I have watched Youtube videos for many, many years. Not only that, I actually created a Youtube channel and created videos for a while. Recently, though, I’ve begun to reassess my relationship with Youtube.

Youtube can be a great source for learning. Just about anything you want to learn you can learn on Youtube. There are, in fact, entire courses available to teach you anything from philosophy, to math, languages, and, of course, a metric ton (or two) of courses on technology. I love that I can learn what I need to learn using Youtube.

I can also learn about new things, like new technologies, or devices, or other products that I might find useful.

So, What’s the Problem?#

Where do I want to start? It strikes me, more and more, that the type of videos that can be useful are becoming increasingly few and far between. Instead, most of what I see on Youtube today falls into several categories:

  • Advertisements. Youtube has become basically an ad platform rather than a platform for learning and sharing. I’m not referring just to the ridiculous number of ads that Youtube sticks in the middle of the video you’re watching. I’m talking about the videos that include mid-roll ads created by the “creators” to push their sponsors. I’m talking about the ads on the Youtube page that are made to look like videos but are nothing more than sponsored ads. And, worst of all, the “product reviews” that are nothing more than thinly disguised ads.

Yes, the creator says that the ad is sponsored or that they received the product for free for review but that the manufacturer does not have input into the contents, but it seems odd to me that damn near every video that reviews the same product uses almost identical language. And, almost without fail, the review is positive. Oh, they’ll throw in a few negatives for appearances sake, but hey, they’ve got a link in the description so that you, too, can buy the product.

  • Stupid, click-bait headlines. How many “Don’t buy this until you watch…!” videos are out there. How many “This is a game changer!” videos? “So-and-so just got humiliated by X person” videos? And .. well, you get the idea.

Videos are not being created to share information, they’re being created to generate clicks because clicks generate revenue and that’s what more and more “creators” are interested in. They don’t really care whether they are providing value to their audience. And, while they may decry how corporate America is turning us all into data for its marketing machine, they seem to miss the reality that that is exactly what they are doing. Or, maybe they do know, but just don’t care.

  • Politics. I know this will come as a surprise to many people, but once upon a time politics was not the end all and be all of the universe. Politics is important, to be sure, but having a constant barrage of negative political commentary is mentally exhausting. Yes, it sells and that’s why they do it. But it is just way over the top and I’m tired of it. I want to know what’s going on, but I want it in a way that isn’t polarizing. As they used to say on “Dragnet”: Just the facts, ma’am." I can draw my own conclusions.

  • Youtube is their job. Now, in and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with creating a situation where making videos is your primary job. On the other hand, if that is true, how valid is the knowledge you’re sharing?

I recently saw a video that addressed that very issue: How many of the “productivity” gurus actually do something productive? Most, it seems spend a lot of time talking about and evaluating productivity systems but don’t actually use them. And his argument makes sense. How can you be productive if you’re spending all your time evaluating productivity tools? Am I saying that you can’t be productive while evaluating these tools? Of course not! But, show me that you’re actually doing productive work with them instead of simply explaining how useful those tools are and I’ll be a lot more impressed.

The Good#

Now, I’ve listed a few reasons why I am doing my best to disconnect from Youtube. But I would be remiss if I did not also include some positives.

I think the biggest positive is that there are still channels that provide solid, trustworthy information that you can use. Channels that teach you something. Channels that truly entertain you. Some of my favorites take me to places that I’ll never likely go to show me things that I’ll never likely see. I’ve been taken to cocoa farms in the Phillipines and shown how chocolate is made. I’ve seen the beauty of national parks in New Zealand. I’ve met people who have built off-grid lives for themselves and learned how they accomplished that.

I’ve learned how to solve technical problems with the help of technology based videos. As I write this I am learning the intricacies of using EMACS as a writing tool. And Vim. I’ve learned a lot about hosting my own services like RSS readers and read-it-later apps, even whole alternatives to the Google Docs tools such as Nextcloud.

There are still “authentic” channels out there that don’t strive to look “professional” but instead strive to provide value to their audience. They’re not pushing a product. In fact, what they’re showing is often free and open-source so there’s no financial benefit to their promoting the product. What they are doing is showing you its benefits, it’s pitfalls, it’s strengths and its weaknesses then allowing you to make up your own mind. They’re showing you how to use the product or to configure it to your liking.

And they don’t have fancy backgrounds or “studios”. They make their videos in their working office or living room or wherever they are with all the junkiness and clutter and poor lighting that goes with it. It becomes very clear that their videos are not the focus of their work but are, perhaps, extensions of it. Or, just side projects to their main work. I was watching a video by a computer science teacher and laughed because his office window was open and you could clearly hear the traffice passing by the window, complete with occasional blaring horns. THAT is an authentic video! And the quality of the content was phenomenal.

Trashing My Own Channel#

I spent several months accumulating the knowledge and skills needed to create my own channel and invested more than a few dollars to make it look “professional”. And I made about a half dozen videos. Then I realized something: I wasn’t saying anything that differed significantly from what everyone else was saying. Why, then, I wondered, was I going to all that trouble? Yes, I’d get views and accumulate subscribers and might eventually be able to monetize my efforts, but I realized several things.

First, I realized that I didn’t want to become just another voice added to the cacophany of noise on the internet. At least not in video form. I didn’t want to just parrot what others were saying. I wanted to provide something of value. If I didn’t feel I had something unique to share, I saw no reason to share.

Second, I knew that my goal wasn’t necessarily to monetize my channel. I have a solid income. Having a few buck extra would be nice, maybe, but I didn’t need it.

Third, While I was waiting to reach the point where I could monetize my channel, Youtube was still making money off my work. That just seemed wrong to me.

So, At The End of the Day …#

So, What now? Well, I’m not swearing off YT completely. Rather, I’m being more selective in what I watch. I’ll search for the content I need and ignore the rest. There are things that I want to learn and YT is a great way to do that because there are some truly great teachers out there.

Will I continue to make videos? Maybe. But only if I find something unique or interesting to share. My wife and I are planning some travel and I’m sure we’ll share those videos though I’m not going to go out of my way to make them look like professional TV productions. I’ll share the experiences in what I hope will be an authentic way.