I started to write a script for a video about how clickbait have really damaged the platform, clickbait taking it to the point the make the creators says “it’s okay, we need monetize, we need to catch your attention somehow, this is the only and the good way”, and I need to make some field research gathering some people opinions about it (I going to ask to some people IRL too). So what do you think? Feel free to answer any of the questions below, and add whatever come to your mind, everything it’s appreciated.
- Do you use youtube mainly?
- Do you care about clickbait?
- Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?
- Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it’s platform?
- Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube’s problems?
- Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things? Like, which ones?
- Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?
Thanks again! Have a nice day.
Edit: format added to the questions.
I very regularly block suggested channels with dumbass clickbaity titles, because i feel insulted.
A small to moderate baiting is allowed. But I avoid the master baiter’s videos.
I see what you did there.
I think removing the dislike button has really damaged the platform. That is a decision only done for financial reasons… because once you don’t know that others don’t like the content, then you might stay longer.
What should have been done instead is adding more vote abilities instead, like “vote misleading”, “vote bad quality”, “vote ragebait” etc.
I paid for Dearrow if that answers your question.
I think it’s like SEO. Moreso the platform’s fault vs the creator trying to get by
Yeah I agree. Don’t hate the player hate the game. I use dearrow though which is really nice.
Do you use youtube mainly?
yes, but only the simplified/ lite version
Do you care about clickbait?
yes. in a way that i care about probable misrepresentation of content
Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?
it made me avoid some creators
Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it’s platform?
it made me aware of how youtube and its content creators make use of it. it also made me aware of other video platforms out there.
Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube’s problems?
no. it is just part of a combo of ads, generic/saturated content and privacy concerns
Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things? Like, which ones?
i think it is a sign of saturation. like how shops have hawkers to get people in and browse. the bad thing of course, is misrepresentation and maybe a waste of people’s time
Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?
it is bad, and it is driven by money. but if the majority of people don’t fall for it then there might be a chance for clickbaits to use a better method to get attention.
I have many thoughts. Number 3 will surprise you!
Times like this I miss Reddit gold
Done :)
Thank you! Honestly that means way more to me than getting reddit gold ever did.
After I started using dearrow to remove custom thumbnails, I’ve had alot better time browsing YouTube.
Do you use youtube mainly?
For watching short video, yes. Not as social media.
Do you care about clickbait?
I fucking hate it.
Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?
Yes. I’ve seen useful, thoughtful channels turn into life-wasting mouth noise in order to chase clicks.
Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it’s platform?
Not yet.
Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube’s problems?
I think that monetisation ahead of any other concern is the major problem, and clickbait is just one symptom of it.
Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things? Like, which ones?
No.
Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?
No.
Thank you for writing my comment for me. Way better than AI. I didn’t even know I wanted to post this until I read it.
Username checks out. What they said verbatim.
Between the clickbait, YouTube “enhancements”, exploding AI slop videos and the atrocious search facility, the platform is rapidly becoming completely unusable for finding relevant information when you’re looking for answers.
As an entertainment platform it’s forcing creators to make long form content and making viewers sit through more and more low quality content.
It’s evolving, but I’m pretty sure it’s heading towards extinction, rather than greatness.
For many years, YT have been taking steps towards beginning more like TV. Shows made by corporations, made to be enjoyed by “all audiences”, filled with ads and so on.
This made me realize just how much YT doesn’t know what it wants to be, with introduction of YT shorts and other social media features.
They know that they need to make more money. Everything else is secondary.
- I am watchin Youtube daily
- And yes, I care about Clickbait because it helps me determine which videos not to watch, due to their clickbaity title/thumbnail
- I don’t think so. At least noone comes to mind
- No. Still using it daily, although not through the official page.
- No. Ads and enshittification are much more important issues to me. But then the creators I watch usually don’t appear clickbaity to me
- It helps me determine which videos are a waste of time
- I sympathize with creators using click bait as a tool to drive engagement. And usually I don’t mind since I (anecdotaly) find that really clickbaity titles are an indicator for bad videos. BUT scientific videos using clickbait is a real headache, since it can warp the viewer’s perception of the topic, especially if they don’t watch the video.
If the clickbait is done well or the topic of the video is genuinely compelling, then I probably don’t mind - but when it’s really generic, it’s a total turn-off for me. Some things instantly disqualify a video, like obviously AI-generated thumbnails or when they include hot girls just for clicks. I’ve seen how the view counts on those “cabin life” channels spike the moment they add a girl in yoga pants to the thumbnail, so I can’t really blame them - but because it’s so transparently manipulative, I just want no part of it.
Another thing that really irritates me is when I see that same generic “shocked face” in every thumbnail, and when I check their channel, it’s literally the same three photos recycled across dozens of videos.
I have huge respect for YouTubers who don’t play those games at all. Some good examples are Foresty Forest, Andrew Camarata, Matthias Wandel, and post10.
I think it’s a spectrum. I mostly hang out in fairly nerdy and middle-aged corners of YouTube, so I don’t see the worst of shitty clickbait. If a video from an unknown creator is suggested to me a clickbaity or ragebaity headline will probably make me avoid them.
But I don’t mind an attention grabbing title “These AWFUL ingredients were ESSENTIAL for medieval peasants” or “This IMPOSSIBLE theory lead to the discovery of oxygen”. It’s kinda lame, but it still says what the topic of video is. Worse, imho, are things like “Why do smart people keep believing this” which uses the mystery / anticipation to suck you in. From a creator I like, it won’t put me off (tbh, I probably won’t even think about it as clickbait because I know their work is usually good) but it’s not cool, and would put me off an unknown creator.
Basically, I don’t care that much about headlines (or the stupid YouTube faces), but I hate shitty, shallow content. And a lot of the time, a clickbaity headline indicates a shallow video, so it has a negative effect on my interest.
Youtube video titles that have been really bugging me lately (as they have become increasingly common) are the weirdly negative ones. Like, “THIS is why you suck at >insert your hobby here<”. It’s annoying because the video could raise a good point, but fuck, dont frame it by negging me. If I’m searching for videos on that topic, I want help, not put-downs.
I watch a ton of youtube. Mostly longform content 20 minutes or longer.
Clickbait has such a wide definition that I feel like setting clear definition would be important for your work.
We live in an attention economy where there is way more content for us to consume then we ever could so the point of descion is crucial and thumbnail and title do a lot of heavy lifting. I only dislike it and think it is a problem when it lies, or the video itself is lacking in substance.
In I a lot of gaming videos the thumbnail and or title is something along the lines of “How hard is it to beat X?” And they don’t answer the question directly, but more they play through it and you answer for yourself by watching them. Some point count this as clickbait, but I’m personally ok with it.
I’m like you, longform curated content exclusively from creators I’ve subscribed to. I just don’t have the time for all the razz ma tazz going on these days.
