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YouTube is quickly going on its way to becoming of low relevance. It will take a while, but when even non-controversial YouTube channels have to speak in code

YouTube is quickly going on its way to becoming of low relevance. It will take a while, but when even non-controversial YouTube channels have to speak in code words in order to not get demonetized/striked/deleted, you know there's a real problem. I don't know if this banning of Ukraine support is real and, if it is, whether it's intentional or just another round of The Google's Best AI snagging on bugs again, but it doesn't matter. YouTube simply is becoming an nonviable platform to tie to one's business or opinions. At this point, you're not even that likely to get a following without several years of posting videos every day because of just how biased YouTube has become against small creators; you're better off posting on smaller video platforms or even just making your own website.

eldaisfish 5y ago
I highly doubt that youtube will become irrelevant any time soon. The infrastructure cost to hosting over a decade of video across the globe is immense and that alone creates a significant moat. Even if some channels leave, others will take their place quickly. Youtube has sufficient size for that.
- penjelly 5y ago
  yeah weve seen other video providers come and go, but it feels like nobody else is capable of hosting this much content and having this many active content creators. its kindof sad really, if its not on youtube it probably wont be seen.
  - ravenstine 5y ago
    I don't think many alternative platforms are particularly serious. This is probably in part because hosting massive amounts of video and supporting streaming is a very hard problem. At the same time, they all shoot themselves in the foot in many ways, whether it's their marketing, lack of real moderation, low momentum of improvement, or their UI design.
- ravenstine 5y ago
  I didn't say "irrelevance". Just low relevance, kind of like how ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox are all still "relevant", but they mean a fraction to younger generations what they meant to even my generation (Gen Y). They're of such low relevance that those organizations have to pay YouTube to promote their content. There may come a day, maybe in another couple decades from now, where YouTube is paying some TNG platform to cross-post its content in much the same way. Relevance is a relative term, so I have to apologize for being pedantic here, but I also can't really help it in this case either. > Even if some channels leave, others will take their place quickly. Youtube has sufficient size for that. To some extent, yes. That doesn't mean it will be able to keep up with loss forever, especially when it's doing things to outright sabotage new channels. People will get tired of a mostly PG-rated platform once YouTube truly reaches that point. Cultures shift and change, and if global internet culture swings back to being more like it was in the 2000s, the warm safety blanket YouTube provides will be a totally uncool thing only old people and little kids watch. YouTube will someday have a rude awakening when their pushing of late-night TV and mainstream news clips is no longer a significant ROI to their customers. As for movies, well, they're definitely not the only ones in town for that.
onlyrealcuzzo 5y ago
YouTube is not going to be the source for breaking news like this. There's too much liability and not much money to be made. The fact is - less than 2% of content watched is stuff like this. People are mostly watching work out videos and game streams and sports commentary and so on. Not live streams of wars.
- ok123456 5y ago
  I was watching live streams from Ukraine on TikTok last night. No problems.
- ravenstine 5y ago
  Well yeah, if you examine YouTube in isolation and disregard how its algorithm surfaces content, then sure, most people watching YouTube are watching workout videos and game streams. And maybe that's how YouTube is defining itself, and that's fine, but that's not how you create cultural phenomena. Likewise, millions of people drink Coca-Cola every day, but no one really gives a shit about Coca-Cola even though nearly 2 billion servings are drunk every day worldwide. But people still write actual articles about coffee for some reason, and that probably has to do with its relative lack of homogeneity and safety (from a taste standpoint). YouTube wants to sell fizzy sugar water, and that's the sort of relevance they will get. The only reason I point this out as a bad thing is that YouTube long ago represented something else that I think mattered more than cat videos, no matter how small the audience was or is.
Gareth321 5y ago
I have been VERY impressed with Odysee and have been using it more regularly. Just need more creators on there.

eldaisfish 5y ago

I highly doubt that youtube will become irrelevant any time soon. The infrastructure cost to hosting over a decade of video across the globe is immense and that alone creates a significant moat. Even if some channels leave, others will take their place quickly. Youtube has sufficient size for that.

penjelly 5y ago
yeah weve seen other video providers come and go, but it feels like nobody else is capable of hosting this much content and having this many active content creators. its kindof sad really, if its not on youtube it probably wont be seen.
- ravenstine 5y ago
  I don't think many alternative platforms are particularly serious. This is probably in part because hosting massive amounts of video and supporting streaming is a very hard problem. At the same time, they all shoot themselves in the foot in many ways, whether it's their marketing, lack of real moderation, low momentum of improvement, or their UI design.
ravenstine 5y ago
I didn't say "irrelevance". Just low relevance, kind of like how ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox are all still "relevant", but they mean a fraction to younger generations what they meant to even my generation (Gen Y). They're of such low relevance that those organizations have to pay YouTube to promote their content. There may come a day, maybe in another couple decades from now, where YouTube is paying some TNG platform to cross-post its content in much the same way. Relevance is a relative term, so I have to apologize for being pedantic here, but I also can't really help it in this case either. > Even if some channels leave, others will take their place quickly. Youtube has sufficient size for that. To some extent, yes. That doesn't mean it will be able to keep up with loss forever, especially when it's doing things to outright sabotage new channels. People will get tired of a mostly PG-rated platform once YouTube truly reaches that point. Cultures shift and change, and if global internet culture swings back to being more like it was in the 2000s, the warm safety blanket YouTube provides will be a totally uncool thing only old people and little kids watch. YouTube will someday have a rude awakening when their pushing of late-night TV and mainstream news clips is no longer a significant ROI to their customers. As for movies, well, they're definitely not the only ones in town for that.

onlyrealcuzzo 5y ago

YouTube is not going to be the source for breaking news like this. There's too much liability and not much money to be made. The fact is - less than 2% of content watched is stuff like this. People are mostly watching work out videos and game streams and sports commentary and so on. Not live streams of wars.

ok123456 5y ago
I was watching live streams from Ukraine on TikTok last night. No problems.
ravenstine 5y ago
Well yeah, if you examine YouTube in isolation and disregard how its algorithm surfaces content, then sure, most people watching YouTube are watching workout videos and game streams. And maybe that's how YouTube is defining itself, and that's fine, but that's not how you create cultural phenomena. Likewise, millions of people drink Coca-Cola every day, but no one really gives a shit about Coca-Cola even though nearly 2 billion servings are drunk every day worldwide. But people still write actual articles about coffee for some reason, and that probably has to do with its relative lack of homogeneity and safety (from a taste standpoint). YouTube wants to sell fizzy sugar water, and that's the sort of relevance they will get. The only reason I point this out as a bad thing is that YouTube long ago represented something else that I think mattered more than cat videos, no matter how small the audience was or is.

Gareth321 5y ago

I have been VERY impressed with Odysee and have been using it more regularly. Just need more creators on there.