Yes, it is partially algorithmic, but it's primarily because this is a brand new generation of content creators and streamers. The audience for streamers like t

Yes, it is partially algorithmic, but it's primarily because this is a brand new generation of content creators and streamers. The audience for streamers like t3.gg and Primeagen primarily consist of relatively new developers seeking knowledge and entertainment, as well as seasoned developers seeking infotainment. It's not solely the information being conveyed that attracts viewers; rather, it's the holistic experience of live streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, complete with humor and entertainment value. While these streamers do provide some valuable content – for instance, Primeagen's insightful series on Neovim configuration greatly assisted me during my transition to Neovim – it's important to recognize the significant contribution of production quality and entertainment value. The most successful streamers are not necessarily those with the best information, but rather those capable of delivering a comprehensive package, maintaining a regular streaming schedule, and so forth. However, if their content consistently lacks quality or spreads misinformation, their viewership would likely diminish. Conversely, it's also untrue that viewership is solely determined by the quality of information provided; you could be the most knowledgeable person, but if you suck at streaming, if you have a dry personality, etc. you likely won't get this level of view. The streamers who do well invest considerable effort into their streams, including editing and other production elements. So, comparing them to individuals like Crockford doesn't make much sense as this medium offers a unique platform for content delivery that was previously unavailable. All that being said, there's thankfully some more niche YouTubers, or whatever you want to call them, who don't put much work into the stream per se, but their teaching and information is so good and valuable within their domain that they have decent viewership. People like Jon Gjengset who has far less subscribers both because a) he's covering more nich topics, e.g. 1.5 hour streams in depth on Rust language concepts and b) he just streams very plainly. People love his content, but it's a smaller pool and he's not going to get the hundreds of thousands of subs that t3.gg or Primeagen get.