Ask HN: Has YouTube peaked?

It's been that way for years, as long as I can remember probably. But I still watch Youtube for probably ~50% of my content. I'd probably like podcasts but I never know how to play them. I just want educational content and, to my knowledge, Youtube has the best collection. I like hearing an expert in a field talk about a subject. Even Khan Academy has their content up on Youtube.

I signed up for Nebula and I barely use it. It's poorly curated, there's seemingly no recommendations so I'm just in a wash of content with no direction.

I think that it's probably worse the more you use it. The more I subscribe the more garbage I get recommended I think. I watched the raw footage of some of the Heard v Depp trial (as in - uncut, direct footage) and I don't know if my algorithmic output will ever recover - the shit I get recommended now is of zero interest to me. Similarly, I looked up a few 'how tos' for some games, and now I get tons of 'gamer' content. The other day Youtube recommended Ben Shapiro to me lol

But that's just the main page. If I'm already on a good video the sidebar recommendations are decent.

If there's something better please let me know, I hate Youtube as a construct and I think that the monetization of horribly low content is damaging in ways I can't even predict, but also I gotsta have my "expert on topic talks to me about interesting thing" content.

There is so much content on youtube, especially independent music, that it's often I find that I need to purposefully watch things I want to see more of instead of letting autoplay or autorecommend take over.

Purposeful searching and watching habits make youtube much more enjoyable for me.

Of course `Dead Internet Theory` might be true, or at least feel that way, if you let the algorithms drive.

100% agree with this. I passed my test in 2018, but YouTube was a game changer. The UK driving test is pretty difficult, and everyone always tells you horror stories about it, so being able to watch test videos reduces anxiety so much.

When you face the facts, it's just two 45-50 minute tests and each has a 45% pass ratio, so it's nowhere near as bad as people make it sound. You can easily pass on the first or second attempt if you study enough.

Failing your test can cost you loads of money in extra lessons, car hire, testing. It's so useful to be able to see lessons online and get better. Financially, I think YouTube lessons and tests can save the average learner £500-1000.

> It feels like the majority of content is no longer organic or passion driven. It is now monetisation driven content.

Yes. There is a griftopia or mania around these platforms which early adopters, geeks, etc have used it for fun for a long time and the tech bros go and successfully hijack it for monetisation and this has been happening since the 2000s up until this point.

I think there is no going back from this and this form of grifting is here to stay and it will continue on another platform which will take YouTube's place because the content creators, shills, marketers will go where the money is.

Now the money is in TikTok and you will watch that get destroyed very soon and the so-called early users will get upset because the platform has changed to favour big business or much larger creators manipulating the algorithm to favour them.

So I'm afraid you will be very disappointed as nothing has changed.

I agree. The trick is not to search for your ${dayjob} related content. I no longer watch software or hardware, learning K8S or iToys reviews. I mean, how many iPhones, ThinkPads or MacBooks will I buy each year? Instead, I found small family vlogs much better. Also, stuff like repairing old watches, documentaries/vlogs about ships, aeroplanes, or manufacturing goods, offbeat travel or learning a new foreign language vlogs are good.