[NAGDU] An important note about YouTube

[Heather Bird]

Hello everyone. So, I just want to put this out there that when you view something on, YouTube, whether it’s something you agree with, or not, that boosts the views of that video, and the views of that content, Creator. That is, any sort of activity on a video makes the YouTube algorithm happy. So, if you come across a video that you don’t like, or don’t agree with, first of all, don’t hit dislike, because even if you’re showing, you dislike the video, that counts as activity, and it makes the YouTube algorithm more likely to recommend it to people. Secondly, probably don’t comment either, when you comment, even if you’re arguing with the premise of the video, or arguing with other people’s comments in the comment section, you are again telling the algorithm that this video is important.

No, this next part, I’m not 100% sure of, but I’m fairly certain. If someone who is more text, savvy or social media savvy wants to weigh in that would be great. However, I think that watch time is based on how long you view the video as well.  When I look at the statistics for my channel, I see that it logs a lot of things, including total watch time. I’m not sure if it calculates it based on the number of times a video is viewed, times the length of the video? Or, maybe it is sophisticated enough that it looks at how long a video is viewed before it stops, that is, the video ends, or someone clicks away from the video to something else.  If it is in fact, sophisticated enough to track the actual amount of watch time, then, clicking away from a video that is problematic might help lower it in the YouTube algorithm. If you don’t want a negative video to impact the suggested videos you receive in future, viewing a controversial video in incognito mode, can also help. We can certainly wait and see what the leader ship Hass to say about this content, but in the meantime, if you’re inclined to go view this video, or if you encounter other videos in the future, that you really despise, please be aware of how your activity interacting with that video  Communicates to the YouTube algorithm. Trust me, this is infuriating, I am one of those sorts of people who likes to have the last word, who feels like I have to respond to everything, and so, not commenting on the video, not hitting the dislike button, it’s very difficult for me. So I would suggest the following, if you feel frustrated, about a video like this. One, share links to videos that are  in line with your philosophy, so, for instance, the NFB has a YouTube channel, and sharing positive guide dog related content, especially if it’s from an actual organization of Guide Dog users, such as NAGDU or GDUI, a channel run by one of the guide dog training programs, or a responsible guide or service, dog trainer, or content from responsible guide dog handlers, who are YouTube content creators, is also helpful. If you have your own YouTube channel and want to make a post expressing a view, differing from a negative post you encounter, without linking to that video, then you will help get correct information out there, and a message that aligns with your philosophy, without giving more traffic to the video, or the channel, of the negative content creator. 

Sent from my iPhone