5 ms·

Youtube's the only social media left where subscribing to a channel actually means something

by peab 6mo ago

rconti 6mo ago
Is it? I've heard YouTubers make snide comments about subscribing "as if that has any bearing on whether you see my videos", implying that it has minimal impact on the algo.
- tredre3 6mo ago
  Many YouTubers claim that some of their subscribers do not get notified when they release new videos (the "hit the bell icon" portion). They've also been claims of users being silently unsubscribed from channels. That is probably what they're referring to in your paraphrased quote. Because it would be shocking to me if there were Youtubers who truly believed that having (or not having) new subscribers had no impact on the algorithm.
  - Dylan16807 6mo ago
    My understanding is that the percentage of viewers that are actually coming from subscriptions has gone down significantly. The recommendations drive everything, and they don't really care if you're subscribed for what videos they offer.
    - rconti 6mo ago
      That makes sense -- yeah, that if you go to the Subscribed page, you still see all that content, but the algorithm is de-prioritizing subscribed channels in the recommended feed.
- peab 6mo ago
  Well there's a dedicated subscriptions page which is nice. On desktop, the homepage also has subscriptions on the side, with an indicator that someone has a new video.
  - rconti 6mo ago
    Yeah, I still have to go to it, AND pass the recommended stuff at the top, and maybe shorts too (?), but at least I can see the stuff i want to see.
m4ck_ 6mo ago
And it's seemingly the only large platform where you have some control over the 'algorithm' - meaning if I tell it I'm not interested in something, or not to show me content from a creator, it actually works. On Facebook or Instagram the "not interested" button doesn't seem to do anything and it takes several clicks and a wait to block an account.

5 ms·

Youtube's the only social media left where subscribing to a channel actually means something

by peab 6mo ago

Youtube's the only social media left where subscribing to a channel actually means something

rconti 6mo ago
Is it? I've heard YouTubers make snide comments about subscribing "as if that has any bearing on whether you see my videos", implying that it has minimal impact on the algo.
- tredre3 6mo ago
  Many YouTubers claim that some of their subscribers do not get notified when they release new videos (the "hit the bell icon" portion). They've also been claims of users being silently unsubscribed from channels. That is probably what they're referring to in your paraphrased quote. Because it would be shocking to me if there were Youtubers who truly believed that having (or not having) new subscribers had no impact on the algorithm.
  - Dylan16807 6mo ago
    My understanding is that the percentage of viewers that are actually coming from subscriptions has gone down significantly. The recommendations drive everything, and they don't really care if you're subscribed for what videos they offer.
    - rconti 6mo ago
      That makes sense -- yeah, that if you go to the Subscribed page, you still see all that content, but the algorithm is de-prioritizing subscribed channels in the recommended feed.
- peab 6mo ago
  Well there's a dedicated subscriptions page which is nice. On desktop, the homepage also has subscriptions on the side, with an indicator that someone has a new video.
  - rconti 6mo ago
    Yeah, I still have to go to it, AND pass the recommended stuff at the top, and maybe shorts too (?), but at least I can see the stuff i want to see.
m4ck_ 6mo ago
And it's seemingly the only large platform where you have some control over the 'algorithm' - meaning if I tell it I'm not interested in something, or not to show me content from a creator, it actually works. On Facebook or Instagram the "not interested" button doesn't seem to do anything and it takes several clicks and a wait to block an account.