I open YouTube all the time, but I barely watch anything anymore
The author describes how they frequently open YouTube out of habit but end up watching little content. They find the experience less enjoyable due to disruptive ads, repetitive recommendations, and a diminished role for subscriptions. The platform's shift toward Shorts and algorithm-driven content has made it harder to find videos that genuinely engage them.
- ▪The author opens YouTube frequently but often spends more time deciding what to watch than actually watching.
- ▪Ads on YouTube have become more disruptive, often interrupting videos at engaging moments and leaving banners even after being skipped.
- ▪The YouTube homepage now feels repetitive and less personalized, frequently showing already-watched videos or irrelevant recommendations.
- ▪Subscribed content no longer appears reliably on the homepage, as the algorithm prioritizes suggested videos over user subscriptions.
- ▪The rise of YouTube Shorts has contributed to a browsing habit of drifting rather than settling into longer videos.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Android Police.
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