The End of YouTube as a Superficially 'Free' Hosting and Playback Platform
The 'new' YouTube is greedy and selfish
THE video "sharing" site that Alphabet Gulag (Google) bought about a decade and a half ago -- as Google Video had failed to compete with YouTube -- is profoundly different today from what it was back then. No Adobe Flash, but plenty of JavaScript. Clickbait is not only rewarded but encouraged; Google now helps you do this in YouTube. This was in the news the other day. Disinformation and time-wasting sell ads, right?
More controversial changes and notorious polices remain hidden beneath the surface. YouTube users become unwilling and unwitting subjects of "experiments"; these "experiments" include a three-strike system, e.g. for people who "evade" ads. The broader "experiments" involve the extensive and covert manipulations of "timelines" (even search pages that would otherwise be empty or very short adopted infinite scrolling, aiming for "engagement" or addiction). Whoever or whatever controls those "timelines" has a lot of sway or control over billions of minds. It's inherently the same problem as TikTok. The controlling party has different agenda and tactics though.
YouTube.com (or equivalents in other geographical locations) is not healthy; healthier alternatives or any sort of gateway, notably Invidious instances, have been under attack this year. Technical attacks, legal attacks...
Sounds familiar? How many Nitter instances have shut down already? Quite a lot!
In a sense, YouTube is 'free' to upload to and to watch as long as Alphabet Gulag (Google) is willing to lose a lot of money or as long as gullible shareholders remain patient enough.
YouTube was never truly free (just like GitHub was never free). The products those companies sell are the users and what they upload (video, code, comments). Don't be their serf. They are happy to plagiarise, misuse and never attribute (give credit to) those whom they exploit.
Start your own thing on the Net; don't start in YouTube. We said more about this earlier this month and last month.
Apropos videos, we're making improvements to our video sharing "platform" (own site). Videos will be published later this month or next month. █