NEW RULE: Any Youtuber who uses a large ARROW on the "thumbnail" image will not get my click.

[QueerDuck]

It doesn't matter what color the arrow is... or how large it is... or even if it points to something that's got a circle around it... the arrow means "CLICKBAIT" which translates to hype, misleading visuals and disappointment.

The same thing goes for Youtubers who ask questions that can be easily (and usually, and safely) answered with "NO". ("Does teen sex cause cancer?" ... "Is the FBI listening to you through Alexa?" ... "Can a neodymium magnet improve your gas mileage?'')

Headline questions that can be answered with "no" are a common journalistic tactic, described by the principle known as Betteridge's Law of Headlines, which states that any headline ending in a question mark can likely be answered with "no". The purpose is to create intrigue and grab attention without making a definitive, potentially inaccurate, claim that could lead to embarrassment or legal issues.

These types of "LOOK AT ME" gimmicks are not intriguing... they're an insult to the intelligence of people who are looking for serious information and thoughtful analysis. It's the equivalent of "You Won't Believe What Happened Next!" or "Doctors Hate This One Weird Trick for Losing Weight" and "This Simple Hack Could Save You Thousands!" headlines in the past.

But, I guess it works, since they keep doing it, especially on monetized and subscriber-based channels.

[/rant_off]

Whew! I feel better now! That's all... thanks for listening.

[calguy]

1. Most of the 'click bait' videos on youtube are AI generated

[QueerDuck]

2. There are a lot of them here too. From (once) respectable content creators...

but it looks like the lure of subscribers and monetized channels has caused them to cross over to the Clickbait Dark Side.

This applies to those content creators who have a basic announcement, story, or analysis that could literally be explained in three to five minutes... but they end up delaying and stretching it out... looping back and repeating themselves for 10 minutes (or longer) so that their video can be monetized with commercials (before, during, and after). The short and to-the-point videos are rarely given mid-point commercials.

Ugh.

[stopdiggin]

6. and further points for pointing directly to monetization (and greed) that drives ...

(often from the same voices that will excoriate the 'capitalist colonizers' at first opportunity ... ) - - - - - - - - - -

[QueerDuck]

9. Excellent point... I had not thought of that. But you are CORRECT!

[Montauk6]

26. The videos themselves or the thumbnails?

[NeoTrajan]

3. I despise those ....

Also not a fan

1) Host with hands on side of head, mouth agape
2) "Nobody tells you this"
3) "They lied to us"

ANY AI channels are instantly blocked

[msongs]

4. 30 seconds of content and 10 minutes of useless blabber lol. most are basically click bait IMO

[Skittles]

15. that's why I like Belle at the Ranch

she gets right to the point

[stopdiggin]

5. on point, and on target, for virtually every single sentence uttered in the rant !

It is absolute garbage - a disservice to real information - and a HUGE waste of everyone's time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Tom Dyer]

7. But what if the post

IS ALL CAPS???!!!
Click on it, right?

Jeesh. Tiresome AF.

[QueerDuck]

11. HA! YES! IRRESISTIBLE!

[JI7]

8. There is a lot of similar shit from the right wing against everyone they hate

I know it's clickbait so don't click on it most of the time but I'm ok with it being out there as long as the right wing shit is out there.

[flvegan]

10. It makes DU's Home Page look like an absolute joke.

I don't know if everyone's homepage for DU has the "Latest Videos" sidebar, but mine does. Half of the videos listed are clickbait bullshit as described in the OP (nice rant, btw, 5 star experience!) and makes DU look like a political offramp to monetize morons.

I've been bitching about this for a long, long time. Nice to see it put in an OP so well.

[QueerDuck]

12. Many thanks.

[Aristus]

13. I really hate those "DOCTORS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS IMPORTANT LIFE HACK!" things.

I'm a Physician Assistant, not a doctor. But the things they talk about in those videos are things that we usually already know about, and don't want patients doing it/taking it/eating it, etc, because it is bad for the patient, or else it's a harmless waste of money. It's just more grifting off the deliberately-cultivated mistrust of experts, authority figures, etc.

The one I see most often right now is: "FOR GOD'S SAKE, GET YOUR MAGNESIUM LEVEL CHECKED! TAKE LOTS OF MAGNESIUM! YOU COULD BE MAGNESIUM DEFICIENT!"

I can only assume that the vitamin supplement industry found itself with a glut of magnesium tablets, and is desperately trying to unload them.

Magnesium deficiency is actually pretty rare among healthy people, and is most common in patients with chronic kidney disease. As always, don't initiate any supplementation program until you've talked to your primary care provider first.

[Ilikepurple]

14. I agree, but somehow can't shake the "NEW RULE:" preface as being a little clickbaitish itself.

I know there is logical space for establishing or adopting rules for our own behavior, but in general when discussing rules in public, we are suggesting governing others conduct. That being said, I hope others follow the rule you made for yourself as I have unknowingly been doing for years.

[QueerDuck]

20. I see the point you're trying to make. A call to be better and do better and demand better is not...

... "governing others conduct". It's a light-hearted and winking (but very sincere) attempt to get people to think about their responses to the slop they are being served and to recognize it for what it is.

And with that realization, and if they (we) stop consuming it... then hopefully those who get away with and who PROFIT by producing and serving-up that type of swill may realize that they need to up-their-game and do better.

As it stands right now, what they're doing is clearly a race-to-the-bottom as they seek out the lowest common denominator to make a quick buck. These outrage-videos are largely analysis-free... they are mostly hype. Very predictable and formulaic.

Thanks for your final sentence... that sums it up nicely. It says a lot about your character and intelligence (and taste) to know that you have been instinctively avoiding this type of low-nutrition high-calorie garbage.

In the long run, this type of stuff (that we avoid) doesn't feed the brain, nor does it give others a deeper understanding of the issues, or how things came to be. They omit key elements that would help others to better comprehend how to solve problems. Mere "outrage" is not enough to most viewers to respond in in effective ways or to work together for rational, realistic and achievable solutions. It only adds fuel to wind-driven random and directionless wildfire of (self) destruction rather than becoming a useful tool that could (theoretically) become focused into something that would make the world a better place.

[Ilikepurple]

23. Queerduck, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I agree wholeheartedly.

I think I responded how I did because the formatting of your post grabbed my attention using a clickbaitish technique. New rule? Better check it out. Not from Earl G? Not really a rule? I guess clickbait aggravates me so much I was unwilling to fully digest the playfulness of it. Again, I agree with both your conclusion and analysis and will continue to adhere to this rule myself. I appreciate the time and thought you took to present this to us.

[QueerDuck]

24. 🫂

[tulipsandroses]

16. New rule for you. But understand that we must play to win. I give credit to Meidas Touch and other liberal Youtubers.

Whether you like it or not, this is how many people consume info these days. One reason we lost last year was we did not have the same social media/podcast presence. We still have a lot of catching up to do, but gosh I am glad that there are people like Meidas Touch and others doing it. Personally, not for me either. Every now and then I enjoy some of their content.
But by golly, let us stop trying to get things to go back to the past.
People are not watching Cronkite like news programs anymore. They are not reading newspapers. Its an attention economy. People get info in memes, short videos. Like it or not, that is where we are.
If there are folks that are trying to shine light on issues that support our agenda and expose the corruption, I am all for it.

[QueerDuck]

18. And we're all the worse for it. It's important to have higher standards and set a good example. No?

The producers of this "slop" and those who consume it so eagerly should strive to be better. By not rewarding the slop producers with clicks and views, they'll be motivated to do better. That's all I'm trying to say.

[tulipsandroses]

21. Podcasting is a different animal than newscasting.

I am specifically speaking about liberal podcasters. They are doing good work to help our cause.
It may not be your cup of tea. That is OK. Everything is not for everyone. The information economy is a lot different than it was 10 years ago and its not going back.
There is a post today that Candace Owens beat Joe Rogan this week.
We can't let their voices be the loudest voices. I hear you, but its just a different animal and we have to play the game to win. As long as they are not telling outright lies, I commend what they are doing. They are trying to compete in the attention economy. Trust me, there are people that gravitate that way and the ones that are not so far gone, we need them to come our way. Case in point, the secretary of state of Kentucky had to put out a statement earlier this week that people in Kentucky cannot vote for Mayor of NY. I kid you not. Somehow they were convinced they could vote against Mamdani even though they were in Kentucky.
People believe all kinds of nonsense online. I am not for playing respectability politics when there are others on the other side winning with disinformation.

There was a discussion earlier this week elsewhere how much of an impact independent journalism had on this week's election. Cable news viewership is declining, broadcast news does not show in detail the depravity of what is actually happening on the streets. These podcasters do.

[QueerDuck]

22. Rewarding idiots simply because they are "loud" makes zero sense to me. We need to be smarter, not "louder".

Let the other side be as stupid and as loud as they want to be. Our side needs to be smart and organized... not merely filled with blind rage and "hate" ... yet wandering around without a clue how to put all that pent-up energy to good use... in a meaningful and effective way.

Half the time, their listeners end up "hating" the wrong party... they turn on the Democrats for "letting it happen" or for "refusing to act" and wave their magic wand. When, instead, these youtubers could be guiding and lifting their civic knowledge and motivation. Encouraging them to HELP the party rather than to view Democrats as the enemy or rather than including them in the "both sides" bullshit. (I know you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about, don't you?)

The primary mission of these "podcasters" is to make money... they're not part of any sort of movement. They want to "ride" the wave of anger and self-blame rather than CREATE the wave of victory over the GOP.

Sorry... the standard of "not telling outright lies" is a low threshold. Spending 15 minutes in a youtube video before they get-to-the-point of the headline is the moral equivalent of a lie. Asking clickbait questions to get viewers, then answering their provocative question with "no" is the moral equivalent of a lie. Feeding people a nothing burger, and then repeating the same "story" three more times in the same video (leaving people believing that there's more to come) but never delivering is the moral equivalent of an outright-lie. They need to do better and we need to demand better.

Playing to win, as you put it, means winning at the ballot box. It's very RARE that any of these clickbait hyped-up meandering dragged-out repetitive arrow-flashing youtubers actually do or say anything to help people to understand what's going on, and what they can do about it. In the end, it's all about THEIR OWN pocketbooks, and LOW-INFORMATION click bait is how they do it... for themselves. NOT for us. NOT for any greater cause other than themselves.

Low and zero information content only perpetuates the problem (it doesn't matter how LOUD) they are... that's not going to help us win.

I know we're on the same team, but I think we're talking past each other at this point. We've reached an impasse. --- Thanks for the chat and conversation.

[Wounded Bear]

17. I have been ignoring a lot of posts with red squares lately...

Don't have time to watch so many videos.

[QueerDuck]

19. Agreed! They're time consuming, slow, repetitive and dumbed-down.

Youtube videos, a realm of existence where time itself appears to be warped and distorted, stretching out like a languid, listless entity, as if savoring the very notion of sluggishness. The videos themselves, a never-ending cavalcade of repetition, a hypnotic mantra of familiarity, washing over the viewer like a gentle, yet unyielding, tide. And the content, oh the content, a carefully crafted, meticulously curated assemblage of the lowest common denominators, a veritable buffet of bland, uninspired, and uninspiring creations, designed to soothe and stupefy, rather than provoke or inspire.

The viewer, a captive audience, trapped in the thralls of this mesmerizing vortex, is powerless to resist the allure of the mundane, the banal, and the tediously familiar. Their mind, aflutter with the sheer predictability of it all, begins to drift, lost in a sea of forgettable moments, as the videos wash over them, one after another, like the relentless waves of a stagnant ocean. The very essence of creativity and imagination, it seems, has been carefully excised from this realm, leaving behind a vacuum of vapid, hollowed-out husks, devoid of passion, energy, or life itself.

And so, the viewer remains, suspended in this limbo of listlessness, as the Youtube videos continue to unfold, a never-ending, unchanging landscape of dullness, a testament to the boundless capacity of humanity's creative apathy, a monument to the infinite possibilities of wasted time and talent.

[Keepthesoulalive]

27. Life requires us to consume things that benefit us

We must be careful and curate our information. I go to YouTubers that do the research, inform and sometimes entertain. Most Americans want sound bites or media they are comfortable with for instance Fox News. We have got to try and reach them where they are as opposed to where we want them to be. I want Trump gone and if keeping it simple achieves that , I am okay.

[QueerDuck]

28. So, if DU is a gathering place for mature like-minded Democrats, the clickbait videos are the equivalent of the...

low tables in the corner of the waiting room filled with Highlights magazines*, chunky books, coloring books and other "Busy-Box" activities for children and feeble minded? (*with the hidden pictures already solved... no thinking required.)

I take your point of "meeting them where they are" but find it troubling to imagine that anyone HERE would actually be at a level where that this type of clickbait swill is valable, appealing or entertaining. This repetitive crap lowers our collective IQ level.

[Keepthesoulalive]

29. I agree

I don’t look at the videos but some people might find them informative as well as some folks like drama. We would like to think that many here are well informed and curious. I will stop before I step on some folks feelings. Hoping you have a relaxing holiday.

[Montauk6]

25. MELTDOWN, CRASHOUT, PANIC, IT'S OVER, RUINED, RUNS AWAY, LOSES IT, MAGA EXPOSED, etc etc

Yeah, it's gotten so out of hand, I just as soon watch dashcam car crashes and DUI arrests or the occasional Jim Cornette rant over some of these non-delivering anticlimactic videos. And I LIKE these presenters for the most part but STFU with these hyperbolic titles already!

Like Lennon said, "All I want is the truth... Just gimme some truth."