YouTube Free November

[Oceansandy02]

Any tips to actually commit to it?? I've tried multiple times over the last week but couldn't

You can disable YouTube on your phone, and get YouTube off your bookmarks. It might be harder if you have a Chromebook, but this is what helped my commit. I struggled a few days before tot the point I almost gave up, but I did these yesterday and it helped. You could try other things too!

Goot luck to all of you! 

[Cobra!]

I've been (mostly) committing to this challange and so far, I've actually noticed a change in my behaviour and productivity.
I didn't realise how much Youtube (or more specifically FreeTube) had been distracting me from working on my projects!
The only time I broke the rules is listing to a specific song I wanted to listen to because Spotify logged me out of my account and won't let me log back in.
Not a huge issue, though, I'll stick to my mixtapes and ripped CDs.

[Yaya]

I'm a few days late on this but would love to join!

I was in a really good place with social media / internet use balance this past year but then I slowly lost my handle on things when the seasons started to shift, so I think this will be a great way to get back on track!!

I've been so overloaded with content and news (especially leading up to the US election), that it's been so noisy in my head so I think this will help with getting some silence and clarity. In the past, I've used these breaks as not just a time to take a pause in usage, but also as a way to take a step back and reevaluate my relationship with what I'm using. A lot of this time this involves going through my subscriptions/follows and seeing who I want to remove. It's a really good way for me to make sure I'm engaging with content that I actually enjoy!

[PurpleHello98]

Count me in! I feel like a whole tonne of my free time on-line is spent watching nothing on YouTube. Sometimes I can find great videos on there, like clip compilation of my favourite K-pop groups, but I feel like overall it's not the best way to spend my time!

I just had a thought: What if we extended this and the challenge could be to avoid all big tech websites. Calling it “Old Net November”?

There would be exceptions like using Discord for help, or using social media for marketing a project you’re working on.

What do you guys think?

I'm in for this as well! I lurk a lot on Reddit (probably because it's the middle of the Venn diagram between sites that feel old Net-adjacent, at least, and have communities for things I'm interested in, and have an actual userbase) but I really don't feel like it brings me much, and again, I'd rather spend my time elsewhere. Ditto Tumblr, although my friends use Tumblr so I might just check it every once in a wee while to see if they've sent me anything on there. But I think this will be a great challenge to try and revival-ify my Web usage and decrease my reliance on social media!

Maybe a more impactful (and perhaps, concise, given the number of stipulations and conditions in the OP) event would be something more akin to an Internet Prohibition. [...] I can see some parallels here with something akin to pornography, doomscrolling and engagement traps that you see in modern Web 2.0 trappings.

This sounds interesting, and I can agree that those are things that are good to stay away from, but how do you propose this Internet Prohibition be enacted? Like, any specific stipulations or guidelines or anything!

I have an additional challenge for people! That is not wearing headphones/earphones in public spaces. I'm not making official rules about how to do it since its more about just finding a personal balance.

In general I realize that for me, YT was just one part of feeling a general media overload; so Iv been trying to enjoy hearing the sounds round me and being in silence ~ particularly on busses or when going around town.

I think its very easy to slip into using music as a wall between you and the world, rather than using it to enhance your experience of the world, and that's a trap Iv been in for a little while ~ I'd like to change that!   

I definitely feel this as well, and I also often listen to music when walking around outside just as a default, so I've been trying this the past few days! I definitely feel a lot more in tune with my thoughts and surroundings. I want music to be something I listen to on purpose, not just to fill empty space and distract me from my thoughts.

Overall, I think this is a really great way to change my usage of the Net and I look forward to participating!

[Cobra!]

I'm in for this as well! I lurk a lot on Reddit (probably because it's the middle of the Venn diagram between sites that feel old Net-adjacent, at least, and have communities for things I'm interested in, and have an actual userbase) but I really don't feel like it brings me much, and again, I'd rather spend my time elsewhere. Ditto Tumblr, although my friends use Tumblr so I might just check it every once in a wee while to see if they've sent me anything on there. But I think this will be a great challenge to try and revival-ify my Web usage and decrease my reliance on social media!

A good way I’ve found to get around the problem with Reddit and Tumblr is to subscribe to their RSS feeds. I never visit either site much any more, but any updates from communities or sites I’d want to see I’ll get on Thunderbird!

I think I’ll propose Old Net November next year, as I’ve been watching Twitch streams in the background as I’ve worked on projects, so I’ll have already failed.

[candycanearter07]

A good way I’ve found to get around the problem with Reddit and Tumblr is to subscribe to their RSS feeds. I never visit either site much any more, but any updates from communities or sites I’d want to see I’ll get on Thunderbird!

You can do that???

Tbh, I don't think I'd follow anyone on RSS, I mostly use Tumbr and BSky for posting art and rp stuff but still thats pretty cool!
Most of the stuff I'd set up RSS for would probably have a dedicated feed (like game news stuff)

[Cobra!]

You can do that???

Tbh, I don't think I'd follow anyone on RSS, I mostly use Tumbr and BSky for posting art and rp stuff but still thats pretty cool!
Most of the stuff I'd set up RSS for would probably have a dedicated feed (like game news stuff)

I don’t subscribe to many of either myself, but I do subscribe to a couple. The more popular Reddit communities are way too busy for it, and you get like 30 new posts a day.
Most feeds I’m subscribed to are news sites relevant to my interests, and any Youtubers who also post on their own site. I haven’t used any social media for a few years, and don’t feel like I’m “missing out” at all.

[cairo]

Woof-

I live alone. I don't have any streaming subscriptions or even a TV, and I'm off every social media site.. except YouTube. It makes up 40% of my media diet most weeks and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, there are so many wonderful things I've stumbled into over the years. Interests, artists, ideas- the limits of what makes a compelling YouTube video are endless. The novelty factor is virtually unbeatable.

But the other part is all the time spent watching brain rot. A.I. generated shorts, compilation videos, and even things like pop culture video essays classify as brain rot if I'm consuming them completely passively. Those discoveries that feel like gems are dramatically outnumbered by complete junk.

I don't know what it is about YouTube thats so sticky. I've taken total breaks before and remember all the lovely benefits. Watching YouTube to indulge versus watching YouTube to escape. That line is razor thin and before you know it.. Humans are so strange.

Will report back at end of the month-

[caracalled]

I was debating whether I should respond to this but decided to because I think maybe it'll help someone?

I've actually done this before! About half a year to a year ago maybe I completely blocked Youtube on all my devices and did a hard detox and it kinda rewired me to not crave scrolling the recommended page so much! It's super cool and inspiring to see everyone do the same or something similar!!
Back then it helped me a lot overall because it kinda was that last place I was still seeking the dopamine scrolling feeling and taking time off from it made my relationship with it a lot healthier. I hope that everyone who's participating gets something similarly nice out of this!! The difficult part for me was transitioning back to a normal level of Youtube after where I can go on the website but still don't fall back into my old scrolling habits.

Here are three (and a half-ish) tips that helped me a lot coming out of my No-Youtube month:
1. Subscribing to RSS feeds of Youtubers I really want to see! This keeps me away from the website interface (which is obv designed to keep you watching) and I still get to see my favorites! (I realise now that someone here already said this so this is just me repeating it lmao)
2. If you rewatch specific videos all the time like me consider downloading them to keep you off the Website & from getting sucked in. I use a command-line script for this purpose but I think a ytdl website would work just fine tbh...
3. Turning off the recommended page helped a bunch! Idk if this is a Europe thing, but when you turn off the watch history data collection in your google (not Youtube!) settings, it stops displaying any suggestions in your recommended. For a Lite-Version of this I have a bunch of customization in my adblocker that blocks out a couple things like YT shorts, really short videos (under a minute) and some interface cleanups (you can find these in the spoiler below, just paste them into your uBlock Text field thingy)

Spoiler

Code

! Filter out videos with less than a min duration
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="home"] ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-rich-item-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-rich-item-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-video-renderer ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-item-section-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-watch-next-secondary-results-renderer ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-compact-video-renderer,ytd-shelf-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="trending"] ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-video-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-search ytd-thumbnail #time-status > span:has-text(/\s(0:\d\d)\s/):upward(ytd-video-renderer)

Code

! Filter Out Shorts
www.youtube.com##ytd-guide-renderer a.yt-simple-endpoint path[d^="M10 14.65v-5.3L15 12l-5 2.65zm7.77-4.33"]:upward(ytd-guide-entry-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-mini-guide-renderer a.yt-simple-endpoint path[d^="M10 14.65v-5.3L15 12l-5 2.65zm7.77-4.33"]:upward(ytd-mini-guide-entry-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="home"] .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-rich-item-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-grid-video-renderer,ytd-rich-item-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-search .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-video-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="subscriptions"] ytd-video-renderer .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-item-section-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-watch-next-secondary-results-renderer .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-compact-video-renderer,ytd-shelf-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-browse[page-subtype="trending"] .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-video-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-search .ytd-thumbnail[href^="/shorts/"]:upward(ytd-video-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-notification-renderer:has(> a[href^="/shorts/"])
www.youtube.com##ytd-rich-shelf-renderer[is-shorts]
www.youtube.com##ytd-rich-shelf-renderer[is-shorts].ytd-rich-section-renderer:upward(ytd-rich-section-renderer)
www.youtube.com##ytd-reel-shelf-renderer
m.youtube.com##ytm-reel-shelf-renderer
m.youtube.com##ytm-pivot-bar-renderer div.pivot-shorts:upward(ytm-pivot-bar-item-renderer)
m.youtube.com##ytm-browse ytm-item-section-renderer ytm-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer[data-style="SHORTS"]:upward(ytm-video-with-context-renderer)
m.youtube.com##ytm-browse ytm-item-section-renderer ytm-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer[data-style="SHORTS"]:upward(ytm-compact-video-renderer)
m.youtube.com##ytm-search ytm-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer[data-style="SHORTS"]:upward(ytm-compact-video-renderer,ytm-video-with-context-renderer)
m.youtube.com##ytm-single-column-watch-next-results-renderer ytm-thumbnail-overlay-time-status-renderer span:has-text(/^(0:\d\d|1:0\d)$/):upward(ytm-video-with-context-renderer)
youtube.com##ytd-rich-grid-row, #contents.ytd-rich-grid-row:style(display:contents !important;)

Code

! Playback Interface Filters
www.youtube.com###description #info a[href^="/hashtag/"]
www.youtube.com##.super-title
m.youtube.com##.standalone-collection-badge a[href^="/hashtag/"]
m.youtube.com##ytm-video-description-header-renderer button-view-model a[href^="/hashtag/"]
www.youtube.com###actions.ytd-watch-metadata button > div[class$="text-content"]:not(:has-text(/[\d]/))
www.youtube.com###actions.ytd-watch-metadata ytd-button-renderer .yt-spec-button-shape-next .yt-spec-button-shape-next--button-text-content
www.youtube.com###actions.ytd-watch-metadata ytd-button-renderer .yt-spec-button-shape-next__icon:style(margin-right: -6px !important; margin-left: -6px !important;)
m.youtube.com##ytm-slim-video-action-bar-renderer button [class*="button-text-content"]:not(:has-text(/\d/))
m.youtube.com##ytm-slim-video-action-bar-renderer ytm-button-renderer div[class$="icon"]:style(margin-right: -6px !important; margin-left: -6px !important;)
www.youtube.com###description .ytd-watch-metadata #items:has(.ytd-video-description-music-section-renderer)
www.youtube.com###description .ytd-watch-metadata #items > ytd-horizontal-card-list-renderer:has(ytd-video-attribute-view-model)
m.youtube.com##.video-attribute-card-shelf:has(yt-video-attribute-view-model):upward(ytm-horizontal-card-list-renderer)
www.youtube.com###structured-description ytd-video-description-infocards-section-renderer
m.youtube.com##ytm-video-description-infocards-section-renderer
www.youtube.com##ytd-video-description-transcript-section-renderer
www.youtube.com##ytd-reel-video-renderer~ytd-reel-video-renderer:matches-path(/shorts/)

[close]

I really like the idea Melon proposed of not wearing headphones outside! I think I would amend it a bit to allow for earplugs on public transit/in noisy spaces (hello sensory hell) but from how you talked about it that doesn't seem to defeat the spirit of it :D I'll try this as a little challenge to myself!

[candycanearter07]

2. If you rewatch specific videos all the time like me consider downloading them to keep you off the Website & from getting sucked in. I use a command-line script for this purpose but I think a ytdl website would work just fine tbh...


I really like the idea Melon proposed of not wearing headphones outside! I think I would amend it a bit to allow for earplugs on public transit/in noisy spaces (hello sensory hell) but from how you talked about it that doesn't seem to defeat the spirit of it :D I'll try this as a little challenge to myself!

I usually use mpv to play youtube links, mostly to avoid ads but it works well for this too.
I also have sensory issues, but thankfully the campus isnt that loud USUALLY.

[BlazingCobaltX]

I saw this thread earlier this month, felt I wasn't the target audience of this post, and then started to think.

When people talk about watching YouTube continuously, it's for reasons like "not wanting to sit alone with their thoughts". I don't experience that. Rather, when I put on a video it's to have background noise to start thinking about stuff myself. The video needs to be interesting enough that I try to focus on it a little; somewhere within that pocket of semi-focus my mind's gears start running. It's not hard for me to pause a video when my brain is cooking, but I also can't go without. After seeing this thread, I started to wonder why that is.

The past month I've experimented with turning on my two go-to songs whenever I felt an impulse to put on a background YouTube video. It worked for a short time, until the YouTube temptation grew once more: It just IS a fun platform with a lot to offer, especially for leaning new things. The recommendations are often pretty good, with some videos making you wonder about topics you've never thought about before...

Dunno if anyone else sometimes forgets they are neurodivergent. I have OCD and it substantially affects my interactions with tech - I've been aware that my phone usage is often just a fidgeting compulsion. Last night, remembering this once more put everything together for me: I actually have an obsessive-compulsive loop with seeking information. It's not just with videos— I have had constant access to new information ever since getting a smartphone as a teen, and I've never stopped myself from looking something up the moment I wanted to. I've never really had a question and then thought: "Do I need to know the answer to this, right now?"

This awareness has immediately shifted my behaviour. For OCD, the only thing that works is extinguishing the habit, to refuse to comply with the obsessive bit of the OCD loop. I haven't touched YouTube since, haven't even missed it. Now being aware that it’s part of a bad behaviour loop has made me, at once, completely aversive to it. Maybe denying myself the compulsion to know more and more will finally change the way I interact with the internet and technology. Surely it’s better for my brain too: I'm a knowledge worker, I should probably give my brain a break from learning from time to time.

Dunno if I could really do the challenge, but I feel that I already have a better grip on when and how I want to watch YouTube. To have it be more of a conscious activity rather than background noise seems like a win already.

[litten]

I've been trying to limit my screen time forever but I just keep getting sucked back in. I spend hours scrolling and mindlessly watching YouTube when I could be doing literally anything else. Even when I'm being productive and not sitting looking at my computer, I've still got it open playing music or a video in the background.

I'm a little late to this challenge but I went ahead and downloaded the Block Website extension Melon mentioned and blocked YouTube (and Tumblr for good measure, LOL). I hope with this extra buffer I'll actually click away from these websites and do something worthwhile instead.

I just don't really know what to do with my time. Like there's so much that I could be doing but I just always find myself back online

[garystu]

Alright! I'm going to commit to doing a mini one week no Youtube challenge from November 18th-25th (Stopping on the 18th and resuming on the 25th). This is next Monday, to the Monday after.

I am being very soft with this challenge. Here are my rules, if you want a soft, toes-dipping version.
- Youtube videos I see in my RSS feed are ok. This is more a "nothing from the Youtube Algorithm" challenge.
- Non-youtube video streaming sites, like the Internet Archive, Peertube, Tubi. Free television streaming sites like the ABC, SBS, or BBC, like anywhere around the world VPN-style, are all OK.
- Youtube Music is also off-limits. The idea is to finally download all the tunes I listen too. If you use an alternative music streaming service, like Spotify, you also might want to consider making this part of your challenge. This doubles as something to do if I get bored.

3. Turning off the recommended page helped a bunch! Idk if this is a Europe thing, but when you turn off the watch history data collection in your google (not Youtube!) settings, it stops displaying any suggestions in your recommended.

No, this also happens where I live. I think its kind of malicious compliance, Youtube didn't used to work that way. You used to be able to turn off watch history without turning off recommendations.

Since you mentioned downloading Youtube videos, here are some good tools to use:

• https://cobalt.tools (online tool, no bullshit which is unlike the downloaders which rise to the top of search engines)
  
• https://github.com/oleksis/youtube-dl-gui (desktop tool, built just for Youtube)
  
• https://jdownloader.org (desktop tool, built to download from a variety of websites, including Youtube)
  

[candycanearter07]

UPDATE
So far, I've only watched a few youtube videos I've been sent!! I've been mostly listening to downloaded music and this one really long rant video i downloaded a while ago.

[PurpleHello98]

Later-month update!

So far I've watched very little YouTube this month besides some links people have sent me. It honestly feels like I'm weaning myself off of an addiction and I'm very proud of myself for doing this! Since I don't really use Tumblr anymore anyways, that hasn't been a hard part of the overall Old Net November challenge. The main sticking point for me is Reddit. I don't like the centralized, big tech-y aspect of it all, but since there are so few forums anymore, especially not for the communities I'd be interested in, which all tend to be smaller, I often have to resort to Reddit (or even Discord) for community.

I definitely don't browse Reddit as much as I used to before this challenge, but anywho I can't find myself resisting the temptation to check in on my few favourite subreddits every few days---it really feels like social media addiction FOMO.  I am trying to circumvent it, though, by subscribing to subreddits' RSS feeds as Live Bookmarks in my browser. It doesn't even show the posts, just the titles of the 25-ish most recent/popular/whatever, in my bookmarks bar, and if I see a post that looks interesting I click on it. So far it seems to be going pretty well for the subreddit I've tested it on, but I'll report back with my full experience later! How's the challenge going for everyone else?

Edit: I should mention also that I am allowing myself to use YouTube to listen to music (but not watch music videos) for songs I don't own on iTunes. My little cheat! :) I look forward to hearing about everyone else's progress!