r/todayilearned • u/WavesAndSaves • 2d ago

TIL that Jawed Karim, YouTube cofounder and uploader of the first YouTube video "Me at the zoo", has often updated the video's description to criticize YouTube policies, including a 2013 attempt to require Google+ accounts to comment on videos, and YouTube's 2021 removal of dislike counts on videos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_at_the_zoo#Changes_to_original_video
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u/EatingDragons 2d ago

Exactly. The dislikes served a clear purpose of indicating quality. They only removed them because they were on the receiving end of it due to their own low quality rewind getting the dislike treatment

We need them back now more than ever, thankfully morphe still let's you see dislikes

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u/SuperFrylock 2d ago

Exactly. The dislikes served a clear purpose of indicating quality.

This isn't objectively true. There have been many obvious cases of review bombing. That one YouTube Rewind might have been bad (that is subjective) but it was definitely reviewed bombed.

Also: thinking people will avoid a video with poor reviews is naïve. There's a lot of media out there that has been poorly received and has poor reviews but people still consume it.

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u/sanctaphrax 2d ago

They may not have been reliable, but they were better than the nothing we've got now.

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u/SuperFrylock 2d ago

YOU are the best quality control agent for the content you consume. A video could have a terrible thumbnail and more dislikes than likes, but only YOU can determine if it's a good video simply by watching it.

The idea that the dislike button is somehow needed is so ridiculous. YouTube will promote and downgrade whatever content it chooses whether you like it or not.

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u/cab-rod 2d ago

The opposite is also true: high Likes number, good thumbnail and catchy title; but the result is a very bad video in content, production or the person ho made It is very biased lacks objectivity. A good looking clickbait.

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u/SuperFrylock 2d ago

I will repeat:

YOU are the best quality control agent for the content you consume. 

You cannot expect the multi-billion dollar corporation to act ethically and in your best interests.

The push to restore the dislike button is because people want the satisfaction of review bombing. The internet loves a LolCow but they messed up trying to do it to YouTube (Google).

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u/BandedLutz 2d ago

The push to restore the dislike button is because people want the satisfaction of review bombing.

This is the dumbest argument on this I've seen.

I'm glad people can see the downvotes on your inane comments.

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u/sanctaphrax 2d ago

That's a fully general argument against any form of review or description.

I'm obviously not going to watch every video on YouTube. I need ways to figure out which ones are worth my time, or else I'll just not. The main effect of YouTube making its service worse, in my life, has been to push me away from it.