There's some interesting YouTube content by 'creators' out there - anything by Ben Eater just blows my mind - by most of it is narcissistic garbage. I can also read faster than someone can talk, so I find watching videos to be less efficient unless it's something that benefits from the format.
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Thoughts Toward YouTubers, Influencers, and Content Creators
- Thread starter spunkystrawberries
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Content creators... I like. I have found that both me and the wife, right now, like watching Youtube more than regular TV. We subscribe to a bunch of different topics and pretty much have what would seem to be an endless amount of content for us to consume when we want to.
Some interesting takes in here. Rather than parse the differences between categories of folks that make and post YouTube videos, I'll share my thoughts on YouTube as a platform.
The TL/DR is that I like YouTube and think it's an essential resource.
I'm an old guy. By that I mean over 70 years of age. My network/cable TV watching ended ca 2016, when I realized that I no longer enjoyed watching what it had to offer. There were exceptions, of course. NatGeo, the History Channel, This Old House, some cooking shows, and the like. To me, network news shows were (and apparently still are) largely a steaming pile of partisan dreck tarted up to pass as "news." My life improved as a result of cancelling my cable TV subscription.
Then, a few years ago I discovered YouTube, which came up in an internet search for information on something car-related. I drive older cars. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I found what I was looking for in several videos that addressed that particular issue.
Gradually I started to discover that there is a breadth of information on almost any subject available, in video form, that simply isn't accessible anywhere else. If there is, I'd love to know where that is.
Again, mainly focusing on car stuff, I found that there are usually multiple videos on the same subject, albeit varying in quality. Some of them are well produced; some contain factual errors; and some are simply painful to watch. But between them, I'm almost always able to ferret out a useful response to a question.
It feels a lot like doing research. Which is fine with me. Perhaps from having a formal education in Biology and Chemistry, I understand what research entails, and mostly enjoy the process.
Gradually I started looking at information and opinions on subjects other than cars. Same result. Some videos are thoughtful, well produced, and informative. Others, less so.
I said I wouldn't get into the differences between the categories of YouTube folks, but to discuss the platform; however, I feel it's necessary to add one: Journalists. It turns out that there are some actual journalists making videos on YouTube, and they're not on network/cable TV.
How is that possible? They're not "credentialed" by the major networks, so how can they be journalists? But if one looks up the definition of journalist, using several of the online dictionaries, it turns out that approval by a network is not a requirement for being a journalist. The ability to research a story and report on it, citing facts in their proper context, and being transparent about stating opinions, are.
A case in point is reporting on the effects of Hurricane Helen on western North Carolina and Tennessee. My SO and I were camping in western North Carolina as Helene was arriving, and left the morning before it hit. It was shocking to see the level of destruction that resulted, and that we were so fortunate to have narrowly avoided.
There are many YouTube videos of the destruction, and, just as important, lengthy interviews with many victims, that weren't edited to fit a specific time slot or the bias of the sponsoring network. Again, some of the reporting on YouTube is uneven, but its very existence makes the point. It's a source of information and perspectives that would otherwise be unheard and unseen. And it's up to the viewer to sort through and weigh it all to determine what makes sense and what doesn't. Which presumably free-thinking adults are capable of, right?
How-to videos and those having to do with science and sometimes history is where I spend most of my time on YouTube. And when I feel the need to peruse current events, the platform gives me a much broader range of offerings than that available on network/cable TV. I truly appreciate that it's available as an alternative to the 'mainstream' media.
Unfortunately, YouTube is apparently dipping its toe into censorship, bleeping out some words, phrases, and blocking some channels entirely. Not surprising, as one of the major tech companies purchased a while back. My only hope is that another platform emerges to successfully compete with YouTube.
The TL/DR is that I like YouTube and think it's an essential resource.
I'm an old guy. By that I mean over 70 years of age. My network/cable TV watching ended ca 2016, when I realized that I no longer enjoyed watching what it had to offer. There were exceptions, of course. NatGeo, the History Channel, This Old House, some cooking shows, and the like. To me, network news shows were (and apparently still are) largely a steaming pile of partisan dreck tarted up to pass as "news." My life improved as a result of cancelling my cable TV subscription.
Then, a few years ago I discovered YouTube, which came up in an internet search for information on something car-related. I drive older cars. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I found what I was looking for in several videos that addressed that particular issue.
Gradually I started to discover that there is a breadth of information on almost any subject available, in video form, that simply isn't accessible anywhere else. If there is, I'd love to know where that is.
Again, mainly focusing on car stuff, I found that there are usually multiple videos on the same subject, albeit varying in quality. Some of them are well produced; some contain factual errors; and some are simply painful to watch. But between them, I'm almost always able to ferret out a useful response to a question.
It feels a lot like doing research. Which is fine with me. Perhaps from having a formal education in Biology and Chemistry, I understand what research entails, and mostly enjoy the process.
Gradually I started looking at information and opinions on subjects other than cars. Same result. Some videos are thoughtful, well produced, and informative. Others, less so.
I said I wouldn't get into the differences between the categories of YouTube folks, but to discuss the platform; however, I feel it's necessary to add one: Journalists. It turns out that there are some actual journalists making videos on YouTube, and they're not on network/cable TV.
How is that possible? They're not "credentialed" by the major networks, so how can they be journalists? But if one looks up the definition of journalist, using several of the online dictionaries, it turns out that approval by a network is not a requirement for being a journalist. The ability to research a story and report on it, citing facts in their proper context, and being transparent about stating opinions, are.
A case in point is reporting on the effects of Hurricane Helen on western North Carolina and Tennessee. My SO and I were camping in western North Carolina as Helene was arriving, and left the morning before it hit. It was shocking to see the level of destruction that resulted, and that we were so fortunate to have narrowly avoided.
There are many YouTube videos of the destruction, and, just as important, lengthy interviews with many victims, that weren't edited to fit a specific time slot or the bias of the sponsoring network. Again, some of the reporting on YouTube is uneven, but its very existence makes the point. It's a source of information and perspectives that would otherwise be unheard and unseen. And it's up to the viewer to sort through and weigh it all to determine what makes sense and what doesn't. Which presumably free-thinking adults are capable of, right?
How-to videos and those having to do with science and sometimes history is where I spend most of my time on YouTube. And when I feel the need to peruse current events, the platform gives me a much broader range of offerings than that available on network/cable TV. I truly appreciate that it's available as an alternative to the 'mainstream' media.
Unfortunately, YouTube is apparently dipping its toe into censorship, bleeping out some words, phrases, and blocking some channels entirely. Not surprising, as one of the major tech companies purchased a while back. My only hope is that another platform emerges to successfully compete with YouTube.
Realized I never even talked about "influencers" or any of that—meaning a content creator on something other than YT. I'm not on TikTok, so I don't get any of that. I'm on Insta only because people I know irl are on it. But I don't watch any of the reels or anything like that, just my friends' stories. So I realy don't have a strong connection with creators on those platforms.
I dislike nearly the entire community if I'm honest.
There is either a paid influential agenda behind the videos (professional influencers). A sponsor motivating them which they rely on to feed them (Buy NordVPN!). Or they appear to have spent some time licking toads recently (space baboons something something tin foil hat). After you filter out all the dregs there are perhaps 5% of what is left is worth bothering with and that is so hard to find now it's not worth it.
I'd rather read a book. They are harder to put together and easier to filter which filters out a lot of garbage.
There are very few on YouTube that I watch, definitely not the influencers or those types.
Mr Tyrrell who works on (and runs a business) working on classic cars is one of the few I do watch.
Mr Tyrrell who works on (and runs a business) working on classic cars is one of the few I do watch.
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I agree with what you have to say above except that I am not so certain about your last paragraph. I don't know if Elton purchased YouTube, but if he did there is a great chance that most of the restrictions you are referring to won't exist in YouTube, much like he has done with Tweeter (X) now. At the moment YouTube is much like watching TV at home, but not just choosing among... "maybe" 200 channels to watch, but several hundreds (maybe thousands?) of content creators, plus perhaps 200 or more channels. Everything shown or told by the TV conglomerates has been politicized beyond common sense, so I find the alphabet TV and radio channels boring and obsolete.
Well...it seems that there are millions of content creators in YouTube:
YouTube Content Creator Statistics (2024)
The latest data on the largest YouTube content creators including channel subscribers, views, and uploads.
explodingtopics.com
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Alphabet (née Google); bought YouTube in 2006 (according to Wikipedia). The same company that brought us the Gemini AI platform.I agree with what you have to say above except that I am not so certain about your last paragraph. I don't know if Elton purchased YouTube, but if he did there is a great chance that most of the restrictions you are referring to won't exist in YouTube, much like he has done with Tweeter (X) now. At the moment YouTube is much like watching TV at home, but not just choosing among... "maybe" 200 channels to watch, but several hundreds (maybe thousands?) of content creators, plus perhaps 200 or more channels. Everything shown or told by the TV conglomerates has been politicized beyond common sense, so I find the alphabet TV and radio channels boring and obsolete.
Well...it seems that there are millions of content creators in YouTube:
YouTube Content Creator Statistics (2024)
The latest data on the largest YouTube content creators including channel subscribers, views, and uploads.
I'm not optimistic.