Random Thoughts 2: Arbitrary Speculations

[yung.carl.jung]

I really hate when Youtube abuses its main icon to lead to some nonsense I don't care about. First that gay price virtue-signaling BS a week ago, now I constantly misclick and am redirected to some E3-coverage, and as if that wasn't already bad enough, it's on youtube's gaming sub-page which is annoyingly slow for some reason.

this kind of tempts the question: what kind of person goes to the youtube gaming sub and expects good things?

 

[Ryika]

Heaven forbid that a company publicly supports some social cause or other. Whatever next?

I wouldn't have a problem with it if they supported a social cause if they gave me the option to opt out of that - I'm watching youtube for entertainment, not to be the target of activism - and, maybe more importantly, if they actually DID support that social cause in the first place.

But they don't, as shown by the fact that they're still demonetizing a ton of completely harmless LGBT-content as not advertiser-friendly, and, when they run ads, actually run ads from anti-gay propaganda organizations on LGBT-related content - two recent controversies that still haven't been resolved yet.

That, plus the fact that every single LGBT-creator that they feature year after year is a rainbow unicorn who has made being a "member of the LGBT-community" their whole identity, while LGBT individuals who are just creators of some kind of content who also happen to be gay have been wholly ignored. What kind of message does that send? "You're gay? Well, you don't matter to us, unless you also look like a stereotype and talk about being gay 24/7!"?

I'm bisexual, and I surely don't want the world to think that I'm like these people. I mean, it's not "okay" to write stereotypical gay people in movies anymore, right? Why is it then "okay" to gather the most out-there individuals and create stereotypes in the real world?

This whole thing is the very definition of cynical corporate virtue signaling right there.

this kind of tempts the question: what kind of person goes to the youtube gaming sub and expects good things?

Well, it's not like I want to go there. The youtube icon that would normally read "<Playbutton> Youtube" leads you there if you click too far to the right.

 

[Synobun]

Why would you want to click the YouTube icon anyways? It brings you to the homepage, the worst part of YouTube by far.

 

[Arakhor]

This whole thing is the very definition of cynical corporate virtue signaling right there.

Fair enough, but it's entirely possible (and probably likely) that the issue with demonetisation is not due to some malign influence at YouTube and more due to incompetence and technical failings. It would take a special level of malice to deliberately run anti-LGBT ads on LGBT videos, after all.

 

[Ryika]

Fair enough, but it's entirely possible (and probably likely) that the issue with demonetisation is not due to some malign influence at YouTube and more due to incompetence and technical failings. It would take a special level of malice to deliberately run anti-LGBT ads on LGBT videos, after all.

No, I don't think it's malice either, it's just the algorithm doing it's thing while it's not being supervised closely. It's easy to see how Anti-LGBT-content would be categorized as "LGBT-related" content, and it's not a new phenomenon either - there are lots of memes that show people making a video such as "I hate product X" that would then get commercials for product "X" just because it's related to that product. The algorithm just isn't very good at figuring out that a commercial and a video display opposing opinions on the issue that they have in common.

It's the slow response to this problem, and especially in combination with the fact that LGBT-content has been on the receiving end of completely nonsensical demonetization by Youtube's automated systems for months now, without much feedback from Youtube about the issue, that makes it obvious that the people at Youtube do not actually care, or at least do not run their company in a way that places much importance on the issue of the LGBT-community.

Why would you want to click the YouTube icon anyways? It brings you to the homepage, the worst part of YouTube by far.

I've created a new account not too long ago to get rid of all the political and cynical content that I was subscribed to, and I now usually go through a circle of watching a video, clicking the home button, have a look at the stuff that youtube offers me, and then continue to the subscriptions page.

I find that the main page is quite useful as long as you micromanage your watch history and actually use the "Not Interested" function. Have found a lot of interesting Channels that create content that I like, including some that create stuff that I didn't think I would be interested in.

 

[Arakhor]

I use "Not Interested" a lot. It's about the only way I can clear out all the usual videos about football, pop music, fashion and what-have-you from my recommendations.

 

[Lohrenswald]

Youtube is a terrible website without redeeming features

 

[Arakhor]

Thank you for your input, Lohrens.

 

[Lohrenswald]

I am dashing out truth-bombs left and right

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I am dashing out truth-bombs left and right

Maybe you should do that one a youtube channel. You might even make some money.

 

[Lohrenswald]

Maybe you should do that one a youtube channel. You might even make some money.

I'll try and make a youtube video

no guarantee I won't give up due to boredom

 

[Ryika]

Youtube Rule No 1: If it's controversial, it won't get monetized.
Truthbombs don't make money on Youtube.

Might be able to sell "Youtube is garbage"-T-Shirts though.

Different Topic:

I don't understand why Swarmsim is so addictive. It's not even a game, just an... Inflation Simulator. No gameplay, all you do is click buttons and wait, wait, wait some more.. wait even longer, then click a button again. But I always go back to it when I'm bored.

 

[Synobun]

Swarm Simulator is the bee's knees. I prefer Derivative Clicker though.

 

[Traitorfish]

I wouldn't have a problem with it if they supported a social cause if they gave me the option to opt out of that - I'm watching youtube for entertainment, not to be the target of activism

Youtube Rule No 1: If it's controversial, it won't get monetized.

These seem like contradictory thoughts.

 

[Ryika]

On the surface, yes, but it makes sense if you understand what is going on with youtube.

Youtube does not have a problem with controversial content, instead, advertisers have a problem with having their ads show up on controversial content. Or well, if you're cynical like me, then you might think that they don't really have a problem with that, but since the Wall Street Journal and other outlets have pointed at the fact that, among other things, far-right content has been getting ads for mainstream products, they have started pretending as if they care to not be associated with that content.

So Youtube was forced, or at least decided that it's good for business, to bow down to the pressure and demonetize that sort of content, and because they have been using a lot of automated systems for that, controversial content of all kinds has been flagged as not advertiser-friendly, including channels that make political commentary, lgbt content, channels that use swear words, and all sorts of other stuff.

So in the end, youtube accepts, and sometimes produces, controversial content, but really wants to keep it away from advertisers. Unless of course it is put on their own channels or other "trusted" sources - which is why corporate news stations get ads even if they show footage of a terror attack, while people like Philip DeFranco get demonetized if they discuss a terror attack without even showing the footage.

 

[cardgame]

Yes, Youtube's monetization is really screwball arbitrary these days

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I use "Not Interested" a lot. It's about the only way I can clear out all the usual videos about football, pop music, fashion and what-have-you from my recommendations.

I just click "x" on the list of recommended channels if I'm not interested in them, and as for ads on YouTube, I never see them (there are add-ons and extensions to deal with that, specially made for YouTube).

 

[Takhisis]

Youtube is a terrible website without redeeming features

Except the videos it hosts themselves.

 

[Lohrenswald]

Except the videos it hosts themselves.

no they're terrible

 

[Ryika]

no they're terrible

Go oh, tell her that you think she's terrible, you heartless monster!