General > General Technical Chat
Is YouTube changing???
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 08, 2021, 11:44:32 pm ---
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on January 08, 2021, 11:05:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 08, 2021, 09:27:17 pm ---[...] it's the USERS who drive every single thing that Youtube (or any other business) does. [...]
--- End quote ---
Profit motive of corporations (including Youtube's owner) has nothing to do with it?
--- End quote ---
What's the problem with profit motive??
[...]
--- End quote ---
Did I say there was a problem with it? I am pointing out that there are many motives beyond the concerns of USERS that drive what you see on Youtube.
No casual viewer ever asked for ads to appear, right?
coppice:
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 08, 2021, 08:40:32 pm ---I used to watch a guy who was a really talented software developer. Really good at teaching a software language I wanted to learn. His videos were just that, explaining the language and how it worked. All tech, all educational, writing code.
Then he quit his job and decided to go full time into Youtube. And he decided in order to get decent income he needed to change things drastically. Now instead of how to write code it's videos of him responding to video games, and discussing stuff that is 80% entertainment and only 20% technology and education. Because that's what people want.
Over the years I've seen channel after channel buckle to the desires of their audience for more entertainment and less education and tech. I suspect his next move will be reviewing the latest "ooo, shiny" new hardware like most of the other computer tech channels.
And I'm sure he'll buy a cat. And maybe have his girlfriend join him. And maybe even start doing pranks.
That's what people really want. That's what Youtube is becoming. In fact it's almost there.
--- End quote ---
Millions line up to go to college, yet few people really want to learn.
rsjsouza:
Well, a good example where entertainment is more popular than pure education is the originator of this very forum or ElectroBOOM when compared to, say, w2aew or The Signal Path. Sure, Dave has a lot of knowledge to share, but the funny and iconic style brought him to the forefront of this niche corner of Youtube.
engrguy42:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on January 09, 2021, 01:49:27 am ---
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 08, 2021, 11:44:32 pm ---
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on January 08, 2021, 11:05:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 08, 2021, 09:27:17 pm ---[...] it's the USERS who drive every single thing that Youtube (or any other business) does. [...]
--- End quote ---
Profit motive of corporations (including Youtube's owner) has nothing to do with it?
--- End quote ---
What's the problem with profit motive??
[...]
--- End quote ---
Did I say there was a problem with it? I am pointing out that there are many motives beyond the concerns of USERS that drive what you see on Youtube.
No casual viewer ever asked for ads to appear, right?
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. Seems pretty straight forward isn't it? Youtube provides a service to users, just like Netflix or HBO or any one of a thousand services on this planet that are provided to, and directed to customers.
And in order for those services to be successful and provide maximum profit to the providers, the services are designed around the wants and needs of customers. No service provider with half a brain would provide services that nobody is willing to pay for. Just like every product and service on the planet. You find out what your customers want, and design your products and services to meet those wants.
And what the entire planet is willing to pay for is entertainment and music videos. Even if "pay for" means nothing more than watching advertisements, on the hope that a fraction of watchers will actually buy the product.
You're right, no casual viewer ever asked for ads to appear. Just like nobody strolling down the aisles of WalMart wants price tags on any of the products. But that's not how the world works. You have to pay for stuff.
SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: engrguy42 on January 09, 2021, 12:08:13 pm ---[...]
I'm not sure what point you're trying to make.
[...]
--- End quote ---
I guess it struck me as naive to say that pleasing the customer is the only input (or most important input) to a design process.
Instead, a product embodies a balance between the need for profit and the need to please the customer (as well as other needs: legal etc.)
So it is perfectly possible to end up with a product that doesn't get the balance right. I'm sure you can think of many examples.
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