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YouTube Addiction

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Re: YouTube Addiction

#31

Post by juujian »

omgmajk wrote: post #11
juujian wrote: post #5

I have to be honest, whenever I get busy and do not watch any video for a couple of days, and then I get back to youtube, I am somewhat disappointed by the content. And recently the algorithm has been really insistent on having me watch certain videos. I just open the page and see a couple of videos I did not want to watch the last time around.

I also think the algorithm has become worse. It recommends that I watch a lot of stuff that I don't want to see and buries channels that I subscribe to and watch every video of.

Same experience. First it was just showing recommendations first and burying subscriptions. But those recommendations seemed decent. Now it is just a bunch of stuff I have no interest in. And recently I got a new device that I did not want to sign into youtube with, and it tried to sell me Jordan Peterson after just a couple dozen videos. F'ed up.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#32

Post by knaik94 »

ITB wrote: post #25
knaik94 wrote: post #10

This is a very dramatic framing. A much more resonable explanation is that YouTube was being used as an escape. 10K Subs is an accomplishment, a real community. The less talked about half of parasocial relationships is the one that goes the other way, where people feel validation from the likes and views they get. Generally, taking a break from an escape means you face the real issues you have been avoiding and ignor…

Sorry, but I think a post like the above should make someone like you take a time to reflect, instead of immediately prepare a defense. Regardless of what is driving your desire to watch so much YouTube, which in the end is what defines the degree of the pathology, it’s still an inordinate amount. YouTube is not background noise. Your brain is paying a bit of attention to it, getting dopamine from it, and becoming pr…

My reflection is that it doesn't interefere with my work at all, and my significant other and I often fall asleep listening to podcasts or video essays. I do wear headphones and I am far for the only one that sleeps with headphones in. Here's a link to a product that is a headband that has speakers built in with a 4.5 rating and 13,000+ reviews. [1] This seems silly and I would not recommend it, and suggest regular headphones instead, IEM preferably.

I am not sure if you grasp the difference in active and passive watching. I would suggest you do more research into how neurotransmitters function, that is not how dopamine works. Additionally I mentioned I have ADHD, "People with ADHD have at least one defective gene, the DRD2 gene that makes it difficult for neurons to respond to dopamine" [2] If anything dopamine is not doing what it needs to in my brain. I appreciate your concern, but it's misplaced. In my previous post I linked to a 10 hour video of the noise of an AC running in a motel room.

For students with ADHD in school, as part of a 504 plan they have the option to listen to music in class because it has been shown effective in improving focus.

1. https://www.amazon.com/MUSICOZY-Headphones-Bluetooth-Headban...

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2626918/#:~:tex....

Re: YouTube Addiction

#34

Post by vehemenz »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #16
lettergram wrote: post #12

I've seen this happen to A LOT of people, particularly with TikTok. What's worse is the algorithms are effectively there to (a) keep you watching and (b) manipulate you (in some cases - i.e. increase addictive tenancies, change mood (see facebook studies on this), etc) That said, I have seen this cycle both spiral (as in this case) and be broken before. I've also helped a cousin who had this issue. IMO and this is go…

TikTok is amazing. You can rip it from my cold dead iPad. :) My pet Pip! https://imgur.com/a/vAFOZHd Also, HN is just as much social media as any other. How often do you glance at your karma the moment the site loads? (Didn’t downvote though.)

"Social media" is a neologism in the context of internet forums. Most of the standard features aren't present. There are no followers, no private messages, no notifications, no phone app. Compared to Reddit or IRC, there are no individual forums/chatrooms that powerful users moderate. If HN is social media, then so is letter writing.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#35

Post by broAhmed »

Read Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism. If you’re like me, you’ll substitute one digital addiction for another when trying to give up something; his book is helping me to break that cycle. Products like YouTube and most social media are finely tuned billion dollar machines aimed at capturing and holding your attention; our fleshy brains require more than a simple detox to break that grip.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#36

Post by knaik94 »

ColonelBlimp wrote: post #27
knaik94 wrote: post #10

This is a very dramatic framing. A much more resonable explanation is that YouTube was being used as an escape. 10K Subs is an accomplishment, a real community. The less talked about half of parasocial relationships is the one that goes the other way, where people feel validation from the likes and views they get. Generally, taking a break from an escape means you face the real issues you have been avoiding and ignor…

>I have ADHD and I leave YouTube running in the background while I work and when I sleep. I know for a fact that 5+ hour on wednesday was "10 Hours of Hotel AC White Noise (High power setting)". 80% of the time it's on in the background, either figuratively or literally white noise. That's how radio was used for generations.

Funny you mention that, one of my favorite YouTube channels is, Nemo's Dreamscapes and right now I'm listening to "LIVE Oldies playing in another room, it's a great night (Open window, crickets ambience)" [1] It's a non stop livestream similar to the LoFi Girl music channel.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JJi-NhExzs

Re: YouTube Addiction

#37

Post by gunshai »

TexanFeller wrote: post #29

I'm the type to become addicted and I had a big problem with spending vastly too much time on YT. A few months ago I cleared my search and watch history and subscriptions to start fresh. Now I only allow myself to watch videos about math, science, or playing instruments I'm interested in learning to play. If I ever see a politically leaning recommendation I tell YT to never show it to me again. If I slip up and watch…

I wish there was a way to transpose someone else's "YouTube diet" so to speak. this probably exists through tag matching ect. but it would be nice.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#38

Post by vibrolax »

I occasionally watch "let's play" videos as a harm reduced alternative to actually playing games. A half hour spent watching someone play a game/sim totally relieves my FOMO. It also dissipates my urge to build a gaming PC. As a maker and musician, there's tons of inspiring and informative content on YT. I feel that I'm quite net positive on my use of YT to enrich my life.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#39

Post by manimino »

LegitShady wrote: post #21

Youtube is so bad at suggesting videos for me that it mystifies me how people could be addicted to it. "Oh you watched one video about [x] by creator [y]. Here are 100 more videos by creatory [y]. Here are 100 more videos about [x]" ...uh I watched a recipe for cheesecake. I don't need 100 more cheesecake videos, or even 100 more recipes by that youtuber.

I have this problem with recommendation engines generally. Spotify, Netflix, Steam, etc. They are very bad at making novel, interesting recommendations.

They will also blindly recommend popular things, which is irritating. Steam is an exception here - it has a slider bar that allows exclusion of popular content in favor of niche / indie stuff.

Re: YouTube Addiction

#40

Post by sillysaurusx »

vehemenz wrote: post #34
sillysaurusx wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TikTok is amazing. You can rip it from my cold dead iPad. :) My pet Pip! https://imgur.com/a/vAFOZHd Also, HN is just as much social media as any other. How often do you glance at your karma the moment the site loads? (Didn’t downvote though.)

"Social media" is a neologism in the context of internet forums. Most of the standard features aren't present. There are no followers, no private messages, no notifications, no phone app. Compared to Reddit or IRC, there are no individual forums/chatrooms that powerful users moderate. If HN is social media, then so is letter writing.

I saw your reply via notification. There’s a nice one called HN Replies.

There are followers. They’re just not a number.

Powerful users moderate the comments.

All of this is mostly invisible, but it’s there.

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