I definitely agree that these sorts of videos have the potential to be a poor substitute for the real thing. Sometimes I notice that I've spent all my time watc

I definitely agree that these sorts of videos have the potential to be a poor substitute for the real thing. Sometimes I notice that I've spent all my time watching videos about stuff I'm interested in and not actually doing the stuff I'm interested in. On the flip side though, as another commenter mentioned, they have the potential to serve as motivation too. For example, when I'm learning a particular technique on guitar I'll intentionally watch or listen to performances that exemplify what I want to learn in order to remind myself of how great it'd be to play that and of why I'm training. I find it helps boost and sustain motivation. Of course it can't be the only thing I do, but when I can't practice (much) on guitar because, say, I'm eating lunch and need both hands, I can loop some Paul Gilbert or EVH performances and get fired up for the next practice session.