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This is one of the reasons why I almost never watch stuff on YouTube. I heard people who claim that they learnt how to barbeque, renovate, take good photos etc.

• sarah180 7y ago
  There's a difference, because something like "take good photos" is not a task with an algorithm. If somebody wants to know how to resize an image in Photoshop, you really just want to know which option in which menu and which default settings to use, followed by short (skippable) discussions of sampling algorithms and how resolution interacts with image size. YouTube discourages this kind of efficient information delivery, as Google's incentives drive it to encourage sustained attention. It's hard to build that kind of attention on "press this button and then that one." This is analogous to a laboratory session where you really want to learn by doing, and just need the recipe. However, learning to be a good photographer is not an algorithmic task—though it may involve them. Being good at something complex involves a comprehensive view and a value system to understand what's important and how many factors interplay. This is calls for a soft version of the academic lecture—something YouTube can do very well. YouTube can be fantastic at the latter: just avoid it for the former.
• 0xBA5ED 7y ago
  >I don’t understand is how they managed to either sit through or filter out this kind of chatter Short videos with specific titles, high like/dislike ratios that don't start with ultra fake enthusiasm. The back button is your friend for this ;)