With the new year and my only resolve so far being “Always eat the smallest french fry first”, I need some advice / discussion.
I love Youtube and I am a subscriber. For the useful videos, like repair instructions, good product reviews, niche content that is more interesting than a movie. Like @kurzgesagt for example.
But I hate Youtubism (aka it’s normal to be a dick) and YT Shorts, and I want to get rid of it.
So far I know of a few alternatives, but just like Google Search 20 years ago it’s kinda hard to switch. Then again I switched from Google to DuckDuckGo 15 years ago and never looked back. It’s got to start somewhere.
My list so far:
nebula.tv - Paid for and seems nice, but rarely touches the topics I want. I subscribe for two years now and rarely use it.
Substack - I use it for consuming Ryan McBeth content
Rumble - Found this to be too US centric and political (maybe?)
Tiktok - OMG the devil in person. Won’t touch it with a very long stick.
Twitch - Too gamey, most is real time streaming (yawn)
I use Newpipe on my phone. (Android only) It is an app to view youtube videos, it just lets you watch and download (video or audio only) videos, but doesn’t show ads, have autoplay, recommend or push you to shorts.
For security, I don’t constantly have “install APKs from browser” enabled but use Droidify to update it. Very nice “store” app for Free (as in free beer) and Open Source apps.
(It took a lot of effort to write this without hyperlinks, but I guess this is my new year’s resolution now.)
Haven’t found a satisfactory alternative platform either unfortunately.
I use revanced on my phone. Supports PiP, background play, comes with sponsor block and also blocks ads and lets you hide shorts on the main page. Android only.
Sounds like you don’t have issues with the platform but with the content
Newer phones have a digital wellbeing function which is a nice word for babysitting/parenting by time boxing how long you can use certain apps. I limit my daily time for junk like IG to 15 min a day. Works really good.
The content when it’s distrustful cash grab garbage. Search for “Honey Scam” to get a recent idea of how deep the BS got into all the layers. Nobody seems to question morale anymore before cutting a deal.
The platform, too. Because Google and Paypal and so on can kiss my behind.
I’m ready to pay a fee for a plain honest and straight forward platform than be on the menu of mega corporations 24/7.
I love YouTube. It helped me avoid calling a plumber today to rebuild a vanity sink drain and stop a leaky trap in another. Our house is 15 years old, so a lot of stuff is beginning to wear out.
For learning how to play an instrument, like piano, guitar, or ukulele, it’s indispensable.
But I understand that even respected content creators, like Ward Carroll, Mover and Gonky, Juan Brown, and Sam Harris admit to click-farming. After all, it’s a viable source of income which is driven by clicks and subs.
And like every other information source these days, the reliable, useful, and ethical is mixed in with a lot of agenda based misinformation and marketing. GAS (gear addiction syndrome) is real.
Case in point, sometimes Shawn Ryan will have an interesting or entertaining guest, like 3 weeks ago, Sarah Adams. But today he’s pitching a guest with a story that the Cybertruck bomber had inside information that the New Jersey drones are of Chinese origin, and using gravitic (antigravity) propulsion, which can park themselves over the White House with impunity. I’m not buying a word of it without other credible sources or personal observation. But I’ll probably check in with Shawn the next slow news day to see who he’s chatting with.
I don’t blame anyone who avoids all that is YouTube or Google for that matter. But at least in the short term, they own the content and the views.
I thought about nebula, because some quality creators are showing up there. But most of them have to keep YT channels operating to remain viable. Worth watching though. Until then, Vimeo?
My understanding is odysee is undergoing structural changes as the owners realised their previous model wasn’t going to be able to pay for its servers. Possibly the future, if they can make it work financially? The web interface is promising at least?
Rumble is at least funded and technologically stable. Probably funded by the Kreml, but funded
I have a rule that as soon as a product is advertised on youtube. Its a either junk or a scam. No middle ground. That honey scam is wild but completely predictable these days.
I use surf shark as a vpn. It works wonderfully and always has. Never been an issue. But i saw 2 adverts on youtube for it for the first time a while back and very nearly cancelled the sub immediately on that basis. But to be fair, it hasnt given me any other reason to just yet so ive let that one slide for now admittedly
My issue with any audio-visual platform that is driven by an ad-pushing algorithm is the lack of editorial review. Anybody can say anything. If the thing said is funny, outrageous, fashionable or attractive the content will get promoted on the platform. There is zero incentive to be truthful.
YouTube itself is not at fault. It is doing what it was designed to do—sell stuff. Tic Toc Is the same*. The fault is ours. We share, like and promote stuff that is now going to suck our friends down the same rabbit hole of bs. It’s almost like zombi-ism. Somebody bit me so now I have to bite you.
YouTube has been great for me. I’ve saved thousands of dollars over the years, fixing instead if replacing appliances and plumbing. It’s shown me super human flying from the likes of Sean Tucker, Rob Holland and Skip Stewart. It showed me for the first time how the complexities of a helicopter are actually not that complicated (animagraffs). The only time youtube fails me is when the content creator is expressing opinion. If there is a face a and a big, fuzzy microphone, I am definitely not watching. I’ve been burned too many times and now I know better.
*well possibly much worse because of strong state ties.
Yeah, make a platform where anybody can say anything (but occasionally be accused of hate speech ) and pay them based on how many likes and views they get and you will soon have a platform filled with content designed to make you like and look. Nothing more.
A frustration I have is people always using video as a method for passing on information.
During the Xmas flight I was trying to find some information on how to program the Garmin avionics. All I could find was videos with annoying voiceovers. Give me a manual.
Perhaps it’s my age, I find technical information goes in better when I read it.
Agreed on the help with fixing things, though sometimes that suffers from people wanting to keep you watching the video.
For example I watched a video on how to change a dishwasher drain pump. It was a great help. However if I’m confident at taking this task on, did I really need to be shown how to add rinse aid and add dishwasher salt?
I didn’t know that. I’ve uploaded maybe 20 videos over the years. All of them have about 100 views each. The longest video, which happens to be 8:42 and is the only one over 8 minutes, has 44,000 views.
This seems to be a recent theme with streaming services, spotify is doing this as well. They subsidize big artists by paying those which get streamed below a certain threshold nothing.
Maybe it’s just because I’m history nerd but 98% of what YouTube pushes to my feed is history stuff so for me, while I dislike some of the platform’s management, the content seems tailored well for me. That plus ad blocker for Chrome makes it watchable.
Yeah, yt had a lot of interesting stuff in my feed too. But then they wrongfully and without due process, accused me of hate speech so I cancelled my membership, deleted my content and cache and then logged off. The amount of crap that meets me when I visit now…! OMG.
) and pay them based on how many likes and views they get and you will soon have a platform filled with content designed to make you like and look. Nothing more.