As someone who is constantly on YouTube and has been since the pre-Google era, their algorithm is shit now. It keeps giving me the same crap over and over and even though I click Not Interested, I continue to get things I don’t want to see. WTF
When combined with “don’t recommend channel” and removing videos from your watch history, it works for content. Unless you actually partake in related content. For example: If you watch political content, you will regularly get recommended stuff opposite to what you like, regardless of many times you click “not interested”.
Although it should be mentioned that “not interested” does literally nothing when it comes to not seeing shorts in general, for that you need an extension, app or ublock filter that let you hide them.
YouTube has a subscriptions feed that shows videos only from channels you follow.
I’ve found that turning the watch history off results in more accurate and relevant recommended videos from videos you watch from your subscribed channels.
When the recommended videos suddenly go off kilter, it’s telling that the video you’re watching is somehow related to the weird side of YouTube.
Yup. I’ve built a system where I tell it every video “not interested” after searching 1 topic. It literally doesn’t give two shits about all the subs I have with content I’m actually interested in. It’s like “oh shit you watched that one popular video, time to fill your entire feed with ADHD shorts and slop bullshit. We’re just going to ignore your historical data completely”
I’ve definitely noticed this, you watch one or two videos that are from a popular genre, and all of a sudden that’s half your recommendations. I’ve found the “not interested” option does work though.
They do have a lot of viewing history to work with though.
watch one or two videos that are from a popular genre
This is why if I’m on desktop, I either open in a private window, or immediately delete the video from my YouTube history. Or if I’m on my phone, I open it on newpipe.
That happens when you are subscribed too, it seems to heavily prefer showing you content (even from channels you are subscribed to) that matches the last few videos you watched.
I’m having an OK time with alternatives, namely GrayJay on Android and Windows desktop. Basically I had to make sure my subscriptions included the 50-75 creators I am actually interested in, then the list becomes 100% relevant because it is just videos from creators you are subbed to. On the Desktop app it still uses algorithm of some sort for sidebar content based on the current video you are watching only. So if you still want to “organically discover” things you can, but don’t have to.
The only bad part with the Windows desktop version is it will crash the entire app mid-playback sometimes. Hopefully the bugs get fixed eventually. Also the “home” tab of Grayjay is some weird pseudo political stuff but at least you can ignore that entire tab and just look at your own subscriptions.
As someone who is constantly on YouTube and has been since the pre-Google era, their algorithm is
shitnow. It keeps giving me the same crap over and over and even though I click Not Interested, I continue to get things I don’t want to see. WTF“Shorts” and “Games” are like herpes. No matter how many times you try to get rid of them, they just keep appearing.
I do not want short form video, nor do I want to participate in “gaming” that is just poker machines reskinned as a “game” to take your money.
The “not interested” button, it does nothing!
When combined with “don’t recommend channel” and removing videos from your watch history, it works for content. Unless you actually partake in related content. For example: If you watch political content, you will regularly get recommended stuff opposite to what you like, regardless of many times you click “not interested”.
Although it should be mentioned that “not interested” does literally nothing when it comes to not seeing shorts in general, for that you need an extension, app or ublock filter that let you hide them.
“Not Interested” is just free data for them to fill out your account’s advertising profile.
I made a filter in ublock origin. Haven’t seen shorts in forever and I didn’t even realize they were trying to peddle ‘games’ now
Finally, someone else who remembers the singular year that Youtube existed independently
The only new things it recommends is alt right stuff or closely related alt right. I’m good with getting the same recommendations…
YouTube has a subscriptions feed that shows videos only from channels you follow.
I’ve found that turning the watch history off results in more accurate and relevant recommended videos from videos you watch from your subscribed channels.
When the recommended videos suddenly go off kilter, it’s telling that the video you’re watching is somehow related to the weird side of YouTube.
Yup. I’ve built a system where I tell it every video “not interested” after searching 1 topic. It literally doesn’t give two shits about all the subs I have with content I’m actually interested in. It’s like “oh shit you watched that one popular video, time to fill your entire feed with ADHD shorts and slop bullshit. We’re just going to ignore your historical data completely”
I’ve definitely noticed this, you watch one or two videos that are from a popular genre, and all of a sudden that’s half your recommendations. I’ve found the “not interested” option does work though.
They do have a lot of viewing history to work with though.
This is why if I’m on desktop, I either open in a private window, or immediately delete the video from my YouTube history. Or if I’m on my phone, I open it on newpipe.
That happens when you are subscribed too, it seems to heavily prefer showing you content (even from channels you are subscribed to) that matches the last few videos you watched.
I’m having an OK time with alternatives, namely GrayJay on Android and Windows desktop. Basically I had to make sure my subscriptions included the 50-75 creators I am actually interested in, then the list becomes 100% relevant because it is just videos from creators you are subbed to. On the Desktop app it still uses algorithm of some sort for sidebar content based on the current video you are watching only. So if you still want to “organically discover” things you can, but don’t have to.
The only bad part with the Windows desktop version is it will crash the entire app mid-playback sometimes. Hopefully the bugs get fixed eventually. Also the “home” tab of Grayjay is some weird pseudo political stuff but at least you can ignore that entire tab and just look at your own subscriptions.