's not always black and white.

> you can actually see where the steps are performed. It's sometimes faster than reading a bullet point than finding out where on the screen it is If and only if the steps are performed in the correct order without any fluffs. In one particularly bad example that I saw someone was showing how to use an updated feature in Photoshop. The sequence went something like * the instructor showed the old way of doing things *…

The easiest form of media to create is unedited video.

The hardest is edited video

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#74

Post by titzer »

In the past few weeks the homepage changed radically and basically broke recommendations for me, even when signed in. TBH I was kind of bothered how quickly it would adapt to what I was watching, pushing me quickly down rabbit holes. However, with the new change it does not seem to learn very quickly at all, and every time I go there the same dozen videos or so that I probably don't want to see (but don't want to mark "Not Interested") are there. It really can't take a hint.

That, and it keeps finding away around my ad blocker. I used to use YouTube for jam/backing tracks to play guitar along to. That's completely broken if an ad interrupts it! Talking about dang frustrating.

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#75

Post by aulin »

scoutt wrote: post #31

> Am I the only one who launches YouTube just to watch a single tutorial and ends up devouring dozens of fine-tuned recommendations? I'm hitting 40 next week, and seeing others asking for recommendations of videos on "programming a microcontroller" (or programming related) is something I can't understand. One day I sat and watched some of the videos they were recommending, and in most of them there were a person talk…

I believe it's a generational thing. We, in our late thirties, didn't have so much video content, we studied from books, learned from written content. Younger generations adapted to use videos as a learning aid, sometimes as the main learning platform. We won't ever be able to understand how they work. Their brain just adapted to this kind of learning medium.

For me video talking about code is slow, unsearchable, unskimmable. I cannot easily go back to more difficult parts and reread (watch) them at my own pace. I cannot use them as a quick reference. Even my photographic memory doesn't work with videos, there's just something more powerful with black on white words and formulas.

Also completely agree about youtuber credibility. Being easy going, with good lighting, nice looks and neat surroundings makes them sound authoritative on the subject they talk about, especially to the newcomer ears, without any real backing.

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#77

Post by mediocregopher »

PSA for all, you can go into your YouTube settings and disable Search History (and a bunch of other things? It's been a while), and surprisingly the algorithm more or less respects that. It completely neuters the algorithm, it won't target you worth a damn, and YouTube becomes a lot less engaging overall. Highly recommend for everyone.

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#78

Post by SenHeng »

krallja wrote: post #62
scrollaway wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

YouTube has some of the best, highest quality free content available on the internet today. Stay away from the crap, remove it from your recommendations, subscribe to some good channels. It’s that simple. Don’t if that’s not your thing but you’re missing out. If you change your mind here are a few exceptional channels to get you started, they should cater well to a HN style audience: Technology Connections (misc tech…

Some of my highly recommended uncommon subscriptions: Cathode Ray Dude (really obscure 90s tech nostalgia) Techmoan (obscure old tech nostalgia) Jeremy Fielding (engineering) Hand Tool Rescue (antique restoration) Machine Thinking (history of technology/industry, especially pre-1900) Usagi Electric (vacuum tubes, minicomputers, etc.)

Jeremy Fielding has a video series showing how he built an 6 motor Industrial Robot Arm from scratch. Includes welding and machining aluminum, electrical wiring and programming the controls for the motors.

Definitely worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4njCTv7IRbyf3XfhUcp_...

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#79

Post by typicalbender »

aulin wrote: post #75
scoutt wrote: post #31

> Am I the only one who launches YouTube just to watch a single tutorial and ends up devouring dozens of fine-tuned recommendations? I'm hitting 40 next week, and seeing others asking for recommendations of videos on "programming a microcontroller" (or programming related) is something I can't understand. One day I sat and watched some of the videos they were recommending, and in most of them there were a person talk…

I believe it's a generational thing. We, in our late thirties, didn't have so much video content, we studied from books, learned from written content. Younger generations adapted to use videos as a learning aid, sometimes as the main learning platform. We won't ever be able to understand how they work. Their brain just adapted to this kind of learning medium. For me video talking about code is slow, unsearchable, uns…

Early 30s here. Possibly to your point and completely anecdotally, I generally have a much harder time learning via text than I do from a more kinetic learning environment or watching a video... but I wish it was the other way around. All of the benefits described above for why text is better I totally agree and I get generally frustrated trying to find the relevant part of the video but for whatever reason seeing the thing I am trying to learn visually demonstrated is immensely more powerful that reading it.

I actually have a pet hypothesis that it has something to do with imagination. I'd be curious if anyone has studied the effects of visual media on imagination and how it impacts kids ability to take written content and understanding it versus the same with visual content. I have a suspicion that before the prevalence of visual media it was even more critical to have an active imagination to be able to synthesis written content and that we've lost a bit of that in younger generations as we've moved toward a reliance on visual learning. I have nothing to back any of this up of course just something i've thought about when reflecting on myself.

Re: How I spend less time on YouTube

#80

Post by xboxnolifes »

wingerlang wrote: post #63
KineticLensman wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you can actually see where the steps are performed. It's sometimes faster than reading a bullet point than finding out where on the screen it is If and only if the steps are performed in the correct order without any fluffs. In one particularly bad example that I saw someone was showing how to use an updated feature in Photoshop. The sequence went something like * the instructor showed the old way of doing things *…

There are very badly written articles as well though.

Yeah, but I can also usually tell an article is bad in a 15 second skim. Videos aren't always so generous.
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