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On YouTube’s recommendation system

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Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#31

Post by 8note »

lordentropy wrote: post #5

For me, it seems like youtube's recommendation system mostly gets stuck in the local optimum. Once you watch a video from a particular channel, it'll keep on recommending the videos from the same channel for months. Soon, the recommendation just consists of stuff from the channels that have you already viewed. You rarely see new types of recommendations.

I occasionally get the whole front page as a list of old videos from the same channel. All of their videos Ina row for a few seconds of infinite scroll, then it jumps to another one, but, it won't show a new video from channels I'm subscribed to so I have to go poll for them

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#32

Post by mpalmer »

id5j1ynz wrote: post #23

> For my oldest daughter, it was finding laughter and community with the Vlogbrothers. And for my oldest son, recommendations brought about a better understanding of linear algebra through animated explainers by 3Blue1Brown—with breaks to watch KSI videos. My first thought reading this was about reinforcing a stereotype as the son learning hard sciences and the daughter watching fun shows about people things. Did any…

Seems more like it's reinforcing what the kids themselves already choose to watch.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#33

Post by dr_dshiv »

LarryDarrell wrote: post #17

> 3. Do recommendations drive viewers to increasingly extreme content? > As I’ve explained, we actively demote low-quality information in recommendations. But we also take the additional step of showing viewers authoritative videos about topics that may interest them. Say I watch a video about the COVID-19 vaccine. In my Up Next panel, I’ll see videos from reputable sources like Vox and Bloomberg Quicktake and won’t…

You have my sympathy. I have a similar if less extreme experience. For me, it happened when my mother moved to Florida.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#34

Post by 8note »

gxqoz wrote: post #28
lelandfe wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can be pretty confident that once I've finished a video, that very same video will be on my YouTube homepage for weeks. It's useless. At this moment, my homepage's first 10 videos include 7 that I've already watched.

Maybe they're being fooled by toddlers who love rewatching the same video over and over again.

Or people who are asleep and not switching away from auto-plays of the same video

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#35

Post by coconut08 »

function_seven wrote: post #29
sbierwagen wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're logged in, hover over the video, click the three dot menu, then select "Not Interested". If you are not logged in you can't do this, for obvious algo manipulation reasons.

Yeah, but then Youtube thinks, "He hates that channel!", rather than, "He doesn't want to rewatch old videos." I keep getting old furniture restoration videos in my feed. I've seen them already. How about different channels on the same topic with new videos posted?

you can tell youtube you've already seen it. you hit "not interested" and then click "tell us why" and then hit "i've already seen it".

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#36

Post by pg_bot »

sbierwagen wrote: post #20
pg_bot wrote: post #6

Can we get a button to stop recommending videos that have already been watched? On the front page out of 12 videos listed, I've already seen 7 of them and have no need to watch them again.

If you're logged in, hover over the video, click the three dot menu, then select "Not Interested". If you are not logged in you can't do this, for obvious algo manipulation reasons.

This doesn't work, it will just show more videos I've already seen.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#37

Post by gothroach »

function_seven wrote: post #29
sbierwagen wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're logged in, hover over the video, click the three dot menu, then select "Not Interested". If you are not logged in you can't do this, for obvious algo manipulation reasons.

Yeah, but then Youtube thinks, "He hates that channel!", rather than, "He doesn't want to rewatch old videos." I keep getting old furniture restoration videos in my feed. I've seen them already. How about different channels on the same topic with new videos posted?

When you select not interested, it gives the option of saying it's either because you already watched the video or that you don't like the channel. I don't know quite why they keep recommending videos I've watched recently, but at least telling YouTube I've seen a video (...) prevents it from spamming my recommendations.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#38

Post by jeffwask »

I hate how it has now started slipping Hollywood movies into my recommendation feed. All of a sudden i'm seeing the credits on a 2 hour movie after watching a 15 minute UrbanX video. NO YOUTUBE, BAD. If I wanted to watch shitty movies I wouldn't be on YouTube.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#39

Post by cronix »

lordentropy wrote: post #5

For me, it seems like youtube's recommendation system mostly gets stuck in the local optimum. Once you watch a video from a particular channel, it'll keep on recommending the videos from the same channel for months. Soon, the recommendation just consists of stuff from the channels that have you already viewed. You rarely see new types of recommendations.

Visit in incognito mode and don't sign in. Brand new, fresh youtube, ready to be corrupted again.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#40

Post by jeffwask »

LarryDarrell wrote: post #17

> 3. Do recommendations drive viewers to increasingly extreme content? > As I’ve explained, we actively demote low-quality information in recommendations. But we also take the additional step of showing viewers authoritative videos about topics that may interest them. Say I watch a video about the COVID-19 vaccine. In my Up Next panel, I’ll see videos from reputable sources like Vox and Bloomberg Quicktake and won’t…

Once you start watching Alex Jones videos, the algorithm starts to bubble up some nasty stuff.
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