The ultimate result of the YT algorithm for me has been that the videos are increasingly a jukebox for background noise. Sometimes the noise is music(as in the

The ultimate result of the YT algorithm for me has been that the videos are increasingly a jukebox for background noise. Sometimes the noise is music(as in the popular "lofi hiphop study beats" or old anime soundtracks, or 80's pop hits) and sometimes the noise is man talks into camera(as in tech reviewers, music theory teachers, and video essayists) but it's basically inoffensive, interchangable background with an occasional moment that makes me pay attention or even comment. By their metrics it probably looks great: lots of watch time! Interaction! But it's basically leaving the possibilities unfulfilled. Now, I remember early days YT as well. It was much better at getting you circulating through a niche, but it did have the problem of getting stuck in a cycle of the same few videos. Modern YT just gradually moves you towards popular categories. Occasionally it does surprise, as with the months where "Steamed Hams" edits were recommended daily, or more recently, the train station ghost story song with no title. But that's mostly the exception. Edit: And a big part of why I seem to have this feed is simply because I have "liked and subscribed" to channels in these categories. If you do that, the recommender biases heavily back towards them.