"Very dramatic shift" - Linus Tech Tips opens up about the channel's declining viewership
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That’s what bugs me the most, it used to be everyone making awesome fun videos, but then Linus is now the host of EVERY video. It’s just not the same
Huh, I've been watching them since like 2016 or so and I seem to remember him hosting more frequently back in the day. Seems like now he does most of the main channel videos while everyone else handles Short Circuit and the like. My personal theory is that Linus is grooming Elijah to be his replacement. But we'll see.
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
LTT had multiple pretty bad scandals, didn't they? I recently needed to find some technical information and other places had better information. LTT seems to be more of a pop culture tech channel? I don't even really know how to describe what I mean. It's like the reviews are more like fluff pieces I guess? They aren't super duper technical. But I also don't watch them much so maybe I missed something.
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LLMs are doing things like summarizing videos and then using the summaries to answer queries that before would have been a search result with monetization.
Google's executives are unconcerned about the declinibg incentives to create YouTube videos having been sold on the lie that the future of the internet lies in Ai generated content. In other words robots will make the internet.
Robots which hallucinate constantly.
Remember when search summaries were just extracts from the top result instead of LLM hallucinations? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
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My theory is that we have a limited number of hours a day to view content. We also have a growing number of channels and content in general. Algorithms include new content we kight enjoy, and for every new channel we get hooked on, one of the older ones drops off.
Tv shows rarely (ever?) Last forever. Why should channels?
Wiith how often either someone I know or some random user is like, here watch this. And it's anywhere from 15-60 minute video. How many hours day do you think I have. Just sum up what you're trying to show me in a few sentences.
It's like the 21st century version of useless work meetings.
This didn't need to be a meeting.
This didn't need to be a Youtube video.
This didn't need to be a podcast.
It's oversaturation.Same goes with podcasts. I'm sure we're past peak podcasting too. Everyone and their dog has a podcast. 99% of them are private conversations that have no reason for existing as podcasts. People are recording a random conversation about nothing and calling it a podcast episode. Just stop.
I don't even watch so many hours of TV shows. I have maybe two or three shows I'll be watching at any given time. That's like a few hours a week. The algorithmic content pushing has lost the plot. They expect us to be robotic content consuming machines 24 hours a day, seven days week. I have to eat and shit and earn a living so I can continue to sustain my physical existence so I can consume content. I suppose this is the natural end goal of adtech companies like Google. A tireless soulless machine that devours humanity.
Much of the content has become useless fluff. A good chunk of Youtube videos and podcasts are just friends bantering or cackling over inside jokes. Like why am I listening to this noise being blasted from my headphone to my ears. I'm over it.
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Okay buddy.
9 days on Lemmy and you are already being a jerk and using votes. Miss reddit do you?
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
Fuck Linus.
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
The problem is those channels are very similar. I get tired of hearing the same thing again and again. There is really no need for weekly news
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
Google is making users/consumers not want to use/consume google things by making those things more difficult, more invasive, less user friendly to use/consume.
That's it. That's all.
If I just want to watch a clip that I could before but now I have to sign in because it thinks I'm a not, NO
If it wants me to watch ads for things I'll never buy and actually forces me to, NO.
If it kills the front ends I prefer to use, or kills the ability to watch via proxy, for my privacy and/or security. NO.
If it feeds me Nazi shit without clicking a single link on a new install on a new browser with no profile on a new IP, fucking NO.
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I dunno I’ve still yet to see ads. Between Smart Tube Next on my TV, Firefox with uBlock origin on my computer, and AdGuard + Vinegar on my phone, nothing gets through, even with their latest efforts.
Okay, but what are you still even watching on YT? The only media I even occasionally consume is Well There's Your Problem, the occasional FoundryVTT HowTo, and the odd clip I get sent from friends.
Yeah, NewPiped screens out all the shitty ads. But so much of the core content is some Mr Beast style slop, I've got little reason to look at my front page.
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9 days on Lemmy and you are already being a jerk and using votes. Miss reddit do you?
Your insecurity is showing.
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Reasons I see:
a) the generation that grew up watching LTT is now at age where they don't watch as much YT as they did before
b) increasing amount of things happen which put viewers off
c) consumer technology peaked and is now "boring"
d) new generations don't have as much interest in technology altogetherLet's explain:
a + c) people watching LTT years ago were living in an exiting tech era where it boomed and you had mayor leaps in tech basically on a yearly basis. Moving from floppy disks to CD's to USB sticks. CRT to LCD displays. 16-bit to 32-bit color. Solitare and Minesweeper to Call of Duty 4 and Need for Speed. Symbian and Blackberry to Android and iOS. Tons of manufacturers, tons of competition, tons of new and exctiting stuff.
Let's observe the state today: iPhone looks the same for the past half decade. Android is basically just Google and Samsung. Storage is now all in cloud. New games are recycled and upscaled old games. Every new generation of hardware is same thing just 10% better/faster. New OS releases are just refinements without new features. Most changes are done just for the sake of change. Existing hardware can basically be enough for 5+ years. What is LTT realistically supposed to talk about that is interesting? There is simply no more interesting tech.
This ties in into d) - tech peaked, new generations "just use it as it is", there is no need to tinker with it, prebuilt PC's are more than fine for years to come. Since AI the IT job landscape seems to be in decline, both in demand and in pay. People do other stuff now that is more lucrative.
LTT is dependent on stuff happening so that they can make videos about it. But, stuff kinda just isn't happening. Or the stuff that happens is just not noteworthy news anymore.
Or google just twiddle our knobs and youtube is not a meritocracy ?
I mean, we don't need to post hoc ergo propter hoc on occam's razor here, we know google, we have their game plan.This is a powerplay, youtube reigning in the talent and intervening in the algorithm, its "meritocratic puppetry".
NO DOUBT, they are NOT shutting them down, but they have REMOVED a previously existing "unfair boost". -
A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
This guy seems really fake, I have only watched a couple and it too much personality for what I want. I just want to hit the topics and move through quickly, MKBHD and the boss guy are solid.
Other than thatnIbhave only ever heard of these guys when they have been acting like dicks internally and externally.
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
Maybe if he did videos that were interesting again...not like my wife hates our tech at home videos or whatever
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This guy seems really fake, I have only watched a couple and it too much personality for what I want. I just want to hit the topics and move through quickly, MKBHD and the boss guy are solid.
Other than thatnIbhave only ever heard of these guys when they have been acting like dicks internally and externally.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Isn't MKBHD a bit of a brat? Doesn't he spend most of his time doing flashy low substance "reviews" just so he keeps getting invited to Apples gigs?
His reviews are mostly just b-role anyway, there are actual reviewers out there.
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A lot of Youtube channels are reporting declining viewership lately.
EX1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cpVnx4_yqTo
EX2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0tmhEtVJEFun times. Looks like a lot of channels are seeing a decline not just Linus. Hes just the latest to talk about it.
Then I saw this article as well and thought I would share.
Anyone here youtube creators? Are you seeing the same thing, a general downturn in viewership?
People are jumping the gun on Linus here, but it's real, the Second Wind crew do a great job and their recent videos, even the Fully Ramblomatic series are doing way worse.
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That’s what bugs me the most, it used to be everyone making awesome fun videos, but then Linus is now the host of EVERY video. It’s just not the same
wrote last edited by [email protected]He definitely seems to host fever videos then he used to.
People just like to hate on him and apparently he's done some bad things, but I don't know about. Anyway this article isn't really just about him, it's apparently about all of YouTubers so what he's done isn't really relevant.
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This guy seems really fake, I have only watched a couple and it too much personality for what I want. I just want to hit the topics and move through quickly, MKBHD and the boss guy are solid.
Other than thatnIbhave only ever heard of these guys when they have been acting like dicks internally and externally.
MKBHD the one that drove over the limit on a school zone for a car review, his also very light when reviewing Tesla stuff.
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There is a difference between those willing to change something and those trying something out.
I use Apple devices at work and the sometimes ass-backwards way of hotkeys or UI decisions is really aggravating annoyance in regards to logically understanding the task needed to do something comparison to another OS like Windows.
E.g. deleting the app data of an app on iOS.
Why can't I just reset a damn app? Why do I need to uninstall and download it again from the store??Nah sure there are some annoyances with MacOs. But most things are just because it works differently. Different doesn’t automatically mean worse. I use all three OSs on a regular basis, they all have their pros and cons. But Windows has the most bs out of the three.
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VR still is it. If you have €€€€
Take the bigscreen beyond 2.
A vr-headset starting at 1300 (incl. taxes/import).
Uhhh yeah.
Not happening for what little VR could offer me in my current situation (and I don't watch porn).Facebook is the best and worst thing to have happened to VR. The Quest is an affordable headset that basically killed all competition and innovation in VR for years. Still holding out hope that the next Valve headset will come out eventually and shake up the scene again.
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I never considered that the tech scene isn't interesting anymore, but you're right. Everything is boring incremental upgrades these days. Things are having the fun squeezed out of them for profits (in app purchases, proprietary lockin, cloud shit that dies or has permanent bugs, etc), lots of stuff just feels like it's plateaued or is junk.
And all the big "innovations" have been in venture capitalist bubbles like AI, NFTs, etc. or soured by the companies and people behind them. I hear SpaceX has been doing some cool stuff, but all I can see is Musk making a flying Cyber Truck for his ego on NASA's dollar. One of the reactors at 3 Mile Island is coming back online, the first US nuclear power project in who knows how many years...in order to fuel Microsoft's AI data centers.
Advancements in tech used to be about pushing the boundaries of what we're capable of. Now, it's all about pushing the boundaries of how much money the oligarchs can stuff into a single pocket.
