Comment by carlosjobim
3 days ago
Do you mean like in not watching any video or film at all? I'm not sure that this is the best option, since there is a lot of information which is better expressed by moving pictures than by text.
As for the algorithm, it is actually great if you take care to nudge it with subscriptions, likes and dislikes.
For the last few months I've simply stopped accessing YouTube directly. No website, no app. I still watch some videos that are embedded on articles or whatever, and occasionally download specific ones, but I don't see anything that's core to the YT experience, like subs or shorts or anything like that.
It's almost unavoidable to encounter videos that are only hosted on YT, but if I can't watch them without accessing any YT interface, I just don't watch them, I've just decided it's not worth it. I also haven't done anything specific to restrict the website, I've just mentally banned it as a simple rule to follow. It's an insidious service imo that uses casino tactics to steal my time and attention. What I occasionally want is videos, but their entire service beyond that provides only negative value to me.
I don't feel like I've missed much.
For insta, I've always just used their website, which is so terrible, and the content so inconsequential, that it's not a big deal anymore in terms of stealing my attention.