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This is weird, I suppose, but do people sometimes feel they learn NOTHING from YouTube? (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/8454832

So...

I've watched, over the past few months, dozens of YouTube videos a day it seems so that may have something to do with my "YouTube burnout" (if it is one) but it seems as though YouTube videos especially teach you nothing, certainly not compared to written content or articles or even books. I have the videos on in the background when I'm doing something. I have tried to put more focus to actually, well, consuming the content or media in a way that's more mindful and where I am edified. Maybe I'm trying too hard, but a lot of what I'm watching seems a bit superfluous or whatever.

All art or content or products have this problem, to a point, I think, but at times, it seems that videos are either there to sell me something (bad, at least in my case, because I like retail therapy) or maybe "hook me" into something (not necessarily bad, perhaps, as it can be pretty innocuous and even fun, depending on what they're motivating you to get into, such as a hobby).

And I have to say:

I'm starting to see this in documentaries to, to a point.

I feel like visual media has this problem a lot.

And yeah, I know it's a "D'oh!" moment for me because, honestly, of course they're a bit sparse on details or info compared to, say, books and written text.

But...

I feel like I'm not getting stuff out of it? Like, I ask: "What are they hiding? What are they not showing?"

Am I just paranoid? It's one thing to contemplate this sometimes, but every time I watch a video now?

Maybe I am just burnt out on YouTube LMAO!!

(I will say that one thing I miss are videos that are 2 to 5 to 10 to maybe 20 or 30 minutes long instead of these LONG videos that seem, erm, "useless," from my point of view.)

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Well, yeah. YouTube is a trash platform and pre-recorded video is a dubious medium for teaching.

The platform is trash because the incentives are not aligned with noble goals like "teach people things" or "spread the truth". It's "Get engagement" and "get ad impressions". They also don't moderate it much, so there's a ton of slop and lies.

Video is passive. it's easy to space out or just let it go in one ear and out the other. Most people learn in other ways. An actual lecture can have some back and forth, and a good teacher can engage a class. Books require more concentration. Doing exercises of some sort also force you to practice, and retain it. You could maybe do okay with video if you took notes (by hand I'm told is better), or otherwise engaged with the material in an active manner.

Also, dozens of videos a day? Go do something else. Read a book. Exercise. Play chess. Write something. Sign up for a class and attend. That's so much passive intake you're going to turn into a potato.