On YouTube’s recommendation system • Hacker News Board

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#41

Post by kikokikokiko » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

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…

Or maybe it's just what HAPPENS in real life when you have a son and a daughter, and it's effects can be seem on a societal level through, for instance, the number of male vs female hard science college applicants for instance. Different genders have different interests on AVERAGE. The fact that nature doesn't conform to a idealized view of an equal world does not make it "wrong".

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#42

Post by exolymph » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:12 PM UTC

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…

Stereotypes don't come from nowhere. Example: https://www.bates.edu/news/2010/12/21/chimp-doll-play/

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#43

Post by stewartmcgown » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:13 PM UTC

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.

Go to the end of the list of category pills on the homepage and click 'New to You'

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#44

Post by jeffwask » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:14 PM UTC

swalsh wrote: post #11

The reccomendation system is absolutely dangerous. Just this summer, I watched one video on peppers out of curiousity. By the end of summer I've got multiple different varieties growing, and all the accessories to support them. I'm really enjoying my garden, but it's very unlikely I would have started one without the youtube algorithm. Similarly my doctor reccomended I exercise more, so I started running. Then I goog…

It's sad because I remember being able to find new and interesting creators passively. Now the main page is all corporate BS and the algorithm locks you in. We played a bit of WOW Classic last year and all of a sudden I was just flooded with Asmongold videos and videos of people clipping and replaying Asmongold. It took a day of "never show this again" to make it stop.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#45

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:14 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#46

Post by barbazoo » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

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.

You're right but somehow I would think that YT should know which videos I've already watched...

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#47

Post by ahurmazda » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

Personally, I carefully guard my youtube feed (same as twitter). I vigorously cull (`dont recommend/not interested`) dull videos whenever they pop up. Once a month, I will go over my history and remove items that I didn't particularly care for in retrospect. Youtube's recommendation has gotten really useful for me overtime. It keeps my curiosity well-satisfied.

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#48

Post by tsumnia » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:16 PM UTC

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.

Most systems have this issue. I've described it as a 'fear of recommending something you hate'. They know you watched X video from Y channel, so there is a good chance you'd like Z video that has a similar fanbase or content.

However, it becomes this echo chamber of only recommending the same content over and over again because they don't want to suggest something you don't like. That's because to their metrics, you don't watch it all, you don't see the ads, and then you "potentially" leave their platform because there's "nothing you like on it".

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#49

Post by ahoka » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:17 PM UTC

swalsh wrote: post #11

The reccomendation system is absolutely dangerous. Just this summer, I watched one video on peppers out of curiousity. By the end of summer I've got multiple different varieties growing, and all the accessories to support them. I'm really enjoying my garden, but it's very unlikely I would have started one without the youtube algorithm. Similarly my doctor reccomended I exercise more, so I started running. Then I goog…

Because why would you do things for free, when you can pay for them?

Re: On YouTube’s recommendation system

#50

Post by exolymph » Fri, Sep 17, 2021, 6:17 PM UTC

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…

I'm sorry that you're in this painful situation. Personally I don't think the root problem is YouTube — rather, it's your parents' confirmation bias. They want to believe these things.

I've watched Alex Jones videos myself. I did not leave wanting more and no recommendation algo could change that. (Lest I leave the wrong impression, the same is true of AOC going live on IG.)