Skip to Content
The YouTube algorithm is always collecting information about users and it never forgets
The YouTube algorithm is always collecting information about users and it never forgets
rawpixel.com / Markus Spiske
Categories:

Deciphering the YouTube algorithm: The Broken Truth

Do you constantly find yourself being recommended the same videos all because of what you searched and liked in the past? Have you ever wondered what factors influence which videos get recommended to you? These are things you may have asked yourself, and all go are connected with something known as, “The YouTube Algorithm.” This algorithm is an advanced and clever AI system that selects videos based on user activity. It uses personal data ranging from location to how the user interacts with certain videos. It focuses on what the user likes and dislikes, their watch and search history, and how long they interact with videos. 

Have you ever received a survey asking about company products or which social media platforms you use? This is another way the algorithm works. However, this time it may ask questions to gather information about you, specifically your age group. This is known as demographic information, and  by answering these survey questions, you may begin to see ads based on your answers. These ads try to sell you products, but based on your responses. 

The algorithm may not bother a lot of people, but it actually poses a multifaceted problem that needs to be addressed. For example, it limits video variety, shortens a user’s attention span, remembers a user’s past history, and it affects other platforms. 

One problem that users have come across in this algorithm is the lack of recommendation variety. The more and more a user engages with videos, the more frequent those types of videos begin to appear in their feed. This limits their ability to see different types of videos, which makes it more difficult for the user to expand their interests. This then leads to the user to find enjoyment only in what they’re seeing, which prevents them from increasing their curiosity into discovering other things.

The user’s attention span also decreases, which makes it more difficult for them to enjoy other things, because they are essentially “training” themselves to only enjoy short videos, especially when it’s aimed toward their interests. This leads to them not being satisfied with content longer than three minutes and even their own lives. Then the user struggles to engage with longer content and interpreting more complex information, which damages their brain. This reduces their ability to multitask, find enjoyment in other things, focus on longer activities, be productive,  and to learn and find well-being. It also takes away motivation to do other things except scroll through the shorter videos. 

Another problem with the YouTube algorithm that has become worse throughout the years is remembering past activity, such as watch or search history, and interactions with old videos. The algorithm predicts what a user wants based on how they used the platform in the past. It knows who you were in the past, not who you are currently, and it may use that against you. Imagine that in the past, you were into a lot of extreme politics or “cringe” videos. Back then, that’s all you found entertainment in. Imagine you dedicated most of your time to watching memes, or what was considered trending at the time. Now, years later, your interests have begun to change, and you find those old videos annoying. You want to forget about them, right? However, when you try to search for videos that do pique your interests, you are reminded of all that past activity that you now dislike. 

Maybe there was a song that was one of your favorites all those years ago, one you regret listening to so much. That is forever going to be in your history, and it will stay in your recommended videos. Because of that, your searches will always have those past interests recommended to you, and you won’t be able to move on. The thing is, with this algorithm, it never forgets. It remembers everything about you, and will continue to bring it up time and time again, despite your best efforts to have it removed.

One final issue the algorithm has is YouTube recommendations and searches affecting other platforms. For example, the things you recommend on YouTube indirectly affect your Google search results. The platforms corrode each other, increasing your chances of having non-relevant material in your feed and recommendations. 

Despite the fact that YouTube can be a way for viewers to better interact with content creators, the algorithm that makes up YouTube has many things wrong with it that need to be fixed in order to make the platform better. First off, there should be a way to turn off recommendations completely. Yes, disliking and removing certain activities does help some, but it doesn’t actually filter out anything. It doesn’t remove all the content the user may not want to see or have recommended to them. Next, there should be a system that the user can access in order to stop their activity from corrupting other websites and platforms. One other thing that should improve YouTube is to stop using AI for the user’s activity completely. There should be people who monitor the AI closely. and help filter out unwanted activity completely, based on the user’s interests. One final thing that should be added is a different app or platform that connects to the user’s account. This should allow them to swipe through different types of content and creators, so they can fully filter out what they want and what they don’t want recommended to them. 

More to Discover