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The monetization of YouTube has created a perverse set of incentives which have in turn driven noise up and signal down. A few years ago videos were generally
by alex_young 9y ago
The monetization of YouTube has created a perverse set of incentives which have in turn driven noise up and signal down.
A few years ago videos were generally interesting, or at least authentic, ads were mostly uncommon for non-commercial content, and comments were a cesspool.
Today the comments are marginally better, the content is worse, and there are ads everywhere.
The focus of many creators isn't creating useful content, but tricking people into watching or playing on the notoriety of making money itself.
This unfortunate event probably wouldn't have happened if the system wasn't designed to incentivise controversial posts in the first place.
- daemin 9y agoI kind of think/feel that YouTube is turning into regular TV in terms of the content that is on it, if not the delivery. There's a reason that normal TV is bland and mediocre (for the most part), and that's because it has to be inoffensive for the advertisers to put ads next to. Any sort of risque content has very low-value ads next to it, i.e. gambling and penis pills. So for YouTube to profit it has to be seen as having mostly inoffensive content, which will inevitably drive out any interesting and non-mainstream stuff, for better or worse.