I think that’s an overly cynical take tbh, and inaccurate to some extent. Not all online videos are bad and fake. I’m bias, as I create videos myself, but I mention that because the stuff I make is real. If I weren’t filming I’d be doing very similar stuff anyways. YouTube is at it’s best when you’re watching a relatively niche piece of someone’s life that they’re passionate about, it isn’t all fake reality bullshit. Additionally, I’ll mention that people have shown that they want entertainment whether it be a TV show, movie, or an independent creator on YouTube, and that stuff does have real value to people. It, by definition, isn’t worthless, as people will pay for it. Of course, I wish people held those they watch online to a higher standard.
Sure, I’m not saying there aren’t people filming their actual lives or opinions or other really real things on streaming sites. There definitely are. Most people who make those videos and streams might even start off that way.
But the algorithms that control what users see push whatever content each person is likely to agree with or strongly disagree with in order to maximize user engagement. That means anyone making videos that a large percentage of the user base will agree with or saying things many people will strongly disagree with and argue about are going to have much better metrics and make a lot more money, and the people who find a sustainable way to balance those two things will usually be the top and make the most.
Being in the top group can mean going from being completely poor to living in a mansion with lots of millions of dollars and the best of everything along with having millions of people watching and caring about everything you say.
Everyone making videos or streams is going to pay attention to their total views and shares and user comments. When a video does way better than others they’re going to wonder why and probably rewatch it, eventually noticing the patterns in ways they were acting and things they said that resulted in the most views and shares and people commenting and watching their next videos.
It gives everyone doing it huge motivation to act whatever ways they learn get them the most attention. They might not actively decide to put on a total act and fine tune it into what gets them the most views, but over time most people are going to do that. The streamers and online “content creators” that have the highest views and the most recognition are almost all going to be the fakest people.
They’re putting on the act they’ve found gets them the most views, the most money, and the most clout, but that most people will watch and interact with and applaud the views they agree with or angrily comment about the things they strongly disagree with because they believe they’re interacting with someone’s actual thoughts and opinions and not what’s become a character.
The top performers can be banned repeatedly from platforms and keep coming back or do things that should be a permanent ban or even criminal charges and have nothing come of it. Whatever platform they’re on cares about getting the most views, and money, and highest user engagement and retention more than honesty, their ToS, legality, treating all of their “content creators” the same, or anything else. The platforms are aware that saying and doing very controversial or even illegal things can result in a whole lot of public engagement.
It makes the very worst of us ‘celebrities’ and pushes decent people who start it into becoming sacks of shit.
I think that’s an overly cynical take tbh, and inaccurate to some extent. Not all online videos are bad and fake. I’m bias, as I create videos myself, but I mention that because the stuff I make is real. If I weren’t filming I’d be doing very similar stuff anyways. YouTube is at it’s best when you’re watching a relatively niche piece of someone’s life that they’re passionate about, it isn’t all fake reality bullshit. Additionally, I’ll mention that people have shown that they want entertainment whether it be a TV show, movie, or an independent creator on YouTube, and that stuff does have real value to people. It, by definition, isn’t worthless, as people will pay for it. Of course, I wish people held those they watch online to a higher standard.
Eh very few things on YouTube are worth paying for and most of it is ads even if the creator isn’t technically getting paid to promote.
I don’t think you can complain about ads in the same sentence as you say stuff isn’t worth paying for.
Sure, I’m not saying there aren’t people filming their actual lives or opinions or other really real things on streaming sites. There definitely are. Most people who make those videos and streams might even start off that way.
But the algorithms that control what users see push whatever content each person is likely to agree with or strongly disagree with in order to maximize user engagement. That means anyone making videos that a large percentage of the user base will agree with or saying things many people will strongly disagree with and argue about are going to have much better metrics and make a lot more money, and the people who find a sustainable way to balance those two things will usually be the top and make the most.
Being in the top group can mean going from being completely poor to living in a mansion with lots of millions of dollars and the best of everything along with having millions of people watching and caring about everything you say.
Everyone making videos or streams is going to pay attention to their total views and shares and user comments. When a video does way better than others they’re going to wonder why and probably rewatch it, eventually noticing the patterns in ways they were acting and things they said that resulted in the most views and shares and people commenting and watching their next videos.
It gives everyone doing it huge motivation to act whatever ways they learn get them the most attention. They might not actively decide to put on a total act and fine tune it into what gets them the most views, but over time most people are going to do that. The streamers and online “content creators” that have the highest views and the most recognition are almost all going to be the fakest people.
They’re putting on the act they’ve found gets them the most views, the most money, and the most clout, but that most people will watch and interact with and applaud the views they agree with or angrily comment about the things they strongly disagree with because they believe they’re interacting with someone’s actual thoughts and opinions and not what’s become a character.
The top performers can be banned repeatedly from platforms and keep coming back or do things that should be a permanent ban or even criminal charges and have nothing come of it. Whatever platform they’re on cares about getting the most views, and money, and highest user engagement and retention more than honesty, their ToS, legality, treating all of their “content creators” the same, or anything else. The platforms are aware that saying and doing very controversial or even illegal things can result in a whole lot of public engagement.
It makes the very worst of us ‘celebrities’ and pushes decent people who start it into becoming sacks of shit.