Why do you watch YouTube?

[halcybutton]

i enjoy watching funny people play games and occasionally have kitchen nightmares on in the background. i am admittedly not good at watching series so one off videos (even if some can be over 6 hours lol) are much easier for me to consume. i've been watching youtube pretty regularly since i was young so i have grown attached to the platform, even though i think there's a lot of problems with it

[wolfkitty42]

In the absence of social media, my subconscious seems to have latched onto Youtube to get my fix. I see myself just scrolling on the homepage on my iPad constantly to try and find something new to watch, and get them dopamines.

This is very similar 2 my own experience. A lot of the time I scroll on my phone, but nothing really even interests me... I use YouTube 4 a lot of background noise. I felt like my attention span was getting worse, but eventually I realized that I just primarily use YouTube 4
background noise, and not as a source of entertainment like I did when I was younger. I still like watching video essays and vlogs, I'm just not in the mood as much anymore. When I was little I also read near constantly, and now I read much less frequently. I wonder if I use apps more because they're easier 2 access and carry than a book... Hm. >_>

[Charbomber]

To be real, a lot of what I watch on Youtube is slop and I watch it because it's slop and it's the only big source of slop that I still interact with. I really do need to detach from it and only watch the actual good stuff that shows up once in a while but I can't really because then I wouldn't have anything to waste my time with... I burn out really easily and youtube is my dumb addicting way to relax on something and not be forced to do critical thinking lol.

Really though, if I could find a way to drop youtube in favor of something more healthy I would love to but as it stands it's kinda just how I build up energy between random projects.

[candycanearter07]

I personally use it for background noise, tho I've been trying to replace it with KP Radio.

[nobo]

I started out going there because there were self made amateur videos from all over the world. But I think now I'm just plugged into the algorithm that feeds me low effort drivel and for some reason I eat it up because when I lay down in bed, I feel too tired to put on something important, so I put on something that isn't important.

It's manageable but your algorithm can really out of hand if you allow it to just feed you not that great stuff.

I've minimized the problem a lot by playing my SteamDeck more than watching it.

[WidgetOtaku]

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 also sometimes watch YT for following what new content my fav webseries recently made.

But most of the time, I’d search videos relevant to my current interests as research for said topics.

[AY38910]

I watch it because like 90% of my favorite artists are there. Also because of the tech videos, but not as much. In fact, around 85% of my YouTube usage comes from listening to music in the bus, while biking, taking a walk or doing groceries, or going to the library, school or the conservatory.

[caracalled]

I used to watch Youtube a lot but these days it has mellowed out a lot. I just follow my fave creators via RSS feed and pop in to watch their new videos every once in a while!... is what I would like to say but sometimes I have a stressful week and feel so overwhelmed I end up reactivating my algorithm and just watching videos from my recommended page :')
In that case it's a way to spend time with something easy and all-encompassing to do! I think I want to learn how to sit with those feelings better though... watching Youtube is a band-aid solution of sorts and even if I have trained myself to not get uncomfortable/bored/worried when there's nothing running in the background during my day-to-day (and it's been awesome btw!! the peace!! the mental space I have!! absolutely recommend it if anyone is thinking about doing that!!), when I'm going through it I still reach for Youtube as an easy fix.

[KiwiMeowo]

I often watch videos about niche interests or people playing games in a ridiculous way (Like chat controlling the game). They are quite fun to watch/listen to when I'm doing my own thing.

I also sometimes encounter some very good music recommendations. 90% of my favourite songs are found on Youtube (Curses by The Crane Wives my beloved).

Lately, I couldn't find much interesting videos on Youtube. While the censorship issue might not impact me very much, I decided to try taking part in it by download the videos I often watch. Unless I have to find something on Youtube, I don't really open Youtube very much now

[Nicolas]

Because there are so many interesting stuff i like. Yes, i know there are alternatives to it, but YouTube has been already connected to my life despite the fact it's lowkey bad almost as in content, and as in moderation :P

[MallRat]

If we're talking about what I'm watching on it, there's some users who post video essays, book reviews, or podcast episodes that I really love! I typically go for internet history or 2000s media for my video essays. For podcasts on YouTube, I love it when people are reading and reacting to things. I'm specifically watching Smosh Reads Reddit and Creepcast.

If we're talking the reason why I'm still on the platform, it's because there are no good alternatives. Does anybody know of a video hosting platform that has active users?? :(

[cirro]

pretty much exclusively for music (vocaloid music videos), nerdy stuff (i love finding documentaries and video essays on places, people, and cultures), old Anthony Bourdain clips (rest in peace, king) and a lot of ASMR. it probably sounds super strange, but honestly, some of the best communities I've found on YouTube have been in the comments sections of ASMR YouTubers. well, maybe not all that strange. we're all too relaxed and sleepy to want to fight or start any drama, haha.

Some favourites:

Ferry - vocaloid producer / writer / animator. watch their Parties are For Losers series if you enjoy vocaloid! i adore it.

vocatart - my second favourite vocaloid producer; good friends with Ferry.

Geography Now - learn about the different countries

ASMR Geographica - learn about the different countries but in ASMR

SRP ASMR - really relaxing voice, and if you like medical RPs, he is actually an optician so everything feels really... real. lol.

Moonlight Cottage ASMR - her ASMR videos are like actual movies. she puts so much into her historical and fantastical worlds. highly recommend her.

I Love Languages - in-depth looks and comparisons of various languages

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche - a Tibetan Buddhist monk who has a lot of videos both on learning about Buddhism, if you're interested, as well as just advice on daily life in the modern world. I think he's worth checking out regardless of your religious beliefs :)

and that's mainly what I watch!

[Offline]

Honestly I mostly use it to kill time at work but I still find plenty of things to entertain me even outside of that. I just watch videos about video game walkthroughs, general science stuff, anime reviews & recommendations, and other things like that. Not much has changed in my tastes in the 16 years I've been using YouTube and it still caters to my taste even if it's not as much as before.
 

[lakes]

I usually watch youtube or peertube because I'm in the mood for videos where I don't have to pay attention to a storyline or character arcs. Plus sometimes youtube (and by extension, its alternatives) can be informative or entertaining in its own right. Video essayists on youtube citing books actually got me to read more & on some peertube instances, you can even find documentaries.

[torquuato]

definitely background noise. ive made a huge shift in listening to music on spotify, to just listening to like a 4hr elder scrolls lore vid, or the hbomberguy pathalogic video. for some reason, SOMETIMES, music like makes my head go all foggy but with things where people talk i can somehow listen to both????

and then the real answer is oneyplays ofc