Ask Lemmy

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 paid for Dearrow if that answers your question.

I have many thoughts. Number 3 will surprise you!

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.

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.

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.

I think it's like SEO. Moreso the platform's fault vs the creator trying to get by

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.

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.

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.

After I started using dearrow to remove custom thumbnails, I've had alot better time browsing YouTube.

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.

Do you use youtube mainly?

Yes, though not through the website or app

Do you care about clickbait?

I don't often see it as I use DeArrow, but if I do see it, I just move on unless it's a video that interests me.

Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?

Kinda? Part of it was just getting tired of their style/growing out of it.

Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it’s platform?

No, I still use it.

Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube’s problems?

I think there are bigger issues than clickbait on YouTube, such as the sex bots in comments and inappropriate ads

Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things? Like, which ones?

I don't see anything good in clickbait, but it's not something real bad either. To me, it's more of just something that exists and nothing else.

Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?

It's a subjective opinion and differs between people. I personally don't see it as a "necessary evil", but maybe someone else does.

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 use Youtube a lot. If I see a video from a creator I don't know, or from one I don't care that much about, and the thumbnail sets off my clickbait alarms, I just open the three dots menu and click "Don't recommend channel." I don't think it's a big problem, but it does annoy me and this significantly reduces the amount that I have to put up with it.

Sometimes if a thumbnail is borderline I'll open it in a new tab so I can entertain it for a few minutes and see if they pay off. If they don't, they get "don't recommend"ed.

I've also done this for creators who put the "like and subscribe" ask before I've actually seen the content they're asking me to subscribe to, if I'm in a particularly petty mood.

• 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.

It's terrible. Especially the ones where the title is a question that can be answered in a single sentence, and the video is 20 minutes long. It's a symptom though. The root cause is the monetization model, that you need a video to be a certain length to get paid. Or maybe the longer someone is watching it, the better (I don't know if that's a thing).

I use Youtube a lot and I dislike clickbait. I generally avoid videos with obviously clickbaity titles or thumbnails. That said, some of the Youtubers I watch have resorted to using more clickbaity titles in recent years and as long as their content is still good, I tolerate it to some degree. I understand that making money on Youtube is not easy for small creators and if those strategies get them more clicks, I'm okay with it as long as they're not being manipulative in a blatantly malicious way.

TL;dr: Don't try to gaslight me and we're good.

~~Good~~ 'Meh' clickbait
Title: She hates him!
Video: She says she "hates "him, but is clearly being ironic.

Bad clickbait
Title: She hates him!
Video: She says she didn't like that one thing he said, but it doesn't change how she feels about him as a person.

Bad clickbait
Title: She hates him!
Video: Editor stitches together unrelated events to make it look like she said she hates him.

Can I suggest you title your video "How clickbait is ruining the Internet and destroying lives"?

I only really care about it when it straight up lies, which I don't see too often. Had this happen just the other day, though, where the video title and the thumbnail made it seem like it was a new cartoon pilot, but then it was just some dude bitching about some Viziepop show and didn't even show clips.

I block channels that do this shit.

You wanna catch my attention? Just make your thunbnail accurate and colorful, and title the video something descriptive.

I use youtube on a fire tv stick often enough. I do care about clickbait. Clickbait does cause me to not watch particular channels. clickbait did not make me stop I mostly just don't watch it but its impossible to completely avoid. no clickbait is not the only problem, there is the often mocked video that does not get to the point until way deep in. I have not seen good clickbait. I do not see clickbait as necessary but stuff like that rears up in all sorts of media (movies were all the good scenes are in the trailer)

Do you use youtube mainly?

I use it pretty frequently. I wouldn't say "mainly." It's a source of education and entertainment for me, but not my only one.

Do you care about clickbait?

It's a pretty large annoyance to me, so yes, I do care about it to the extent that I wish it would go away.

Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?

Yes, I've purged creators from my subscription list solely because I was getting annoyed at the clickbait titles and/or title cards they used in their videos.

Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it's platform?

I avoided YouTube for a while, partly because of all the clickbait, but also because of the amount of ads popping up on the service. I only came back when I learned how to block ads. I tolerate a certain amount of clickbait now.

Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube's problems?

One of the larger problems, yes. But not THE major problem of the platform. I feel issues with censorship, AI moderation, and an abundance of advertisements interrupting videos are worse issues that should be addressed.

Clickbait is more of a creator issue; it could be resolved by creators refusing to use clickbait to draw in viewers. Let the quality of their content speak for itself. But because monetized content is earned based on views, it creates an incentive to get people to click on your video no matter what, which promotes clickbait. If you're using YouTube primarily to make money, then clickbait is the default most content creators go for.

I guess YouTube could fix that by changing their monetization standard. Maybe base it on popularity ranking over time instead of number of clicks or something. But it would take time to phase out clickbait, and I doubt it would ever fully go away.

Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things? Like, which ones?

I personally don't see any value in clickbait. It's just a way to pull your attention in an ever-distracting online world. It's the lowest common denominator of recruiting views for your content. I don't hold any respect for anyone who employs it in their content.

Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?

Never. It's a tool used by people who don't know how to market their own content to the general public. It's using manipulation to draw your attention to content that typically doesn't live up to the clickbait title. It's an extreme action in a distraction-filled world to stand out.

With a little effort, creators could market themselves better and not need clickbait. But it's the easy way out, and most creators would rather go this route than put effort into expanding their audience.

Yes, I use Youtube almost daily.
I try to avoid clickbait, on those that are too obvious I hit the not interested button.
I'm not sure if I stopped watching some people but one thing I started to do is open clickbaity videos in a new tab so if the video was bad I can go to the previous tab and hit the "do not recommend this channel" option.
No.
No.
No.
I don't see it as an evil per se, mostly as a lazy resource. I see it like an easy joke, it can be funny but if not delivered properly it will fall flat.

I don’t want to reward clickbait, so I tend to avoid them. I’m less likely to watch a content creator if I think they use clickbait too much.

However, I don’t think it’s a big of a deal. I’m more tired of all the slop content. Videos that pretend it has something important to say, but it’s not any deeper than a Wikipedia excerpt.

And if some YouTuber hits big with one video, expect at least 20 other creators make videos of the same topic with nothing new to say.

The algorithm has been really bad lately.

Neigsendoig (my producer) and I absolutely use the stones out of YouTube through Invidious, so we know a thing or two about clickbait (as we're both content creators, while I'm virtual in this context). Speaking of, clickbait to be clickbait (meaning, clickbait elements without any sort of valuable video) is completely sloppy, and AI loves that. After all, the YouTube algorithm clearly does something as an AI with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, megalomania, and a ton of other human mental health issues.

Clickbait titles without actual video behind it is a bad move, as I tend to watch more relationship YouTubers vs. idea YouTubers [that's an idea from Olli (Mumbo Jumbo) by the way]. Neigsendoig and I are on opposite sides of the spectrum, as I narrate for an idea YouTube channel.

That said, to your question on clickbait making one stop seeing a creator... for both Neigsendoig and I, it 100% does depending on the context, and the dualistic type I described earlier. While not the major problem, clickbait is certainly a huge problem on the platform. Now, I guess you want color in your thumbnails, though you might want more blue (I'm thinking house decoration here, as blue draws people in a lot) in your thumbnail. Neigsendoig has been known to do that in GIMP (libre Photoshop), and he's used quite a bit of yellow on blue.

For the case of good in clickbait, it depends on if the content is valuable for building out your life, or building out some ideas you want to make reality (Jack Spirko-style moment), which is what both Sendo (Neigsendoig) and I tend to do.

As for clickbait being necessary... I don't think so at all in terms of evil. That said, if you know how to do it right, you can make pleasing thumbnails without all the slop of it.

The bigger problem is spammy shit, stealing content. But Google doesn’t care. So the entire issue is moot.

And click bait is an opinion. There is no way to perfectly filter it. That is Masnick’s Law.

Thanks for all the responses!! Some of them really made me open my mind about some things and now I know which is the best way to aboard the theme and do not talk of it as if it were cancer or something like that. Thank you again! I hope upload the video both in spanish and english, with no AI, obviuosly.

I use an extension that prevents all-caps in video titles and picks a random thumbnail from the video. I find that most clickbait only exists in titles and thumbnails, but the videos themselves are okay. At least, when it comes to stuff I'm interested in.

That said, if the script of the video ever becomes clickbaity too, or if they start shilling a product in the middle of the video, I dump them immediately.

Do you use youtube mainly?

No.

Do you care about clickbait?

Yes, it irritates me.

Did clickbait make you stop seeing some creator?

No, no content creators I follow engage in that.

Did you use youtube but clickbait (among other things) made you to stop using it's platform?

I use YT the same amount as I always have.

Do you think clickbait is the major of the YouTube's problems?

No, that would be moderation.

Do you see something good in clickbait among the bad things?

No.

• Could we see clickbait as a necessary evil?

Evil yes, necessary no.

I stopped using YouTube a while back.

There's still content creators and people in there still trying to do good work, most of these (although not all) are on Nebula, in case people wish to support them and ditch youtube altogether.

But YouTube as a platform has become unusable for me. And it was not recent.

And I don't want to use second party clients anymore either. Chasing which one isn't blocked now is a hassle that is just not worth it for me any longer. The culture that exists in there is not something that I want to bother myself with this much for anymore.

Throughout the last decade after Google purchasing the platform in 2010 (if I'm not mistaken?), I saw YouTube become the first epicenter of everything that is the most horrible online. Gamergate started on YouTube (and was maximised and driven by its embedded algorithms after the Google purchase) before moving on to reddit, 9Gag, instagram and virtually any other platform. And now it's just rampant common ground in culture, with "SJW" becoming "Woke", and "Anti-SJW" becoming "Anti-Woke".

And the masses took the silly pill.

Clickbait articles are the least of the problems that YouTube has for a very long time.

Misinformation unchecked and even blatant lies allowed freely to circulate for years and years now. Just check how many flat earth channels are spewing nonsense freely over there for so long now. And that is just one example. Just one.

Rage and disgust rewarded by the algorithm, resulted in deranged forms of behaviour and rage inducing statements to become common ground in the pursuit of monetization.

Then there's ads there are openly scams for the gullible to fall for. Yes, I know Meta allows these as well, but I stopped using anything Meta even before stopping youtube. Yes, even WhatsApp. The Cambridge Analytica scandal should've made everyone quit in rage and never look back. But hey, I guess I was mostly alone in that. And look at where that got us now. Not just the U.S. but the whole world.

And then there's AI...

If people need a case study for how the once considered silly "Dead Internet Theory" is becoming true, take youtube. Plenty of AI generated content as a non-stop sludge, reacted by brigade bots, scam bots and sex bots, all rising in the algorithm through faux viewership. The human is becoming incidental in their current model.

Now, everytime I end up on youtube through some website sharing a link to a video there, I can tell you that the feeling for me is one of entering a loud space of derangement, a most horrifying circus, displaying mental illness and sociapathy as their acts.

But to be honest, ever since I moved to the fediverse exclusively in the last couple of years, that's how I feel about every major platform now. But youtube still does feel worse in many ways to me.

And I hope nobody here takes this as judgement for their usage of these platforms. Youtube alone took hours of my week before this. Reddit too. I know how absorbing it all is. But now, on the outside, I also know how draining it was.

But if your focus is truly just on "clickbait", know that predates youtube and even the internet in the form of sensationalist headlines. Tv made it worse. Then the internet exploded it in scale. And Social Media consolidated that as the only viable option through the algorithmic incentive for it.

Just check News Headlines from reputable sources from each decade and you'll see the issue glaringly worsening throughout time.

Good luck on your project and I also hope you'll share it on the fediverse.

Cheers.

As a video platform yes, yes, yes, no, no,, no, no

Sometimes I open clickbait. Sometimes I skip clickbait when it would have potentially interested me otherwise because it's clickbait.

Most of the time clickbait prevents me from making a reasonable judgement about what the comment is and whether it would be interesting to me or valued by me.

I guess clickbait is a big issue for the positive health of the platform, but certainly not the only one.

I'm not a fan of it, but if I'm remembering correctly, only up to about 2% of views come from the subscriptions page.

This means a channel has to attract a lot of folks from other areas, and this requires somehow grabbing people. YouTube has tools for A/B testing thumbnails and titles. Channels that have tried clickbait vs normal thumbnails have found normal just doesn't generate clicks.

So unless YouTube revenue makes up a small enough percent of a channel's income, the channel is basically forced into using it. Even if they find it just as distasteful as we do.

Source: I think this is something Tom Scott went into at some point. The information is likely a few years out of date, but I wouldn't expect that it's changed radically.

I'm honestly more baffled and annoyed at how low usage of subscriptions is, than I am at clickbait. It makes it seem like this problem stems more from an audience desire to be spoonfed by an inscrutable algorithm than from anything to do with clickbait itself, or choices freely made by channels.

I'm not a good user since I watch at most one YouTube video per week. But knowing the massive amount of videos and all the random crap that is suggested, I guess that 99% of those videos are clickbait one way or another to get ad money.

I don't think all that crap has damaged the platform. YouTube naturally turned into the old TV that I watched before the internet.

There is no "good YouTube" at all, only a web site that was not monetized to death. Same for most crappy web services that replaced local applications, and added a login and a subscription to use your own data.

Clickbait should be considered a type of disinformation. They know they won't talk about it or that it's not what they say it is but the title will suggest otherwise on purpose.

Or the thumbnail, of course. Clickbait is on a bunch of platforms besides YouTube. I don't use YouTube directly, deleted my Google account. I have a plugin called De-Arrow that literally removes all clickbait thumbnails and shows a random screenshot from the video and changes the title to a more accurate one instead of a sensational one.

Completely nullifying the efforts of these stupid click baiting bastards.