Why do you watch YouTube?

[larvapuppy]

YouTube is great for having something on in the background while I fold laundry or clean! I don't tend to sit and attentively watch YouTube videos the way I would TV shows or movies. Basically I use the platform like I would use a podcast app...

I used to listen to music on YouTube, but a lot of the songs I used to like aren't up anymore, so now I mostly use Spotify with uBlock turned on to get rid of the ads.

[Memory]

I don't watch YouTube much, because the web browser is very slow and finicky on my flip phone. I also don't really watch it on the home computer, because it is in the kitchen and my loud siblings make it hard to pay attention. Plus my parents will pester me about it.
When I do watch YouTube though, it's mostly to read comments on songs I like. It's neat to see the personal experiences people relate to the songs, and their interpretations of the song.
Sometimes I watch videos of close friends playing video games or hanging out. I suppose I'm trying to supplement my lack of friends through them.
I also really like the channel "Peter Knetter". He makes a lot of funny content. His recent main focus has been messing around on older technology, such as trying to make a YouTube video on a Windows PDA. He has a series called "YouTube In" where he tries to make YouTube videos on older consoles, like the Wii, the DS, etc. The PDA one was the most recent entry.

[Fish]

I guess like most people I watch youtube because its THE video sharing platform. That and 6 year old me REALLY liked hotel mario ytps.

Sometimes I do wonder how long youtube is gonna last though. But eventually somethings gonna change. But it's also weird to think of youtube lasting for decades. Can you imagine some ytp saying "made 30 years ago"?  I mean Im still in shock when I see a video from more than a decade ago!

[grubbyfox]

I have a few people I love watching that play videogames (mainly horror). I love horror games but I have too much anxiety to play them myself, hahah, so I like watching others play them.

Then I like watching deepdives, icebergs, long-form content, analysis videos, rabbitholes, tutorials, videogames and other various stuff.

I also watch some music videos, random stuff that's hard to find elsewhere, and a lot of like long playlists and stuff that people compile or mix themselves. (anyone else love the "forever in 2006" silent hill one? hehe)

Most of the time, the algorithm knows what I want and suggests good stuff, especially lately it's been very good at suggesting smaller youtubers with good content,

A couple of times it keeps recommending just the lamest, stupidest, most annoying stuff, but I always click that I dont want it.

For all of youtubes faults and problems, the algorithm should work well enough to actually keep me watching. Even if content that makes you angry makes you stay longer on most sites, on youtube it seems to just cater to what it thinks you like. At least that's how it feels on my frontpage.

[soft-star]

I love youtube because there are true experts/nerds out there who are making amazing, niche, informative videos on different topics that are so much better than big budget production stuff we get from TV or streaming services now. Just regular folks with immense expertise and some editing software. I love the more long-form content because I can really immerse myself in a topic without having to select something new to watch for a long time. I will be a lifelong student of YouTube University.

[corvidaegalaxy]

i love watching creators i enjoy! the youtube app i use (grayjay) doesn't have a homepage or recommend videos, so im just able to focus on who im subscribed to which i love! i don't like using vanilla youtube, its very distracting for me, which ig is the point isn't it lol? anyway, i mainly watch gaming videos, analysis videos, infodump/education videos, reaction videos (yes ik.. kinda cringe maybe XD), and other random crap haha! i also like watching stream vods there since i don't go on twitch lol

[watermelon3y3s]

well,i usually watch random cat videos and videos talking about cartoons,people,systems or anything i feel interested in,and my reason is because i can not be left alone without getting new info or entertainment ! or else i DHWDUBVFWUASVFGUWEABVZHUI!!!!!!!!! and...thats it i guess...AND TO WATCH SONG MV!
   and yeah,it kind of sometimes get boring...BUT YOU ALWAYS STILL FIND GOOD THINGS! so,a youtube page can be anything! HAVE A NICE DAY,THANK YOU FOR READING!

[Paprika]

Two reasons :

1 - Discover SynthWave tracks & Artists, I wouldn't know a lot of those without all the  dedicated channels like Prime Thanathos, Astral Throb, White Bat Audio, Galactic Drive, etc.

2 - Bad movies. Yeah you read that correctly. Those movies so bad they're not on VOD, with super cheap budget and actors that probably have been paid with food stamps and free clothes. I'm utterly fascinated by these and I often watch those in the evening for fun !

[freaksaint]

like others have said here, i primarily use youtube as a way to keep my mind stimulated/occupied while doing other things - usually arduous/finnicky crafts (such as hand sewing/embroidery) that require long periods of sustained focus. for this i'll either select a video essay or a longer-form video of somebody crafting in a similar medium. the latter fulfills my deeply autistic need to infodump about/hyperfixate on my creative projects, which are pretty much the most important things in the world to me lol.

i have a hard time finding youtube videos that are engaging enough to watch without picking up an activity to soothe my terminally restless hands. HOWEVER ! - in the past year or two i've managed to stumble on some amazing youtubers who make content that fills that exact niche. pat finnerty (funny/journalistic music criticism with a plot) is one of my favorites right now, and i've been recommending him to pretty much everyone i know. even if you're not a 'gearhead' or whatever his videos have this way of making you feel like you're in on the joke no matter what. i feel like that's such a rare thing nowadays.

otherwise, i enjoy the occasional commentary youtuber or channels like redlettermedia that deliberately look for the worst possible media to watch and then review it. youtube is also one of the only places online i can think of that hosts videos of 60s/70s/etc music performances without charging some kind of fee. honestly, if it were a legitimate thing, i'd totally pay a subscription fee for a video-sharing platform just to watch old live performances and concert documentaries...

[georgemoody]

to be completely honest, it's mostly boredom, whenever i have nothing to do i immediately go to that website, there is actual content and content creators that i care about and happening upon videos from them that i haven't watched will always bring me joy cause i know my next hour or so is gonna be full of laughs and entertainment.

music has played a big part too, lots of pieces that you won't find anywhere else, i usually come back to my favorite ones here and there just to chill out (or rock on depending on the song) for a minute or two.

[Misanthropic Monster™]

Thinking about Youtube viewing; Often Ill rewatch the same video I like even if Im not getting new info from it.. New info is nice.. but its more the feeling of peace and certainty of having something familiar that Im there for.

That precise concept is why I re-watch horror movies from the 80s or my favourite 90s cartoons. I am the kind of person who will watch The Fly or Beetlejuice every night and then re-watch Real Monsters or The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy over and over haha. So I totally get that feeling of comfort and consistency that comforting media can bring!

The main reason I watch YT is because I enjoy some content creators and enjoy their stuff and it's nice to have something on in the background whilst I am at work as it helps me focus (ADHD brain). I don't really like YT over Netflix, Shudder or Disney+ though.
 

[Memory]

Thinking about Youtube viewing; Often Ill rewatch the same video I like even if Im not getting new info from it.. New info is nice.. but its more the feeling of peace and certainty of having something familiar that Im there for.

Every now and then I'll find something new or unexpected, and thats great! That can be rare though even if Im looking for it, which seems strange because there is SO MUCH on YouTube.

I wonder if it's Youtube or if it's me, does youtube get boring, or do I? Maybe Im just more open sometimes!

Why do you watch youtube?

I don't watch it way too much but when I do I usually watch creators like Chad Chad , Funkyfrogbait , and Annamarie. The only reason I watch it is to keep up to date on whats going on online without actually needing to redownload tiktok or twitter.

[beanbag]

Video games and horror fictions I am heavily invested in these things, I would go as far as to say watching Youtube is a hobby, which sounds a little sad when there are other hobbies like making webpages or knitting. But these things are truly a passion of mine.

Ever since I was a young baby (as opposed to an old baby), I found a way to enjoy video games that I couldn't afford with my monopoly money...by watching other people play them! Now it seems the TV in the living room takes turns displaying people playing soccer and people playing games. There are many videos I rewatch either because I liked a particular video game (so many Mortuary's Assistant videos ) or because I like the person/people playing.

I love horror. Specifically unfiction and analog horror, which caught on quicker than I thought it would. The very first rabbit hole I fell into when I started interneting was watching conspiracy theories on the youtubes. There seemed to be a lot of them. There were also some nice-creepy things, like Shaye and this funny ghost dancing video I hold near and dear to my heart.

I'm super fond of vintageeight's works, like the children under the house and the Swarm

Also, here's one of my favorite narrations of horrifying search and rescue stories (with creepy images, I don't recommend looking at it with your eyes!). In the description are also links to the original reddit thread, but this narration just gives me chills and I love it.

I've started seeing Wendigoon in my dreams. He is there with the lost tourists of Flesh Pit Park. He has lost his hair and looks pale, possibly growing appendages humans shouldn't need anymore, but the floral patterns on what was presumably his shirt (now clearly his skin) really help.

I like YouTube kind of a lot. There's places there I would consider communities, and I'm part of them even though I'm mostly a bit of a lurker. Also, Youtube Music has both the whopper song and this nic cage song, so I need it.

[Scootarooni]

I use youtube mainly for background noise while I draw. I listen to a lot of video essays, media analysis and podcasts...really anything that I don't necessarily have to look at the screen to enjoy. Some of my go-tos are McElroy content, Watcher, Izzyzz, Kappa Kaiju, Nerd Sync, Zeltik and emmainthemoment.

And the rest of what I watch it all vocaloid related XD covers, MVs, rhythm game clips and mods, etc. I have such a soft spot for old vocaloid MVs, like from DECO*27 or the fanmade Rolling Girl one. The internet was such a different time for the vocaloid community back then, people were mainly making that content in their spare time just for the love of it.

On the rare occasion I'll watch some (leftist) political content and horror game playthroughs. The former can get pretty draining and the latter requires me to look up from my art, so there are very specific circumstances when I check those out.

[devils]

I usually watch drama slop because I find humor in most chronically online stuff...

Drama videos are just easy to put in the background while playing video games since I don't truly care about the issues, if that makes sense. A part of me really needs something to listen to multitask, and people talking are what I find easiest to multitask to.

Occasionally I'll watch a video essay or short film or generally more informative/productive video. Those generally require much more of my attention, but they stick with me longer. Might make a playlist for videos like that one day... I really love to learn new things, especially if said new things are presented in a creative way. Video has a lot of potential for stuff like that, sadly the algorithm seems to prefer the slop though... I've noticed some long-form video essayists are either on Patreon or the like or have a second channel for dumb stuff or streaming to make their work on Youtube worth the money and time they've invested. Kinda sad, but that's beside the point.

Occasionally I'll watch a true crime video, but those are typically iffy when it comes to ethics... so, it's usually the same 3 Youtubers, which happen to focus a lot of time remembering the victims of the crimes.

All that to say, I watch Youtube either to focus on something else or to truly or to learn or see something new that might leave an impact on me.