YouTube has developed a reputation for being frustrating lately. Countless YouTubers have been frustrated by the videos begging for thousands of likes from their viewers as being the ones who “interact” with their viewers the best; this kind of interaction, of course, is fairly fake and very manufactured.
YouTube’s Trending Tab has also been a hot topic of discussion. Many of the “trending” videos have been television shows or advertisements, rather than up-and-coming YouTube videos from the YouTube community itself. These are some of the things h3h3Productions has discussed.
Some other YouTubers, however, have other ideas about what might be going on. Matthew Patrick, creator of popular channels such as Game Theory and Film Theory, theorized about the true direction in which YouTube has been heading.
He suggests that, instead of just selling out to advertisers, perhaps YouTube is actually just rewarding viewers who receive more viewing time and put out regular content.
Now, this algorithm might work if YouTube is going to be the next TV, but for YouTubers who publish incredible, in-depth videos every few weeks or even months, this is extraordinarily harmful. YouTubers such as Vsauce or videogamedunkey, who have intensely written and edited videos, are unable to put out daily videos while maintaining the same standard of content they have now.
Because YouTube has not been notifying the subscribers of each channel when a new video is out, and because of the strange "Trending" formula, these YouTubers (ironically, the ones who have been more quiet about these changes since they typically are not the regular “vlogger” types) may face some issues in viewership.
Much of the controversy comes from the simple fact that YouTube is choosing what the viewers see. Much of what makes YouTube home to many viewers and creators is the fact that it is community-driven. Perhaps these changes that desire “viewer interaction” are an attempt to pursue that, but to many, it seems like a very poor way to handle the situation.
Marco Omta is a sophomore studying music production. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Are you frustrated with YouTube's new algorithm? Email Marco at mo183714@ohio.edu.
