why does youtube feel so lackluster and stale right now? | Internet Analysis
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- let's just chat about how youtube feels lately! // Thanks, Seatgeek! Use code TIFFANY for $20 off your first SeatGeek order. seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TIFFANY
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - intro
2:50 - thank you, Seatgeek!
4:16 - trying to resist tiktok and failing
10:50 - why is the youtube algorithm so bad lately
13:23 - youtube shorts
15:17 - how I'm feeling about video essays & commentary
17:52 - the fatigue of the creative process
20:55 - youtuber burnout
23:09 - the world is burnt out
29:11 - anyway... should I start making tiktoks?
31:35 - final thoughts
RESOURCES & REFERENCES:
"is youtube dead?? I'm serious" (@drewmonson2) - • is UA-cam dead?? i'm ...
"Why Emma Chamberlain Quit UA-cam, Again." (@ColinandSamir) - • Why Emma Chamberlain Q...
FEATURED IN THUMBNAIL:
screenshot of Hannah Elise's thumbnail for, "how to get through a period of burnout" - • how to get through a p...
tiktok "is youtube dying" by maylingstudio - www.tiktok.com/@maylingstudio...
Tiffany Ferguson (she/her), 26 years old. Here on Tiffanyferg, my main series is called Internet Analysis, where I research and discuss topics related to social issues and media.
#internetanalysis #youtuberburnout #tiktok
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every time I find a youtuber I like they don’t post a video for 6 months I swear
Its because too many rules and they don't pay as well no more
aka emma chamberlain but she just came back yesterday the world is healing
Lmao I feel like I just got told on 😭
@@nkk_23 Emma Chamberlain's videos depress me. Seeing that kind of wealth and privilege that I'll never have is triggering 😭
totally feel the same, so I just rewatch their videos religiously the entire day (jenna marbles)
I think you’re right that everyone is burnt out, not just creators. I think we all thought the pandemic would be over as quickly as it started and things would bounce back and life would be a bit more fun! That never happened. It’s still all omicron / inflation / interest rates / constant zoom calls / breakthrough infections / gun violence / crypto / Putin / NFT scams / stock market crash / recession... I think we all need a vacation and some escapism because all that stuff is so outside of our control.
It's like when you see your teacher at the grocery store :p adore both of you lovely creators
You summed it up perfectly. Honestly I just want to run away and not be part of all of this bs anymore. Probably go somewhere and become a ski bum (like a beach bum but in the snow.)
Oh hey, wassup
I think the world is getting chaotic everyday because of all these events that are happening.
Saying putin makes you feel quirky . Pathetic
It would be so cool if creators could mark their channels as “on a break” or whatever and then maybe have a feature of promoting a “new season premiere” date so that the algorithm would still promote their content when it’s there, but not force creators to make something every single week until they die.
If Line webtoon can do that, surely UA-cam can too. They even have a return week event in case you missed it (these big webtoons are such moneymakers for them heh).
unionise youtubers
Like Etsy shops
@@em-jd4do oh yeah I just started reading my first one and I really like how you can see the current status of a story and also get notified every thursday or what not depending on when a new chapter is available.
Sounds lame but apparently UA-cam isn't even able to make proper notifications. I never had problems thankfully but I know so many people that don't see when their favourite creators upload a video, when that's literally what a subscription is for.
@@em-jd4do right! UA-cam needs to get better at promoting it's creators since they're the ones making all the money for them
One quick way to solve the "UA-cam is stale" vibe is to simply solve the algorithmic problems that you mentioned in 10:50 - UA-cam needs to stop recommending videos we've already watched, stop recommending videos we clearly aren't interested in, make a "for you page" where LONG FORM content is already playing and you can simply scroll, to avoid decision fatigue. That's it, that solves the issue: WE DON'T NEED SHORTS
Especially since we already have TikTok, Instagram Shorts and for whatever reason Snapchat is still a thing. So yes, shorts are so useless.
But the worst thing about it is that they completely destroy my phone app. Like I see people hating on creators for uploading shorts which is just unfair (don't hate the player, hate the system or something like that). I'm not that negative, I wouldn't really mind. But the annoying thing is the technic aspect. My app constantly crashes, the format of shorts doesn't work with the normal videos (my search history is a mess) and YT converts older videos that are under a few seconds into shorts too automatically. But not all of them? Honestly it's just a mess.
I cannot imagine a UA-cam homepage with long form content you swipe through, that sounds terrible. I agree there are significant issues with their recommendations algorithm, but the solution looks nothing like tik tok.
@@chaschuky999 I never said it should be the homepage, I said we need a “for you” page to eliminate decision fatigue.
@@lamasbellasoy fair, I interpreted it as it being like tik tok where you can only scroll. My bad. And now that I think about it, especially with the way the first 30 seconds of a video are most vital for viewer retention, this could actually work pretty well.
I miss the trending page. Where did it go?
"do I just give mommy vlogger energy?" She says wearing the most mommy vlogger aesthetic outfit I've ever seen Tiffany wear in a video
In my cutesy super feminine pastel era, I’m afraid…
hahahahh this
@@tiffanyferg plus you just adopted a dog maybe that's another form of mom energy >_
I feel like I'm constantly refreshing my home page hoping UA-cam will finally show me some videos I actually want to watch 😅
Same!! 🤗
Same!!
Same!
Same 😂
I’ll add my ‘same’ to the list. 😂
I'll also mention that the UA-cam search algorithm has been TRASH lately!! Searching returns like 2 relevant results and then it's all random stuff from your recommended and trending tab and a BUNCH of it is incredibly graphic and disturbing content - it makes me not want to use UA-cam anymore 🙃
Yep it really sucks. I feel like they changed the algorithm to combat the youtube alt right pipeline, which at one point was certainly real, and they YT said nope no more related videos that make sense. No matter the cost and this is the result.
Omg this. I watched part of a movie trailer that ended up being for a horror film. Not my thing. So the algorithm decided I liked gore. Like filled my recommendations with real pictures of people’s cuts and and gruesome injuries. I deleted the movie trailer from my watch history but it still took a bit for those recommendations to go away, I didn’t even want to open the app.
Omg the search has been this way with me too! And it feels like every time I search, I get different results for the same thing!
I have a problem with searching playlists, like I have a second account where I do just playlists for a certain band. But this is my main account so if I find something (video, playlist or anything related) over here it's impossible to find the playlist or small creator ever again on my other account and add it there. Small creators are only possible to find if they post videos, but playlists are completely impossible. If you set the filter to just playlists, it always says "no results". It's so frustrating bc that makes the filter useless🥲
How can the search be so bad from a platform that belongs to Google of all companies. Makes no sense, but yeah it sucks real hard.
My main problem is that the more creative youtubers that I've followed for years are uploading less or changed their content to something more stale and neutered, meanwhile I'm so tired of commentary and reaction channels who are constantly uploading and all of them are talking about the same crap.
THIS
YESSS
I hated youtube recently because of the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp trial, never in my life have I felt so relentlessly pushed to watch content online despite I always clicked the "not interested" button. 🤷🏻♀️
Omg I thought this was just me 😤
@@katiez1442 It was all of us UA-cam users unfortunately.
Ugh same, especially with tik tok. I tried to avoid the trial like the plague but the algorithm really pushed it.
YES! it was so annoying. The trial took over my UA-cam recommended and I didn’t want to see it.
@@in_99 and everything was so clickbaity.
I definitely feel this sort of "youtube fatigue"! The algorithm doesn't seem to work for me anymore, I'll spend way longer than I did before trying to find a video that I find appealing to watch so it's a lot easier to just go on tiktok and waste a good three hours of my day just scrolling through. Unfortunately, I do think it's messing with my attention span and I want to go back to longer duration content.
The algorithm sucks now
yeah especially with the amount of spam bots in every comment section and spam bots spamposting HUNDREDS of the same shorts over and over again to farm subscribers. we've seen what algorithms can do, and this one just doesnt cut it anymore.
Yeah I get random videos on my feed that I don’t care about and that won’t go away
@@wig84 omg the bots. I feel like it's gotten a bit more quiet but still...and it adds to the feeling that YT doesn't care about its users at all.
I find this to be the case on my personal yt page where the algo is failing hard in presenting. The one where all my regular watches are. I have a page at work so i can listen to music, maybe follow a few of the people I watch on my personal yt such as Tiff, Stephanie, jenn, etc but it is hard to do all the time so I mainly listen to tunes. It gives a lot of recommendations to keep things fresh but I can already see the start of it "normalizing" and not giving me new, new stuff. So I think it is built in to form a bubble. No way I should be able to watch one tiff vid or kurtis conner before my work page becomes 60% of what I watch at home. Only missing the aviation and misc videos. There is something behind the scenes forcing a community.
Seasonality would be a gloooorious thing but the thing that stops me is the possibility of needing to apply for a loan/mortgage/credit at any point. Which will already be difficult enough to do as a freelance/online creator without having to explain the scary income drop and inconsistency.
Pop a squat, burnout, old pal, we're going for a long drive in the capitalism-mobile 😌✨
Yes good point!! It’s already so frustrating trying to explain how the internet and my revenue sources work lmao
I guess this could only be remedied if the business is incorporated and the creators can pay themselves a consistent paycheck from the total revenue pot - but I personally haven’t gotten to that point yet and it takes a lot of saving & planning to do so!
Ps hello capitalism mobile! plz drive me to the mall so I can drown my sorrows in fast fashion and delicious pretzels 🙏🏻
@@tiffanyferg youtubers need to unionise
you could all do it
@@tiffanyferg
can I please be a fan fav of yours ?
i've also been disturbed by youtube shorts for a while now. not only do they annoy me, but i see a lot of tiktokers just posting their tiktoks onto youtube shorts and then getting over 1 million subs in the span of about 1-2 years, which doesnt seem very fair to the youtube creators you make videos once a week or once a month and working hard on making good content in a video thats 10 to 50 mins long
What i don't get is my shorts are shorter version of my long form kind of and get like 150 or 2k views roughly yet I'll get zero views on my long form except one video. So to me its like they aren't pushing long form if at all. It's really off putting making the effort to do long form but I do them because I enjoy them.
I hope UA-cam isn’t dying because I’m just finding excitement with it again 😭
omg i didnt expect to see the inventor of makeup and beauty in here
Haha, yes and it actually recommended your video about bisexuality which was one of the best discoveries on this platform this week (not joking!). 🤩😝
It surely isn’t. Love your content!
Yes king
UA-cam will fully never die it still has a niche
I actually had to delete TikTok. I was super consumed by it, I'd spend hours on it without doing anything it was awful. funny but awful. I was so overstimulated. Now I just listen passively to YT vids or listen to audiobooks or listen to music or even listen to silence. oooo not listening to anything and just hearing my own thoughts clearly with no distractions is the bomb. I think nowadays we dont like to be bored, cuz of all the content available its like we have content based fomo. But just sitting around and being bored till you think of something cool to do is awesome.
Tiktok is making me the same way and I keep going in between uninstalling and reinstalling it. It makes me feel bad sometimes, but other times it makes me learn new things? I feel so conflicted
I deleted it when the Womblands thing happened.
@MasomaMakes I like to climb a tree and watch what’s going on around me and think.
Ok I was trying to specifically reply to one person but apparently I don’t know what I’m doing
Same! It took me forever to delete it. It was hard because I learned valuable things on it but I was so addicted it was negatively affecting my life. I still crave it sometimes. I wish I could make UA-cam shorts disappear so it wouldn’t encourage the addicted part of my brain.
same here, i found it difficult to quit because of fomo, but i feel so much more productive and i am a lot more conscious about how i spend my time! embracing silence again is nice
The burnout is so real. I used to love watching John Oliver clips on Mondays, but now unless it's a silly topic I just can't. The burnout, the political climate in the US...I just can't engage with more corruption. Then I feel guilty for not engaging with important issues. When I come back to youtube I usually just engage with my comfort video essays. Thank you for speaking so succinctly on this.
Something about having 2 short ads rather than 1 longer ad infuriates me. The best way I can describe it is like a little sibling that pops into your room to pinch you twice and run away, both to annoy you and entertain themselves. Of course it doesn’t stop me from finishing the video I’m on, but it does give me a more negative attitude towards youtube in general when I go onto the app. It might be because I’ve become a lot more conscious of how mind-numbing shortform content is, plus my hatred for big corporations, and my hatred for ads in general (the fact that I KNOW they’re taking up my brain space but can’t do anything about it !!!) I know that wasn’t the main topic of this video but until now I’ve just complained about it to my partner lol
And the creators don't get paid more, it's just for YT to get even richer. And they can do it because they have no competition. It's really like a sibling that is constantly annoying you bc what do you want to do against it? You can't convince your mom to get rid of it🤔same as you want to keep watching YT
The thing about the two ads in a row is that it's trained me to be a lot more aggressive about skipping stuff I might otherwise let play -- it's the only way to avoid triggering that second ad -- so having unskippable ads back-to-back has the end result of getting me extremely impatient for a catharsis that might never come. It's infuriating.
Little sibling that pinches you twice lol 😂 yep, that's pretty much youtube ads nowadays
Really resonated with a LOT of what you talked about in this video. I really can't get over UA-cam recommending me the same videos over and over, especially the ones I've already watched. Really enjoyed this laid back video, I always watch your videos and learn something meaningful each time xx
Oh hi Immy! ❤
Word it's annoying to see the same shit pop up in my recommendations page
Exactly! For example, if I click on the 'sewing' category I want new-to-me content recommended. Instead, I get a 7-year-old Angela Clayton circle skirt tutorial. I love Angela but 1) I know how to make a circle skirt thank you very much UA-cam 2) Angela nowadays makes more fun & elaborate projects which I would LOVE to watch & just haven't got around to yet - just recommend me that!?
Yeah the repetition and constantly telling it "I already watched this video" is ANNOYING!!!
"Hey I know you ignored this suggested video the first ten times we showed it to you but... eleventh time the charm? It's about a topic you've never ever shown interest in!"
I'm not a "content creator" but I do work in digital marketing and the push for multiple reels/stories per day has zapped my creativity. How am I supposed to turn the same 100 products into four different videos, five days a week for the rest of eternity? It's so easy to get burnt out when the algorithm keeps demanding more.
honestly! The math ain't mathing!
I completely feel you. I normally love video essay and commentary content, but I think my brain hit a breaking point recently. A lot of content in this genre tends to skew more critical/negative and I just don't have it in me right now to keep critiquing other people and hearing about how terrible the world is. I've been really leaning heavily on the Sims creators I enjoy lately, because I just need some silly, light content that doesn't take much energy to consume. I'm burnt out on hearing about terrible movies and terrible youtube creators and all the terrible things happening in the news. I just want no thoughts head empty
"The world is burnt out" THIS is what it is!! I've noticed that the art community has been lackluster as well, support for our merch has dipped considerably in the past year. Engagement on social media has also taken a hit even with the terrible algorithm...i've noticed that less complicated illustrations get more engagement than ones that require people to think about it. Even I don't want to do very complex illustrations I just want to draw a lil' somthin'.
Thanks for this cause I was wracking my brain about this the past 2 years, now I can stop stressing!
am i the only one who absolutely hates youtube shorts? it's just turning the platform into another tiktok or instagram, and it's normally recycled or reuploaded content anyway. it's also annoying to look for the normal videos in my subscription box among a sea of shorts (there needs to be a filter where i don't have to see them).
Ikrrrrr!!
It's makinv UA-cam look v. cheap!
I wish we could disable them, so many content farms reposting the same shorts it’s so annoying
I hate watching shorts but do it nonetheless because my suggestions there are so much more varied…I’d much rather find creators through their long form content but my feed feels super stale. Of course now yt thinks I LOVE shorts 🤦♀️
For me, I think getting sucked into TikTok/posting there has made content creation overall more complicated & less fun when it comes to UA-cam. For example, I've filming travel vlogs for years and always enjoyed that (it never felt exhausting), but now instead of casually vlogging on a trip, it's a constant rush to get both a vertical and horizontal clip of every moment plus snap photos for IG stories, carousels etc. While traveling (and when doing other fun life things) recently I've felt less present than ever, not only due to filming but also b/c of the more time-consuming editing that goes into repurposing content for YT, TikTok, Reels, IG in-feed, and stories. IT'S TOO MUCH!! Lol.
I'm a one-person team and love creating content, but all of the above constantly has me feeling drained, and when I feel drained I don't want to vlog, and if I don't post then videos do worse, and then I'm more unmotivated to post if views are down... You know the cycle haha. After 11 years on YT things just feel different for me personally. There are just too many things to keep up with across platforms and since YT is the most unfiltered one where people can tell you're drained, I think that's also why it's the first one for people to lose interest.
oh my this sounds exhausting
I hope you’re making good money working so hard! If not, give yourself a break ❤️ If you are, hire an assistant and give yourself a break lol
From what you've said I personally think that you should delegate some things, particularly everything "vertical". Like just do your casual vlog and if you want to flex or share a great view or something just film a couple IG stories, but hand off all "reels/tiktok/feed" etc to some third party or some editor. Particularly after 11 years as you say. Not sure at how deep your pockets are but I thikn it could be a good investment worth trying out, esp given that you can start small with freelancers.
Maybe not ideal bc your tiktoks seem to do quite well but idk
Omg yessss
!! Yes I feel like nobody is saying that repurposing content isn’t that easy. It’s a lot.
On a macro level, this feels like a very recession-era entertainment pattern. Would you ever consider doing a deep dive into entertainment patters in that way? I think I vaguely remember learning that it was during recessionary times that movie theatres boomed in popularity & that escapism entertainment does really well when life is collectively hard.
If that were the case third world countries would have the best entertainment industry, bollywood is pure escapism but unwatchable
@@UncomplicatedFellow do you not imagine a world in which that dynamic might be uniquely American OR a world in which all of that is relative & thus the decline from typical economic conditions would have to be present (as opposed to a long-term deprivation state which you’re describing), and/or the entertainment elsewhere is different in various ways in other places that is simply culturally different ? And that you may not resonate with the content creation of other places as much? But either way…. (1) I didn’t originate this idea so I’m not the person to interrogate it with (2) It was a suggestion and (3) the suggestion wasn’t for you.
I was just talking about this with my boyfriend the other day, the pandemic being over or not. There was this expectation which became pressure to "bounce back" to "normal life" overnight, as if nothing happened, and now that we have the chance to go back to some of our old habits we realize we can't just do that. And he said something that really resonated with me - there's no memorials for all the people who died, no talk on the media about it, no time to grieve, nothing. We're just expected to go on as if it didn't happen, and it's harming our mental health. Everyone I've spoken too feels "off" in some way
It's decision fatigue! Eating out used to be one of my favorite activities, now I can't ever think of places I actually want to go, let alone choose one
This is such a good point!
choices are actually not good for humans
or maybe they are but there's a cap?
I reached a point last month where I was like "I don't want to decide what to cook for dinner every day for the rest of my life" and ended up picking random things at the grocery store. I'm trying to find my love of food again.
Exactly. This topic goes beyond UA-cam. I've been feeling this way with streaming platforms too. Too many of them, too many options of shows/movies to watch. Especially with the pressure of watching things instantly so that you can keep up with everyone else. It's so overwhelming. It just seems like as technology advances, the more it takes a toll on my mental state. Nothing feels fresh and exciting anymore.
@@jalapeno1119 kierkegaard talked about decision fatigue.... 👀👀
Love how you seem to always have your finger on the pulse of UA-cam. This general sense of malaise seems to be felt by a lot of creators I've talked to, including myself over the past couple months. A few people I've talked to are starting to compare UA-cam to Facebook...something that appeals to an aging demographic. I don't think Shorts are the solution because they feel so reactionary. UA-cam doesn't feel as innovative as it was.
UA-cam definitely feels like millennial land now but also the quality has gone up so.... I am not mad at it? Maybe I am just old now in my 30s
Maybe that's why I'm still perfectly happy with UA-cam -- I'm an "older" viewer (i.e. not in my twenties, LOL).
Well Dream SMP is all the rage rn and those viewers are mostly Gen Z
I’m not a UA-camr or content creator in any way, but every platform I use has felt lackluster for me. It’s actually crazy how little I’ve been on my phone and apps lately. I feel like I might be missing some interesting things, but then nothing is interesting anymore, nothing seems relevant. Even the recommended ads thrown my way are random, uninteresting, and irrelevant, like social media platforms don’t know me anymore. I still have not gotten into TikTok and don’t really have a desire to, but maybe I’d find something there. Who knows.
I feel you. I've been chronically online and moved during the pandemic. So having no entertainment in my new area since I haven't met any locals that vibe with me or have the time to. Or having new outbreaks each month to keep people inside. So I am always needing something to stimulate me, like niche weird history or dumb petty drama. But for months now nothing clicks like it used to. Its either not interesting, not keeping me intrigued, or making me feel guilty for wasting my time. It just feels barren on Social media or SO over animated by the creator, trying to draw in or keep the viewers interested, it makes their content so hard to watch without being annoyed.
I knew I was officially burnt out on video essays when I heard a creator utter "A Goofy Movie" and "intersectionality" in the same breath.
I would love to hear your take on the video essay landscape. 🙂
Mine was "A Marxist perspective on the Barbie movies." 🥴
I deleted tiktok in my phone months ago because it's really scary for me to be sucked into a rabbit hole of endless short form content. Even on reals and shorts, I try so hard to just watch one or two and exit right away. I've been watching a lot more video essays than usual and I really love it like that. even though short form video is nice, it's just overwhelming.
If you ever want the kind of brain break everyone here is talking about, there are many different kinds of compilation videos - longer collections of bite-sized stories to relax to. Personally I favor ghost sightings and disappearances, but there’s everything from true crime to trivia, no addictive scrolling required.
So true! I deleted tiktok twice already.
Also is scary how shock content and stupid trends get so popular in tiktok, with the whole "signs you have x mental disorder" and people faking mental illnes for views, I had to leave.
Ive had it deleted too. Endless hours of pointless scrolling. It becomes a chore.
Tiktok gives the same feeling I get from sitting down and eating a bag of potato chips. I get that first hit of dopamine and then I just mindlessly keep going until I’ve eaten an entire bag of potato chips and now I’m still left hungry and craving only salt and fat.
Being in the age range of 25-35 myself, I feel like we suddenly moved from what is "teenage drama" to full blown "pandemic adulthood" too fast. UA-cam used to be my main source of social media before the pandemic. I was also a Ba student. Messy drama and serious life topics that shaped the way I think was the core of my mental stimulus alongside my studies and books.
However, pandemic hit and suddenly for my second degree I had to work shitty jobs with low pay to survive. Moreover, finding new friends became more difficult due to being an adult and my schedule.
So, when I came home I didn't want to think anymore. I did believe that I have a good compacity of understanding social issues and theories so I didn't want anymore of that and just wanted to burn my mind with silly content that lighted up my mood.
What I described I believe everyone had to go through one way or another. Some may have been more or less fortunate , but we all experienced 2 years with little to no social life, trying to survive while feeling helpless. There is no way this didn't make us depressed and less visionary.
I hope we can now all recover and become nerdy explores again.
I had absolutely no idea that UA-cam was feeling stale and lacklustre, and as someone who spends way too much time on this site I thought I would be in the loop about that 😭
THANK you for commenting this because I was wondering about this. This video was about it feeling lacklustre meanwhile I'm spending WAY more time on this appt than I ever have. I have over 70 videos in my 'watch later' playlist 😭😭
I feel like TikTok for me is filling the role Tumblr did when I was a teenager. And a lot of people in my TikTok circle (and Tumblr, let's be real I still use it) have picked up on this. Tumblr circa-2013 was notorious for discourse, sensationalism, online activism, and people getting trapped in their own bubbles (anyone else remember the whole hipster-blog vs fandom-blog thing? or the person stealing bones? or the sixpenceee scandal? and of course dashcon).
maybe I'll have more thoughts on this later, but sometimes after a TikTok binge I feel some type of way and realize it's the exact same feeling of being an anxious teenager following Tumblr discourse....a weird mix of helplessness and confusion. at least now I can somewhat recognize what's happening.
Exactly this! I had to delete tiktok because I started feeling that way nearly everytime I used it. In general I've been trying to get away from sensationalist/reactionary social media, it just makes me spiral and feel helpless.
I've felt the same way too! TikTok was giving me so much anxiety, with every video coming on my for you page talking about activism, and how every part of our lives could be problematic or wrong. The usage of a lot of heavy words and topics also became exhausting, and people were finding a problem in the smallest things. It was just a lot...
Y'all are tempting me to delete tiktok. I felt this exact same anxiousness
There's a joke on Tumblr now that TikTok and Twitter are 6 years behind all the Tumblr trends.
As a youtube creator myself, I would love if we worked in seasons. Especially since most youtubers do other things behind the scenes. It's becoming way to common for youtubers to go through these depressive episodes every 6 months due to creative fatigue and burn out, which isn't healthy. Also like you mentioned, musicians aren't always pumping out new music and TV shows work in seasons. So it would only make sense for a youtuber to work in that same way. A video takes 5-12 hours to edit. How in the world can a youtuber be expected to do that every week on top of planning, scripting, researching/experimenting (I have to experiment for my videos.) record, and edit a new video every week if they also have a podcast, a small business, a merch line, or whatever else that youtuber does on the side. (not to mention keeping up on their other social media platforms or learning new editing techniques or other continuing education that needs done) I really don't understand how youtubers juggle it all.
But again, we are privileged to be in this place, so I always feel guilty complaining (although I always do anyways). We love our job and wouldn't wanna do anything else, but yet it also destroys our mental health. So I guess in the end....capitalism.
As for youtube feeling lackluster. I definitely felt that way when I first started getting on TikTok. Then once I had my obsession over it I started getting that "I just wanna sit down and read a book vibe" Which brought me back to youtube and I've recently found my love for youtube again. I've actually found a lot of new creators lately too, so that has helped. I hope you find your youtube spark again soon. I love your content and have been watching you for years. 💗
youtubers have the easiest job and make a ton of money so that they can outsource their work aside from having to sit in front of the camera. dont complain when people with real work jobs have to work 10x as hard to make a fraction a youtuber makes
I've always found it weird that someone would devote a career based on the whims of a social platform. I'm curious to know why more experimental films or filmmakers never came out from UA-cam creators, and rather yeah, it's pretty much all the same stuff and formats. UA-cam is pretty much unverified propaganda and pop culture references/ "analysis" at this point.
@@FunDip1205 sounds like you have absolutely zero understanding of how UA-cam works
I completely agree with your points as a (very) small creator who has been on hiatus.
UA-cam creation is so much work and such a labour of love! For me, I decided to pause my channel until I have enough time to do it with work and school because I don’t want to do it poorly. It is by no means the hardest job in the world, but it is work. When someone asks me why I haven’t created in a while I’m honest, it’s some combination of three factors: time, creative energy, creator ethics/morals/boundaries.
For time, I remind a viewer that the ratio for me of minutes of video to hours of work is about 1 to 1 (one hour of work for one minute of video). With a job and university, time may simply not be on my side to create videos that meet the standard I have for my creations.
Creative Energy is another problem because of burnout. I don’t know how it is for other artists, but when I don’t feel creative… I can’t create. Creation feels so beautiful to me! It allows me to reflect what’s in the world into a time stamped capsule of the moment, as filtered through my perspective and artistic eye. If I have no creative energy, what I reflect into the world is not going to be refreshing to me (and I would also argue to my viewers) because it’s missing the unique input of my perspective and artistic eye.
Lastly, for creator ethics and boundaries, I decided to take a break. When I started creating on my small scale, I sat down and thought about the values I wanted to reflect on the platform afforded to me. One of the things I decided for me was that I didn’t want to put anything in front of viewers’ eyes that I did not think was worth their time. They are trusting me when they come to my page to extend an experience that will be at least as valuable as their time, which I would argue is near invaluable. Time is so finite. If I don’t think I can perform to that standard, I reenergize until I think I can.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and verbalizing what’s been bothering me for months about the UA-cam space 💙
A bit unsympathetic when people say "youtubers have it EASY, try to get a REAL job see what that's like". Obviously hard, obviously taxing in so many ways. But like, the point shouldn't be that youtubers should struggle immensely, the point should be that the average worker at the average job should be treated way more humanely.
Why UA-cam feels stale for me personally:
- lack of originality because some things "do numbers", so everyone does it
- Lindsay Ellis bullied off the platform
- Rachel Maksy posts less due to burn out(rest well, queen, I'll wait)
- V Birchwood posts less because she was demonetized(right after collabing wil Native American artist)
- Life of Boris absolutely screwed by the algorythm
- some creators stopped posting after finding themselves in an actual warzone or very close to it
unionise
She wasn't bullied off. She quit bc she was pregnant and wanted to do writing full time.
What happened to Life of Boris, now?
Definitely a spot on perspective. I feel exactly the same way about UA-cam shorts. I would also add that for 99% of creators it feels like UA-cam is trying to suck free content from us with them. They have been rolling out ads globally for shorts but not giving back to the people who make them enough. So like you, I don't generally make them but probably should. I also don't make them so I don't give my subscribers notification fatigue from all of those shorts notifications.
If you do want to dip into shorts, I've really appreciated creators who have a main channel and a shorts channel - like back in the day where it was popular to have a main and vlog channel.
It let's me occasionally check out shorts they make, without clogging up my subscriptions.
the difficulty with commentary content is that it forces you to develop an opinion on different (often difficult) topics, and it causes the same exhaustion that overusing social media does. not everything in the world needs our opinion on it, and it's mentally/emotionally taxing to force yourself to. i hope you feel more at peace with your content soon ♥️
Yes!! It actually explains how a UA-camr can sometimes seem like a completely different person on Twitter! UA-cam provides nuance and context that my brain really troubles functioning without.
emma chamberlain was talking about this in her podcast and she said that when stuff like vlogging was new it was crazy to be in an experience being in an intimate space with someone, be it celeb or a normal person, u got to view their hauls, makeup routines and now its been around for 10 years and we're just going through motions and we' keep going back and forth b/w relatable content and unreal crazy content. I mostly watch commentary UA-cam and it feels like everything that could happen has already happened like oh sick, you moved to new york and made 5 moving videos and 15 a day in my life videos!!
totally agree. lets not forget “how to be that girl, my 6 am morning routine, what i eat in a day, bla bla bla”
Hahahah the „moving to nyc alone“ category is just weird? Like is nyc sponsoring all these 20 somethings or how do they afford living in nyc, paying $6k or so rent and eating out every day?!
i laughed when you talked about putting videos in your watch later and then never watching them because this video has in fact been in my watch later for almost half a year
speaking as someone who spends literally ZERO time watching tiktoks.. I think the reason UA-cam is stale right now is because we had a boom of brand new content during covid. people were posting new perspectives on topics that hadn't previously been talked about. it was interesting and exciting. this has led to several different things. 1. so many topics were covered during the peak of covid that there's not much left thats new to talk about at the moment 2. this has led to the best UA-camrs getting bored, and therefore not posting. it's so difficult for them to cover a new interesting topic that they just don't post at all because they have enough income from last year to hold themselves over for the time being. 3. this has also forced the smaller UA-camrs who don't have the extra income to just cover the same material over and over, which has become boring. 4. covid resulted in both an increase of watchers stuck at home, and an increase of content creators who were trying to make ends meet after being laid off/furloughed. since there were so many covid UA-camrs boomers, the market is now oversaturated. all the content that was fresh and interesting last year is now just being duplicated tenfold. it's hard to come up with original topics to cover, and UA-camrs who capitalised off the initial boom of content people wanted to watch are now left struggling to compete with each other.
to illustrate, we've got almost nothing coming from dream, who is bored of posting the same stuff over and over, and 20 different smaller commentators living paycheck to paycheck talking about the same boring amberlynn Reid vlog.
There’s so many other streaming services and internet stimulation. Things like Twitter, Discord, Facebook, Disney Plus, Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, etc. People just get tired of it, and they don’t want to participate anymore. (At least in my view.) Which is why, I switched over to Apple Podcasts, or Disney Plus.
yes very understandable! there's so much content and no way to keep up with all of it
mandatory Disney is a pos comment
Honestly, UA-cam is pretty fine to me, mainly bc I don’t watch “mainstream” channels of UA-camrs that are also “influencers” (especially on other platforms like Instagram and TikTok)
Yeah, same thing. I watch mainly booktube and movie related content from smaller creators who are pretty consistent.
same
Finally it's here *YES*
*ua-cam.com/video/vn8WdvkmTGs/v-deo.html*
Same. I mostly watch this, financial diet, art and cooking channels.
Same I guess. It doesn’t seem any different to me.
i honestly think when most people say “i just want to be happy” they mean stable/balanced
No they mean happy
@@kiddadd you can’t always be happy though. that’s my point
Feeling immensely burnt out even though I binge watch UA-cam all day, cause I do not use Tiktok and barely ever go down the UA-cam shorts/IG reels rabbit hole- it's a collective feeling, like you said, regardless of what method of consumption one is using to drown out the world's noise. Things are just continually taking a turn for the worse. Sending prayers and love to all those who cannot afford to escape these situations, and hoping for all of us to have the strength and time to recover.
I joined TikTok in July 2020. I deleted it within the week. I'd log on "just for half an hour." And then I'd check the clock and 6 hours has passed. I literally had no idea how it happened. After it happened a few more times of this happening, I completely deleted TikTok altogether. It's just a platform that isn't built to me. I hate that insta and UA-cam have shorts as well. I get sucked into that as well. I wish I could restrict shorts on those platforms.
I don't understand the appeal of TikTok, but I do at the same time. I will pull up UA-cam and I'll work. I can't do that with TikTok. I just like having long content that I can just vibe with.
Same here , but I lasted 2 weeks loosing time and feeling bad
I feel more dedicated to UA-cam and this year was the year I decided to get rid of all the other social media - Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. I can't manage to keep up with so many platforms, so I'd rather dedicate my time to one platform that has more substantial content like essays or podcasts. Since leaving the other apps, I feel far more passionate about UA-cam again. I never liked TikTok (like you, I only downloaded it in December last year and I never spent more than 2 hours on it in my lifetime). But Instagram was my addiction, so I got rid of all the distractions and feel less exhausted and overwhelmed. But the UA-cam algorithm is destroying me, both as a creator and viewer
Saaame!! Relate to all of this!
It's funny how this seems to become the norm. In earlier days of social media if you weren't posting on every platform there was. You weren't likely to grow.
UA-cam is my preferred ~social media I always say haha!
I did a similar thing in like October. I left all my discord servers except for group texts with friends (irls) and a server about deafness that was not extra exciting (most of the regulars are adults around their 30s, so there was very little drama or nonsense, and not much to get sucked into). Even before that i deleted Instagram and my account, because i would spend so much time on the explore page losing it. UA-cam was better because of long form videos, so i could just listen passively and do things with my life. It’s not perfect, especially bc of the more recent problems discussed in the video. Shorts are killing me bc I’ll just keep on watching them (glad i have only bad feelings about tiktok and would never get it), and then for actual long-form stuff, i get bored. My recommended is also not interesting anymore, it’s stuff I’ve watched, stuff that’s not very interesting to me, and maybe once in a while something just right. I’ll keep scrolling, and looking for just the right thing to listen to, but it’s hard by now! Never thought it would be hard to watch UA-cam lmao. Also some of my favorite creators with the most interesting stuff are small channels, some of whom also recently said they’re all done, so I’m stuck again. And then i think about just even calling it done on UA-cam, and deleting it, but something just holds me back from that step. Is it the few gems i find in the sand the algorithm gives me? Am i just scared of having nothing to listen to? I’m not sure. I almost wish i could just start over with my recommended page. No shorts, unsubscribe from channels i used to watch but don’t anymore, only the things i actually want. Maybe i should just delete it…
28:35 As sufferer of Major Depressive Disorder for a majority of my life, and thankfully I have eventually come to acknowledge that it is unlikely and unrealistic that I'll be able to eliminate depression permanently, yet still work to manage it well enough to function well enough, I'm interested also in this topic you touch on and I welcome you exploring it more in other videos.
The only reason UA-cam felt stale is because Jenny Nicholson had not posted anything for a few months.
Don't worry, she put out a new video yesterday. All is now right with the world.
Oh good to know! Did not get an notification sadly :(
a few? more like half a year
I see a lot of creators really don’t post anymore. I also feel like they don’t make it easy for new creators to grow either. It’s like a lose lose situation for UA-cam & creators!! I feel this on a deeper level since I’m a new creator & a viewer who is constantly recommended old content I’m not interested in!! Thank you for this video Tiffany!!
as a fellow small youtuber i deff agree. interestingly, i feel like the poc side of breadtube has been combating this by going out of their way to shout out smaller creators (i.e FD Signifier, Salari, and Khadija Mbowe!)
I think thats the way to sustainably platform good content, how to “set up the next generation” in a way. Introduce them to a large audience before theyre big and when Big UA-camr A wants to step back, Smalltuber B is already primed to fill that time slot lol
You are spot on about the algorithm. I just want to find new creators but they never get recommended to me.
An issue that I'm having with video essays at the moment is I'm having trouble finding the weird ones. When I first started getting into them it was because they were on topics that I had never even heard of and probably never would have if I hadn't found the video. I think because of the growing popularity of video essays, the 'wild west' quality is being diluted.
I literally just searched “why is YouTubing getting boring” and I see you posted this vid 12min ago , so it’s safe to say that I’m not the only one realizing this.
I wonder what percentage of viewers are like me in that I almost **never** watch UA-cam videos on my phone. If I’m feeling thirsty for some content to consume, I’ll plop on my couch and queue a bunch of videos to my TV (like this one!)
Also though, I’ve been way less active on social media over the last two years (which has had THE most positive impact on my mental health and THE most negative impact on my income as a creator 🥴) I also turned off all notifications so I’m not tempted. BUT when I DO give into the temptation, and I sit there scrolling through TikTok or Instagram for too long, I notice my mood, motivation, and mental health deteriorating. Sorry I feel like this was an ADHD word vomit comment but I hope at least 5% of it made sense lmao
I also don’t watch videos on my phone 😅
YES if im on my phone id definetly watch tiktoks but i love to watch youtube on my computer so i try to spend more time here instead that on my phone
I rarely use social media on my phone, like I'd rather be comfortable on my computer, and able to use Adblock, and watch it on a large screen, like how is watching/reading everything on a tiny screen so enjoyable to most people? Is it that most Gen-z were raised with tablets and cellphones that they grew custom to viewing everything that way?
Opposite here haha, I pretty much only watch UA-cam on my phone! Just my personal preference.
I watched a video on my phone once.
I was on vacation a video I've been waiting for dropped and no PC, so phone it was.
this might be a very niche take, but I think social media in general should be avoided if possible and I really think yall should hear me out on this one. I was on social media consistently from 2019 to the beginning of this year (twitter, tiktok, instagram) and it really warped my brain. It really did feel addicting, like I couldn't live without it, and I really think social media feeds on this on purpose. Some days I would spend almost 12 hours staring at my phone and I was starting to develop severe nerve pain in my right arm from holding my phone so much. I know that isn't the most common thing but how has your health been when you stare at screens for so long?
I could probably make this into my own video essay honestly, but at the end of 2021 I started to put time limits on my apps and would prioritize spending at least 5 minutes doing something I enjoyed. Since then I have started to take up gardening and not kill my plants, I actually finished a book for the first time in 3 years, and I don't have constant existential dread from what is going on in the world. I check the news maybe once a week, go on social media maybe a few hours a day at worst. I even deleted instagram after having had it for probably 10 years. And honestly the first few days were a little difficult, I felt this buzz in my chest but it went away rather quickly. I wish more people knew you don't need to dissociate from yourself to cope.
I think we all deserve to know peace and I think it starts with saying that we don't need to know everything all the time, we are not computers--not going to even talk about the fact that this quick desire for knowledge is a colonial belief, knowledge is not a thing you can have, it is something you gain. Still nonetheless, I hope people start to find the support they need and continue to learn and grow. I was in the same place as a lot of people right now, I want you to know that it is okay to be alone with your thoughts. Global thinking is monocultural thinking and that could truly kill us all.
as of today I have been off twitter for about 4 months, instagram for about two, and snapchat for almost a year and I have never been so happy. It really does get better not having to know every vile act in the world all the time. godspeed
I LOVE the idea of UA-camr seasons. I can imagine being super excited about 'comebacks' or premieres. There's so much potential!
Tiffany, you brought up a crucial topic! On a related point, all the corporate jobs have become a constant grind. I recall that there used to be two or three releases a year for any software. It used to give healing time for the engineers.However, since the introduction of 2-week sprints, it seems like most corporate jobs have lost their creative juices. It has become an endless stream of deadlines after deadlines. Burnout is a genuine thing!
Yess I think the burnout is universal! Every industry tries to keep up or continuously release more / do more and it’s just impossible.
Agreed, and as more and more companies try to replicate the sprint framework or agile even outside of tech the pressure to produce is constant
honestly,, i think i have too much anxiety for tiktok and the longer form, less chaotic kind of content on yt is just what i want. im used to yt and i like it more. im not going to get tiktok, ive tried it before and it just gives me anxiety and makes me envious abt all the things im not doing.. "overstimulating" is a good way to describe how i feel abt tiktok
also i rewatch yt videos all the time because its more comforting for me........ but yeah, im not gonna say its a good system/algorithm
I think I gave up on TikTok the moment I pushed the "home" button on my home and it didn't take me home 💀. Instant loss of trust.
I also prefer UA-cam’s longer videos. Nothing against tik toc but I don’t enjoy super short videos.
As a small creator this video and comments made me feel so much less alone. It's /hard/ to feel motivated to create things when the world is a shitshow, and when every platform wants short, snappy videos it's difficult to cater to what I know will get myself out there and balance it with things I want to create. I'm just so glad for this comment section from both creators and watchers alike offering solutions and what others want to see. It's really invaluable. Thank you, Tiffany for making this video!
Tiffany, this was written so beautifully. Flowing from one topic to the next was so natural and comforting.
And your work is not for nothing. World IS burnt out and that seems to be a big part of the reason why consuming long form content about a topic not affecting me at this exact moment is difficult to justify when we are not so sure if we'll be able to see tomorrow. Sorry for the dark end.
I lost both of my parents, on the same day, to covid, then I talked about it on TikTok and accidentally went viral. I am here to tell you the TikTok comments section is absolutely brutal.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Amanda. How devastating!
@@MusicIsARainbow thank you ❤️🩹
tiktok commentors are literally more toxic than any other gaming community, and that's saying something. that's really brutal and im sorry that you've heard of nasty things from these tiktok degenerates. I am also sorry for your lost. I hope good things come your way.
I’m sorry for your loss. I understand everything is so crazy and different, but it’s going to be okay, I promise.
I’m so sorry Amanda that is ruff people are jerks
I definitely share a lot of these feelings. I actually think I’ve been spending more time than ever on UA-cam lately but have been a much less engaged viewer. I used to have my full attention on the videos I was watching but now they’re often in the background as I’m doing other things, which makes me feel like I’m using them for boredom prevention more than actual enjoyment. Which I don’t love! I’d rather watch less but watch it more actively.
Agreed! It takes a v special or highly anticipated video to hold my active attention (and even then it’s a struggle lmao)
Because the YT algorithm has been so awful I have actually become more loyal to the people I’m subscribed too because I’m not being recommended anything I actually find interesting. I look forward to their videos each week and don’t consume at much mindless/ binge watching content.
I absolutely love the last section about the struggle to stay productive during everything that’s going on. And just the overall feeling of burn out from different perspectives. The way you articulated it was spot on. Especially the part about just wanting mind numbing escapism. Like the Jenny Nicholson reference was so funny cause I’ve watched her TVD vid so many times and i’ve never even seen the show lmaoo its just so comforting. I’d love more video analysis’ & casual vids like this talking about the general state of just everything atm. And hearing a creators side of the current slow down of youtube was also very interesting!
Also your vids have actually dodged my lack of interests phase on youtube! I love coming on here and seeing a new post from you! But i’ll also be happy if you ever choose to take a break for a little bit cause I truly believe everyone needs it right now.
I usually don’t comment on yt vids but this one really resonated with me so thank you!
I too held out on TikTok until 3 months ago when I started making stuff for it, now when I use it I just feel old 😅
Also congrats on pivoting your channel to the mommy blogging genre!
Hahaha
Your comment made me ponder about the seasons thing Tiffany mentioned. I feel like the sessions might be about what kind of content we're watching. We sort of completed the video essayist/social commentary session and are currently on our honeymoon with urban planning videos. I found yours quite recently and am slowly working through the back catalogue. Great content!
The point about having "seasons" was so interesting and not something I'd thought about for weekly/semi regular content like youtube - but then I realized that my favorite podcast, Invisibilia, has seasons! I think from both the perspective of a consumer and a creator, it's much better to be able to take your time to create something that you're really proud of that's higher quality than to push yourself to churn out content on a regular basis when you're not feeling it, and the 'seasons' format allows this much more easily. Plus, then the release of the episodes when they do come out feels more eventful since it's not something that happens every other week.
Yeah that was such a good point. Even though all industries obviously have the capacity to get burnt out…creative fields cannot operate on the same timeframe of constantly chugging content out, because creativity itself comes and goes in “seasons.” It’s insane to expect any type of creative or artist to work in the same way someone in-let’s say-finance does. Creativity cannot be contained in a typical 9-to-5 job. For that reason, I do think there should be less of a stigma when creators decide to take a “leave of absence” from the platform.
@@Androgynary absolutely! I’m an artist and being able to rest and recharge your creativity is one of the most important parts of the process. It makes it so much easier to come up with good ideas too if youre properly refreshed.
I thought that that was a really interesting idea. Never thought about this before in all of those years watching UA-cam. Could be a thing.
It’s so nice to go through the comments and seeing creators from all corners of UA-cam relating to and sharing their perspective on Tiffany’s points!
This video is making me feel so validated. UA-cam has lost its lustre for me, and there was a time when it was 80% of what I watched for entertainment and information. There are precious few UA-cam creators who I follow religiously any more, so it was cool seeing one of those creators (you!) referencing a video from another one of my favorites ... Drew Monson. I am almost embarrassed to admit how many times I have RE-watched his videos.
I remember in college and grad school, particularly throughout 2016-2018, I utilized UA-cam the way Tiffany did. I would constantly have my headphones in, walk around and listen to UA-cam. I would listen to a whole bevy of content. From political commentary, to conspiracy videos, to cartoon commentary, to video essays and later tarot as well. Somewhere along the line, UA-cam stopped recommending this diversity of content to me and I believe a lot of it got heavily censored.
I feel like it’d be really cool if a vlogger did literal seasons, like 1-2 months for each of the 4 seasons, allowing a month or so break in between each season to regroup and plan
I haven’t watched her in years but there was a UA-cam channel called Latoya’s Life that did seasons for her vlogs and it was great for her viewership and gave the viewers something to look forward to on her channel! Seasons is def a good idea
Lena situation ( a very famous french vlogger) do seasons! every summer she uploads a new video a day during a whole month with an intro that she changes each year like an actual tv show so the viewers are always hype and it worked because she's doing it for few years now
As someone with ADHD I fully cannot grasp tiktok. I loved Vine for the comedy but my typical UA-cam experience is listening to audio while multitasking, falling asleep to it or listening to 60-120 minute long threads and theories and stories that tiktok makes me feel overstimulated anytime a friend sends me one.
Same! I feel like I'm the only ADHD person who dislikes tiktok and finds it overstimulating and confusing.
Me too! Like I can watch it for 5 hours bc obviously I don't have any self-control and can't stop but it gives me NOTHING. Like I'll feel so empty afterwards...also the comments are always so mean. I swear there's only two types of videos, unpopular ones and the ones on the fyp. And the viral ones are just there so that people can leave dumb comments and hate without any common sense. Reminds me of myself when I was 13 lol, but tbh that's the target audience over there. I just feel like a tired mom reading the comments and I'm only 22😂
I still have to delete the app though but I wasn't expecting to hate it that much haha
@@moongirl8807 i've noticed this too! i actually just recently deleted tik tok because i felt like it was negatively affecting my mood and brain processes. i know that hate has been a staple of being on the internet for forever, but tik tok feels different. i don't know what it is, but it's like people think it's okay to be generally mean and judgemental on tik tok for no reason. it feels like it's much more prominent than it ever was on any other platform i've been on. in every comment section you're basically guaranteed to see someone creating an argument over nothing or being mean for no reason. i found that by consuming so much of that my brain would automatically jump to a really judgemental or mean response for no reason when it never did before. i don't know what it is about tik tok specifically, but it's like it magnifies regular internet hate to a whole other level.
I think you nailed it with the idea of mindless scrolling on tik tok - it reminds me of how Instagram used to be - scrolling and scrolling until you get to the end of all your friend’s content. We definitely don’t need to see short-form content on every platform though. It’s exhausting and probably contributing to the burn out and decision fatigue that viewers experience when trying to decide what to watch. 🤷♀️
Glad to see your whole section about validating the burnout of the collective (not just creators) with today’s news and how we all kind of need time to process, regardless of our industries.
This is why I still haven't downloaded TikTok!! I had the same fears, and still do, I don't want another thing to enslave me to my screen.
an unfortunate thing about the whole “making videos about current events” thing is a creator will be like editing their video they already wrote and filmed just to see like 5 videos pop up about the same thing before they can post it, but like, they already put all that effort in.
And getting demonetized for literally any little stupid thing
All the reasons i don’t use TikTok:
1) not epilepsy friendly at all
2) I do overstim easily because autistic
3) there’s some weirdos on there (the p word kind)
4) a lot of the trends I’m aware of on there are very anti disability or mocking of disability.
i can’t tell how you much i appreciate you making this video. as someone who also uses youtube as their main source of media as well i relate to everything you said SO much and i have been feeling exactly the same way lately. it was so refreshing to hear someone else talk about it.
For me it’s like I miss watching a small nit of UA-camrs who were uploading a lot, but also consistently stayed with their group. I always had someone to watch being from the Minecraft (2012 - 2016), Let’s Plays, and Animation (mostly Newgrounds People). I guess I just miss having something to look forward to that actually kept me happy for a while. Right now UA-cam kinda feels like a drug to keep me going through my boring days, but if you were to ask me to remember a thing from the video I wouldn’t be able to. With the giant mass of people now becoming UA-camrs along with the many that are cancelled, I think i’m way too tired to play catch-up anymore. Although I still have my favorites I enjoy from time to time.
I love your videos and am glad you keep making long form content. You are so good at it!
SBSK!! What a pleasant surprise seeing you here :D
wowie worlds collide- love your channel chris!
I love and respect what you do❤
Burnout is real, take care! As a viewer, we'll always be ready for another Nuuly Reviewly or probably any other thing tbh 🙃
thank you!! I have an overdue nuuly reviewly that needs to be edited!
@@tiffanyferg the Nuuly reviews really are the best I actually got a nuuly subscription 2 months ago finally b/c I want to expand my wardrobe slowly and spend more money on more quality things but I also want a chance to have commitment free experimentation so thanks for the reviews
This is highly relatable, I’ve been feeling similarly as a viewer and creator.. I’m not on tik tok bc I can’t get sucked into any more addictive social media lol I’m actively trying to leave most of them, but I do find myself just watching light content or shorts or stuff that’s practical (how to sew, how to garden, etc.). The video essay genre seems extremely saturated, I’m working a ton outside of creating, and it’s hard to find the time and to reconnect with my voice and what I really want to share, and for what impact. Thanks for your thoughts ❤️
Just gonna let you know that I'm always in the mood for a tiffanyferg video. I love having your video playing in the background while I work, drive, cook etc etc. Your voice is lovely, your content is lovely. Thank you for still doing this series. It's one of my favourite series on yt!
Another issue I have with UA-cam’s algorithm is that you CAN’T block out certain channels. You can remove pages that post crap you don’t like instantly with Tiktok. This can be helpful so you don’t view possible triggering content.
For example I keep getting recommended videos about a certain anorexic creator and I think it’s because I like anime and fashion content and I find their content triggering and there is nothing I can do to stop seeing it in my feed.
Do you not get the "don't recommend this channel" option when you click the three dots menu next to a video? Or does it keep recommending that channel to you anyway?
Same!!! I keep getting the exact same short video about EC recommended to me. It’s only when I actually use the search bar too. Like I will look up “crochet cropped sweater tutorial” and get this same video recommended by about the third result in. It’s extremely upsetting and it does not give an option to stop recommending. I will report the video for dangerous content and it will not go away.
@@monicacardenas7924 if you're on pc there's an extension that will block channels and videos
@@reisatee5504 yes I’ve done it once and I still get it recommended to me but through the search tab. Say I want to look for videos about how to do photoshop, my search results halfway down will just start recommending videos that have nothing to do with what I asked for including that channel. Also when a video I’m watching ends the stuff on the side that’s recommended also shows me their stuff.
@@monicacardenas7924 THIS !!! I also like to watch UA-cam from a streaming app on my tv and the way that layout is they keep recommending it their too. It’s the worst.
Hi Tiffany 👋🏽 really felt your perspective on having to “turn on” but “turn off” our humanity. It feels so personal and so wrong.
I liked hearing about you pushing yourself creativity and just doing this more impromptu video. While it felt super researched and like your typical well versed videos, I also felt a more natural take which I liked.
Very much this!
You’re videos are always refreshing to me. I admit even tho I love your videos I took a break from video essays for awhile but now I’m back trying to click on videos like yours cause I know I’ll enjoy them. I love deep thinking but you hit the nail right on the head with the big topic fatigue. I will say it is comforting to know that your videos don’t change much which makes me more likely to come back and watch them after I haven’t watched them in a while. I also enjoy being able to listen to them on Spotify. Also I didn’t even realize until after you said it but you’re right it is so hard to find new channels. The only way I find new channels is through collaborations or shout outs for example I find a lot of new channels from ones that you mention on yours. Lately i’ve been so tired of TickTock I can’t even stay on it for more than 10 minutes sometimes I think it’s just because it has become draining, so I guess i’m grateful to have a reason to stay off of it.
You're SO right about the algorithm just recommending me videos I've already watched! My recommendations are literally a repeat of my sub feed and videos I've already watched (from channels I already subscribe to) - or if I do get a rec, it's a totally random video not in my "sphere" of youtube at all (so I still don't watch!). It was great to hear you talk about this from a viewer and creator perspective!!
“I’m adding things to my Watch Later but I don’t watch them later” this described it PERFECTLY. Like it seems interesting at some point, but not for current me
I personally think quality over quantity is the way to go with UA-cam. I've been feeling "UA-cam fatigue" as a viewer b/c I don't have the energy to consume weekly videos from my favs. I love the idea of UA-camrs having "seasons" with their videos. Having breaks in between batches of videos may help prevent burnout :)
I'm mostly annoyed at the fact that they aren't giving my any new videos that I've never seen before in my recommended. They're hiding all of the funny, trending videos that I would definitely like from my recommended page and its getting really annoying. Hence why I've been taking a break from UA-cam because... it's just been so boring. For too long.
10:53 YES!! UA-cam's algorithm used to be SO MUCH better (in my experience). Like I used to get much more of the videos recommended that I wanted + also exposure to more new creators that I've ended up really liking. In like the past 6 months at least, I often have to literally search for the channel I miss watching and then see there's like 10 unwatched videos of theirs on it because youtube DIDN'T RECOMMEND THEM TO ME. Like I used to be able to rely on the algorithm to show me content, but now I actively have to search for that content myself. Yesss I'm lazy but its just that it didn't use to be like this.
That being said, I've loved youtube since middle school and I'll never stop loving youtube.
THIS!! Cause for me, I'm not even into TikTok that much, always a UA-cam & Twitter girl, and UA-cam is the place I go to most times to relax, but not much interesting stuff is recommended to me, and as you said, I have to SEARCH for my favourites and check out the backlog of their videos I haven't watched! While UA-cam is still recommending me videos from 2years ago? About a channel I watched like once?? And of topics I'm not into 🙆🏾♀️🙆🏾♀️
it's definitely not just you - I can definitely sense lots of people (both viewers and creators) seem to be experiencing a LOT of burnout and trauma response, right now. It's sad and also pretty worrisome.
This is so relatable! I started making UA-cam videos because I loved UA-cam, but I’ve really lost interest as a viewer over the past few years. I feel that disconnect with the platform you were talking about and it makes it difficult to be excited about making content and interacting from the creator side. The pandemic, the algorithm, and the consistent week in week out expectation of creativity and entertainment has been so draining over the past few years. I love the idea of seasons that subscribers could follow and *actually* be notified of, especially if it allowed creators to create different types of content for different groups of their subscribers without risking tanking their whole channel. I think creators feeling a need to “niche down” to play nice with the algorithm adds to the burnout and loss of creativity/excitement, or maybe it’s just me! Creators are as varied and complex as viewers, and it sucks to feel we can only show one side of ourselves for years and years at a time even as our interests change and we change as people. I don’t know what the solution is but I’m grateful you made this video ❤️
What a surprise to see you here! Love your bujo layout videos! As someone who’s also in the drawing/art sphere (but on ig) I’m sorry and understand what you’re going through. The algorithm wants us to be consistent in both content and upload schedule, forever (???) and every slight deviation really tanks out reach, even to our existing audience. It’s really tiresome and saps all motivation.
as someone with a tiny bullet journal channel who had to step away from it from burnout after only a year- i truly have no idea how you are able to keep going through the motions! it became oppressive and anti-creative for me to sit and make bujo spreads and i am taking the summer off for my own sanity. I can't imagine the kind of feelings i would have if my livelihood (to some extent) depended on it. I'm hoping to come back in the fall with more of the love for it that i originally had, but i have a lot of empathy and frustration for bigger bujo channels who are kind of trapped doing it. As much as I love bujo... it can start to feel like a dot grid prison.
That's such a fascinating idea: sort of "sub-channels" within a UA-cam channel on certain niches, so audiences can follow some but not all. There are definitely channels I follow just because I'm interested in one aspect of what they put out, but it's only 1/10 videos. I think it would benefit subscribers and creators, since I've heard the algorithm punishes creators whose followers don't click on everything they put out. And it would encourage creativity, since creators wouldn't have to worry about building a whole new subscriber base on a new channel or lose their followers by pivoting.
Your introspection inspired by your recent viewing habits and mental fatigue is deeply profound and resonating. I love your content and am always fascinated and excited by all the perspectives you bring to the table. I hope you get a chance to recharge in all the ways you need/deserve and keep blessing us with your insights - you have a big fan here genuinely invested in what you have to say!
UA-cam's first CEO warned about disabling the dislike button. People rarely dislike videos and now the algorithm can't sort through the content. Good and bad videos are now lumped together and it's lost the trust of the viewer. Back then if a video had 90% dislikes, the algorithm would recommend the video less but now those bad videos are on the loose. I also heard that the #shorts destroyed ad revenue because the algorithm favored the #shorts over profitable long form videos. I'm personally about to focus more on my BitChute channel. I get more views on that platform, I don't make money but at this rate, I won't make any money on UA-cam if things don't turn around, the headache of figuring out their algorithm isn't worth it anymore.
UA-camrs having “seasons” was such a good point. Even though all industries obviously have the capacity to get burnt out…creative fields cannot operate on the same timeframe of constantly chugging content out, because creativity itself comes and goes in “seasons.” It’s insane to expect any type of creative or artist to work in the same way someone in-let’s say-finance does. Creativity cannot be contained in a typical 9-to-5 job. For that reason, I do think there should be less of a stigma when creators decide to take a “leave of absence” from the platform.
And that’s why UA-cam not promoting smaller creators is SO frustrating. Because bigger UA-cam channels SHOULD have permission to take breaks from this platform. But when they’re gone, this is where smaller content creators should have their time to shine! UA-cam shouldn’t be pitting creators against each other. They ALL help to make the platform better.
I completely agree!
Various creators getting pushed off the platform for dubious reasons has left a stable taste in my mouth. Lindsay Ellis for example. Few people could compete with her quality, and after a twitter cancelation she just gave up and couldn't take it anymore. Freaking Jenna Marbles got tired feeling like she couldn't do anything right and decided to just leave for her own sake.
And i feel like there is this god awful habit of many youtubers where they have to start any potentionally risky take with thirteen thousand preemptive answers to possible questions, "im NOT SAYING that x and y" " and while I understand that z and p" " given that f and w, I think it's possible to read this as ..."
Sometimes people have kind of bad takes and sometimes people have amazing takes, but I just feel like lots of people don't want to even attempt a take anymore for fear of eaten alive for one minor miscalculation in a 90min video.
I follow plenty of people that I dont agree with 100%, because I like most of what they do. And I'd rather have lots of people to follow who I mostly agree with rather than only a handful i completely agree with on every topic. But I understand the fear of having a Twitter mob come after you, it sounds absolutely horrifying.
UA-cam has become stale and boring because half of the interesting creayors have been "canceled"
I, despite having adhd, LOVE long videos that reeeeally analyse everything about something. I watch 1,5h videos of Garfield, 2 hour videos of the movie avatar, 3h videos of games that I have never even heard of.. I appreciate the effort that goes into a long video!
You just expressed my thoughts and feelings exactly! I haven't related so much to anything recently. I find myself craving for tiktok just because I need that kind of escapism. The world out there is getting so f up, I don't want to think about any of the things that are happening. On tik tok I learn some ideas, new fun facts, entertainment, different opinions, which are just enough to numb my brain. However, sometimes spending hours on it, consuming content, I get overwhelmed with so much other things and ideas to think about. But I guess this overwhelming feeling is a little bit better than the overwhelming feeling I get from watching the news...
Just wanted to add one more thing - I never post comments anywhere, and now I'll take this opportunity to tell you that you are my favourite creator and I've been watching your videos for years now. Especially through the pandemic. Thank you for always being on point, sharing your thoughts, and always finding interesting topics and things to talk about!!!
Definitely not just you, UA-cam feels very stagnant at the moment.
“I’m usually listening to Jenny Nicholson or Sarah Z” same. I love longform videos for falling asleep. hazel is another recent favorite if you’re into video games, anime, etc.
The layout and way you present images and such is so retro youtube and I love that about this video. I didn't realize how much I missed this style.
AHHH such a good video and completely relatable. you are such a gem on this platform. i've been burnt out for a LONG time and want so desperately to feel some twinge of creativity and inspiration. also the feedback about youtube is *super helpful* and incredibly valuable for us. will be sharing w/ many folks - thank you.
Oh my god. I saw the title of this video and immediately thought ITS NOT JUST ME!!! I've been scrolling through my UA-cam and subscriptions lately being like.....everything looks so.....stale and boring! Very excited to watch this video.