One major issue I have with this modern RUclips is that even if you search for specific keywords they still only show the most trending results. It's so hard to find specific videos anymore.
I think this is because they use the same algorithm for shorts as they do for their long video content. Since shorts pull all their videos into one queue, the first three or so videos will be an exact match, but then they seed in other videos so the hit of getting what you want stays fresh and you get that hit of Domaine as they seed out what you were looking for with more and more content in between to keep you on the queue as long as they can.
It's even worse. First they show few most tranding then shows you GENARAL content that might interest you, totally not connected to what ou search. After little scrolling down you get to less popular results
I’ve noticed recently aswell whenever I wanna search something niché The first 2 videos are gonna be what I searched for and the rest would be something unrelated or I’ve already watched or got recommended to That’s when I noticed how much RUclips has really changed
I've definitely had conversations about how my Horror History videos may perform better when I use the words "Complete History" in the title. There could be other factors, but I wonder if this ties into the excess era stuff.
I think it's a "tag". Youtubr has some kind of "tags" thing in their algorithm, if you put words on the description or title,it's more possible for it to be recommended I'm other videos with those tags
It’s more so because geeks like me who like listening to the history or lore of a game world is interesting and listening to complete timelines in order is cool because we can learn the before present and after of the story and then any of the extra stuff we find out like creatures and stuff we can listen to on the side once we are done
Personally, I find that using words like complete, whole, all, etc. removes all doubt that something might have been left out or is missing. All questions you have or you could potentially have will be adressed in that video and you'll feel like everything you need to know about that subject is there.
I'll be honest I would rather turn on like 1 hour video about the complete history of something so that I feel like im getting all of the information possible, compared to just the history of movie series
I thought “shouldn’t this be a film theory video” but then I realized he uploaded it here cause he wants to inform everyone of this since this is his biggest outlet, Thanks Mat 👍
He often post youtube theories in this channel anyway. I think there's even a playlist for that where he discuss other youtube issues or issues on other platforms.
This is why I primarily watch/listen to long-form video essays. I do it to protect my attention span from all of the span-destroying garbage, and to not destroy my mental health in the process.
Recently I’ve found myself watching content from 7-8 years ago because it just feels… homely? I’m not exactly sure how to put it, it might just be nostalgia, but it really does entertain me more than a lot of content that gets put out nowadays, probably because it didn’t feel as formulated as it all is now
Because back then most RUclipsrs probably didn’t realize the amount of success they could make on RUclips. So they instead made videos that didn’t feel as corporate and were just made to show the world what they did.
That's exactly how I am on RUclips! Unless it's a video game live stream where the RUclipsr needs to have lower energy to last that long, then the video's at least four years old. I always worried that I was living in the past, and should have no reason to hate new content as much as I do. Now knowing that avoiding "EVERY" videos because they make me feel worse about my life makes me feel like I'm making the right decision. Knowing really is half the battle. ...Now if only I'd get off RUclips more.
NGL, I was thinking about getting off RUclips and social media because of the wealth overdrive. I'm starting my adult life and because of comparison I always felt like I'm a failure. This video helped me understand my problem. Thank you Mat!
Same here, I had to stop creating videos because I just couldn't get myself in that hyperactive mindset. Seeing this, I'm glad I did. I'm slow paced. I dont like feeling rushed, and my videos don't feel like mine when I make them that way.
After watching this video and reading the comments, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who feels like RUclips has become boring nowadays. I'll scroll the home page for several minutes sometimes trying to find something to watch. Not only is the algorithm becoming very formulaic, like MatPat said, but (and I don't know if anyone else is noticing this) I'm also getting recommended videos on topics that I don't even care about and have never watched a video on. I'm glad a big youtuber like Matpat is addressing it.
if your youtube feeds became samey and boring, it's because you're boring, old, dry and grey. and can't accept anything new or different tbh, i can't relate to this at all, my feeds are diverse because i'm not only watch comedic, gossips, money gifting video and pushed everything else aside. your algorithm is the reflection of you, any insult that you throw to the algorithm, that insult applied to yourself as well.
Yup. Luckily, I don't find the excessive content entertaining, but that makes finding something to watch pretty hard since most content just seems dull.
The problem I have with channels like Mr. Beast is that the pace for me is so quick that it overwhelms me and I get disconnected from the video. TheRadBrad or even Markiplier have built channels that keep a pace that is quick enough to not be boring nor fast that it hurts my head to process it
Agreed. But even Mark and the other "slow" RUclipsrs can't fully escape the speed trend. They cut out a lot of the small few-second moments where nothing happens. It's subtle, but there's a lot of it.
You hit the nail on this video matpat. I've avoided the bigger RUclipsrs lately and honestly have kept with my more niche content, I've also enjoyed more watching long RUclips videos, a video that's 30 minutes is more on the short side, but I've enjoyed alot of videos that reach 4 hours and feels better on my attention span
Same! I have RUclips playing while I work and I always choose videos that are 90+ minutes, usually some deep dives into a topic I have no knowledge about but I love the detail and passion these creators put into their videos lol
The funniest thing is that this video is an example of this. There are already so many videos on this topic, we just all clicked on the theory video cause we like the brand and the algorithm fed it to us.
This is super cool of matpat to put out. It's not going to help him or his creator buddies, it just feels like he truly cares about his audience. Fab job, matpat. You nailed this one.
I have followed this channel since 2015. I love that MatPat is not afraid to call out these kinda of things (recall the video game violence video or mobile game video). I love this because it lets me know that team theory cares about ppl and the content they put out.
Man the fact that "every" videos can be viewed as just glorified Tiktok compilations kinda blew my mind. Like this weekend I found myself sucked into watching Keith eat Cheesecake Factory for the third week in a row on Try Guys and I was like "how did this become must watch content to me"? It really is that little dopamine hit that comes when he reacts to each menu item.
When I watch 'eat the menu', I don't see the whole thing, I look for things that I either like or hate to compare my opinion with Keith (ie. "I really like x flavor of cheesecake, wonder what the Try Guys will say about it"), that's what makes it fun for me. But in general, I'm not the biggest fan of these "excessive videos", it's too much and there's no real apeal to me. I tend to stick to video essays and commentary videos, so this "excess trend" has less of an impact on the content that I watch.
This is a needed perspective. All the shorts feel loud, rushed, and geared towards kids and their short attention spans. We need to support long-form content and show RUclips that chasing Tiktok isn't the way to go.
If you click the x to remove the "shorts" shelf it says they won't return for a full 30 days. I would guess that YT is keeping tabs on that to see who wants them to drop their shorts. (Well, you know what I mean...)
ive been growing sick of these excess videos lately, probably because i feel assaulted by them constantly and just want something else. Ive been getting into actual stories and shows recently and it feels so refreshing
Him playing a nsfw game just to prove Cory's point about RUclips moderation having bias towards certain big RUclipsrs was one of the greatest things he ever did
I realized of this some years ago and that is why I don't watch Mr.Beast anymore. I realized I didn't want to be shown those things, avoid comparisons and focus on personal growth.
It’s really funny because I literally never engage with that kind of content because it seems boring to me so I guess I managed to keep out of the pit lol
What i find very goated about matpat is and his team, is that no matter how long its been, the theory channels has in some ways never changed *drastically* (compared to other channels) and still have consistent views and still keeps me hooked up even in this excess era.
Gametheory changed a lot. It used to actually focus on science and theories based in reality, rather than lore and meta content. Ffs (even the series that started his transformation, the FNAF lore series) started with actual real life connections. He was relating it to an actual crime committed at a mascot diner, rather than the in-game lore.
You absolutely nailed describing this era and why we watch these kinds of videos. I've genuinely felt that I could "experience" stuff I'll never actually get to experience when I watch an "Every" video
To a lesser extent, it's the same with illustrated entertainment. It was something that struck me as one of manga's (and webtoons nowadays) buggest asset to get you hooked : very short chapters with a cliffhanger eveery issue. Bound together in a volume, it's a whole lot of very close, regular, emotional punches. Would make sense that this sort of dopamine hook would work even better in video format.
Its so bad with webtoons and manga, I don’t keep up with any series weekly. I just let episodes/chapters pile up so i can just read the entire arc or so in 1-2 sittings
@@cookiesandpudding8485 Yeah, I tend to jump from a few series to some others, so when I come back I have at least 3 chapters to read. Even better, some I forget and then I have 20 of them to catch up!
I actually don't know much about webtoon, myself. I was on a long hiatus and came back and it was the thing to do now, but when I went there I swear 90% of the covers and art looked the same. Or when I clicked on them most of the pages looked exactly the same. They could have been the same comic for all I knew. I started my comic in the early 2000's and not much has changed with it. It's seeing comments like yours that really make me want to just stick to my guns and keep doing what I'm doing, and realize that it doesn't look like a lot of the comics out now, and that's ok lol.
The problem with the RUclips algorithm is it's specially designed to recommend stuff just like what you've already watched before. This means that it selects videos of the same category to that of the one you just watched, making it feel boring
Exactly this! I fell for this trick a while ago: I enjoy watching things like Helluva Boss and Max0r and I enjoy react content. So what does RUclips do? Serve me up the same videos but in a reaction format, to the degree that I see the same video up to 5x in a single day. It's something I'm trying to become better in, but that is hard with ADHD and the RUclips algorythm stacked against you.
I think YT actually just rolled out a new feature where it just plays a random video if you click the button. I havent tried it yet tho so idk if its still gonna tailor those random videos to you or not
I'd agree..if it worked like that for me. RUclips is determined to show me things that doesn't interest me instead of the type of content I actually watch 😑 so I just have to scroll and scroll.....and scroll...
I’ve felt this for a while. Whenever I see a face with a shocked expression in the thumbnail, or random numbers and arrows. It’s pretty much guaranteed to be nothing content. Or whenever it shows a preview in the beginning, I usually just skip or move on. Tiktokisms push me to ignore most of the videos I get recommended, because they’re all pretty much the same. I’m stuck watching old videos because they actually feel cared about.
Mr Beast is pretty much the only person I watch that does that stuff, At least to the extreme extent you're talking about anyway lol, After-all even Matpat does similar Thumbnails every now and then xD
Same. Any video where there`s even a small hint of something clickbaity, i immediately dont feel like watching it. Its got to be something that actually looks interesting and enjoyable to watch.
I actually started noticing that I was comparing and feeling depressed with this types of RUclips videos a couple months ago so I decided that I was just going to skip them. I now try to only watch other types of content that I like like psychology videos, the theorist videos and videos that I know don't trigger that feeling of sadness
I pretty much stick to educational, late night, cooking, and hobby videos, and if any of those veer into the "excess" category, I drop them. I no longer watch GMM or Josh Weisman, for example. Once a month, I tell RUclips to stop recommending Shorts to me.
Educational videos is one of the great things of the Internet that are being hidden away. I've tried to do a better job of watching/listening to those than wasting hours on nonsense that I'll forget within a few days
While the Eddy Burback and Ted Nivison restaurant vids fall into the formula technically I don’t remember them being fast paced or loaded with dopamine hits. Just 2 dudes going on a wild road trip and slowly going insane in the process and it was honestly such a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else’s excess content.
Thank you for making this video. I have felt it for so long now and I don't think I could have put it any better. I think a lot of viewers now are desperate for character development that eventually this compilation trend will create the next vlogging renaissance.
I think this video (perhaps unintentionally) also goes to show how tightly-curated the RUclips algorithm can make the recommended feed for its users' interests. I have literally never seen a single one of these videos in my recommended feed before
Exactly what I was thinking. Like I knew about these videos as I see them on my friend's homepage. But I have never been recommended a single one of these type of videos
@@sapphireshineauthor I have seen maybe 2 Mr. Beast videos, and ironically that was before he became popular(the video was about guns and shooting things and not his usual 'Money Flex'), then suddenly he became extremely popular and I was like wait I know that guy. It's kinda terrifying how you can just miss extremely popular things due to how extremely your recommendations are catered to you.
I'd learned this roughly about myself years ago. When my mental health is poor there are just certain types of content I can't watch. It started with Nerdy Nummies ages ago for me, when I was really in the rough of it mentally the very curated life made it so much worse. I still find that, certain types of beautiful, aspirational content or creators seemingly (emphasis seemingly) living in places I'd love to live or the way I'd love to live can really messed me up. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's not. I've been trying to watch more thoughtful content when I can, or learn new things when I'm consuming videos through channels like this or even more educational. It's not perfect, but I agree that being aware of what you're watching and how it affects you is so important.
I was just discussing this a month or so ago. I was calling it “scale meta”, but era of excess also works. Genuinely hit the nail on the head. Thanks for calling this out. Though I will say one thing you kind of dodged, even though you were almost there, is the barrier of entry for small content creators. Like no average Joe can afford that massive team, so we can’t compete like it used to be. I’d say it’s a major issue that can’t easily be addressed, as it’s sadly too far gone.
Interestingly enough, especially with traveling, the barrier of entry isn't as small as one would think. I solo travel on a pretty meager income and could easily create content for it. Since I'm already paying for it, any income I'd make from views just helps with more travel. Plus, creators have tax deductions that the rest of us don't have access to. Remember twinsthenewtrend created thousands upon thousands of subs just from exposing themselves to music they've never heard before in front of a camera. They're not MrBeast or Markeplier but the thing about YT is everyone doesn't have to be. Sure I sub to quite a few of these guys, but I mostly lean into other content dealing with news, history, science, geopolitics, sports, etc, by smaller creators with smaller or no creative teams. I think if YT is getting boring, then it's we the viewers that need to expand our own playlists, and not rely solely on YT recs. Unfortunately, younger kids don't really have that kind of idealism.
I thankfully didn't get into channels like Mr. Beast as a kid, but my little cousins love him. I grew up first gen low income, but they're in a much better financial situation at their age than I was, so the difference in our views of what's worth buying or not is staggering. They lovingly call me a cheapskate but I don't think they quite realize how expensive things are getting, and I have to wonder if media has desensitized them to it
My partner wrote an essay about the phenomenon of 'power creep' in media. Like Marvel. The first iron man film was about a corporate takeover, the last film iron man was in was about trying to save half the universe. Things need to get bigger and bigger. It's super similar to this 'eating everything' kinda stuff.
This was always a thing for Marvel though. Even in the OG comics you would have spiderman going from saving the city to saving planets way before a 'power creep' in media existed
I actually tend to prefer longer videos to the point that I watch nearly no shorts on RUclips and would actually prefer a multi hour deep dive explaining something in detail. I also tend to randomly watch reviews just because I find them interesting. I do write, but that isn't why I find them interesting so much as I tend to find it interesting just to hear them talk.
With that said tho. Most of long form content nowadays still use the same fundamental editing style for short form content just the length is extended.
I enjoy short form on tik tok, and RUclips for long form. I like both, and that's why there are different platforms. I hate YT trying to do shorts and almost never watch them.
I unironically want youtube to return to windows moviemaker garbage. Everything is so formulaic now that it's hard to find anything remotely new. Hopefully whatever trend is next breaks the cycle and we get back to interesting content
I just hope it gets better because I find myself scrolling yt for 10+ minutes looking for something decent to watch. Five years ago I needed to barely scroll 30 seconds to find a decent unique video.
Not to mention the new algorithm which is WAY too sensitive, if you watch only one video from a creator prepare yourself to see half of their videos and all of their posts, which puts you in a loop of the same stuff (this also applies to more than just RUclipsrs and also to what they do videos on)
Honestly, I’ve been saying to myself over the past few days “Wow, RUclips is getting really boring”. There’s just not much on RUclips that I want to watch that I haven’t already watched.
Animation is fantastic and if you like anime reactions that are actually fun then Danny Motta! I may recommend gacha reactions, because you’re missing out if you don’t ! Essay videos can be nice to listen to in the background
Man this was an interesting video. Love that idea that it's all just a "tiktok compilation". Really puts perspective into things. I think that might be why on one hand I'm finding myself needing to doom scroll cause the most "entertaining" thing i do on the internet is just read webnovels and watch youtube. On the other hand, I'm getting so bored too the point that besides the novels I read, I'm appreciating live-streams or boring long-form content cause it's drastically different and easier to tune out and listen in. The entertainment world is really just weird, crazy and scary.
agreed. it's almost like there's so little worth actively watching that it's better to put something mildly interesting on in the background while playing games that have also gotten more samey than ever.
I have been around to remember when RUclips first launched. And back then it was fantastic because you never knew what gold mine of content you could stumble upon, and there were no ads. It was incredible, and we didnt have creators keep telling us about how their videos took so much money to make.. because the content made was made to entertain, be it the creator or the audience. And now I personally block every single big channel from showing up on my youtube feed. Every single generic big mouth face thumbnail channel even if I've never watched it before I instantly throw into the blacklist becauae I know exactly what content it's churning out. The younger generation doesn't realize how corporate RUclips is because they are spoonfed the most generic algorithm slop. It's a shame when I think back to what we used to have. Ads were what ruined RUclips. Once everyone wanted that monetization, we all lost.
I really miss the older days of RUclips where it felt easier to find new channels and videos, now everything generally speaking feels the same ... Even smaller creators who try to make content "like it used to be" or with passion seem to always be overshadowed by bigger creators who nail the algorithm or low effort content that goes viral
I find this so fascinating since none of this stuff ever really interested me. I never watched Cribs, Real Housewives, these "I tried every" type shows. I always gravitated toward theory videos like MatPat's or SuperCarlinBrothers and science adjacent cooking or crafting shows like How To Cook That or Evan and Katelyn. No wonder my homepage never has my subbed youtubers on it anymore. I have to click into them to watch their stuff since the page is constantly trying to force me into watching stuff that doesn't interest me.
I had no idea that these "every" videos were a thing. I stopped watching Dangerously Funny and GreyStillPlays the moment they began escalating and these were pretty much the only channels I watched that had this kind of content, so I genuinely didn't know these were a thing lol I guess I am truly blessed by the algorithm, huh
@@nrdcrimsoncam-vet1225and hacked/modded versions of games that let him crank numbers up to ridiculous levels or cheat microtransactions. But actually, lots of the gta vids are as much about how much he's paying the map makers as the actual challenges themselves. He's the only yt'er I watch who does that kind of content and I certainly get tired of it. Then again, I generally prefer longform, slower paced content and get irritated if it's over-edited.
Wow, this really opened my mind. The fact we all probably notice this, but dont do anything about it is kinda scary but understandable. Thanks for the heads up MatPat
I've been noticing this Mr.Beastification as I like to call it all over youtube. Everything is about how expensive or how much it is and I can't escape the cycle of watching it as youtube is making it harder to discover new things
Same, especially the more longer form nitty gritty lecture kind of content... e.g. how a E.M. pinball machine works🤩🔧 I've been calling it meta verse logic 😑 though Basically how many camos can we put in👥 how many boxs can we tick✅ Even if it subtracts from the quality of the content 〽️ Has long has it leaves more of a impression and gets that initial click 🤳... In the moment↪ Then is quickly forgotten due to not been actually meaningful... just a dopamine hijacking.🚮
Please continue to make more content about this! As someone who tries to tell stories and make content it’s very helpful and interesting to see what can be done to improve what is being made now and how to make new and exciting original things :)
Same here, recently been avoiding watching drama content 8 months ago, and when I look at excess era type of videos, I just scroll past it and instead of just watching something that isn't so clickbaity or content farmy like I DID STUFF, COMPLETE HISTORY OF CONDOMS, THE BEST SHOW YOU NEVER HEARD OF, etc. I can watch something neat, like chroma's music, Felix Colgrave's unique animations or something else.
Thankfully RUclips doesn't feel boring to me because I avoid all these typese of videos. After many years I realized what I like and about 80% of what I watch are channels I subscribed several years or at least several months ago.
this makes me appreciate the fact that i never got sucked into these types of videos and that my youtube watching trends are mostly informative video essays on movies, art, games, and music.
Right! I have no idea what all these videos are as my RUclips looks vastly differently. Lol. I don’t have the excess phase. And by the looks of it, I am not missing much.
I'd love for matpat to cover the complete opposite of the era of excess. How do channels like charlie consistently get millions of views? Is it really just the fanbase? What about channels like wendover and wendigoon and lemmino who create amazing essay videos? Can breaking the meta also work?
IMO, youtube, and to an extent, the internet, can be broadly divided into two categories, the casual viewer (90%) and the other 10% which is the fandom based or non-meta viewers. These are not exactly watching the "Excess" videos because it feels plasticky, while wendigoon or Jacob Geller or charlie seem real, even profound at times. This kind of reverse catering to the smaller share can be disastrous for a big creator who has to pay hundreds of ppl, but for someone like Wendigoon who is, iirc, a one man everything, it becomes viable. Kinda like Games with millions of ppl flocking over to the newest AAA title like COD or Starfield, while smaller indie games like, say Omori, develop a sort of cult following instead. Both of their userbase is fundamentally different.
I think this is why i gravitaded to Cinnamontoastken. He seems like an every man he doesn't make "every" videos just react videos his commentary on the videos are down to earth he's just a normal dude.
I like your media theories on yt. They're so reflective and give a deep rooted view of bits of internet culture and meme evolution. Even once a year or 6 months when uploaded they match every projection of that period or concurrent times.wish there were more ingenious and attentive audiences for this kind of content.i will keep waiting for next media theories.
Great video. As a youtube hobbyist I hope that a new generation of creators can band together and forge a new path forward. I think the title of the video says it best. RUclips is becoming more boring, more sterile, more safe. We have to try together as creators AND viewers to avoid this problem becoming even worse.
Absolutely hit the nail on the head here Matthew! This is exactly why I don't care for the current era of RUclips, all I watch is Smosh and long form videos from DefunctLand and NationSquid.
I find myself doing the same thing. Lately, it has been the Lizzie Bennett Diaries, HISHE, Cracked After Hours, and older Lindsay Ellis and Jenny Nicholson vids.
As someone trying to become a RUclipsr, this new era of RUclips is really hard to grow on. It feels like you have to be everything and anything just for some numbers. I honestly can't wait to see what's next for RUclips after this era passes.
The algorithm give-th, and the algorithm take-th. I've noticed getting in contact with larger creators is the most organic way to grow a channel, but it's a never-ending competition with trend-hopping grifters and media mills.
Now I'm thinking about how this applies to other topics too, like reading a lot of romance (or watching a lot of couples' channels) and then feeling bad for being single, when being single is totally okay and no worse than being in a relationship
This is kind of interesting to me bc I find most of those videos kind of boring. I’ve definitely noticed myself becoming more impatient and wanting to skip forward in movies, but I’m not sure why these videos that clearly grab other peoples’ attention don’t really appeal to me
11:57 reminded me of that old incredibles quote: when everyone's super, no one will be. In this case, when everyone's chasing that "wow" factor, nobody really gets to succeed because it all just feels samey
This is my favorite video you’ve ever made. This meta analysis of what it means to be a content consumer in the modern era just elucidates how corporate greed has weapon used our psychology for capital gain without any regard for who gets hurt along the way.
I’ve been watching RUclips for 9 years at this point, and I never found RUclips to be boring. It takes a while before a new channel earns my sub, so I don’t attach to channels that easily, but I also don’t detach to channels that easily. I also keep record of the channels I’ve grown to love, so that way I could always revisit them and enjoy them. Maybe it’s my combination of nostalgia and stubbornness that allows me to continue to enjoy RUclips… Edit: 11 years actually. I remember when Gangnam Style exploded, and I even remember watching the Pokémon in Real Life Smosh video
I do genuinely miss early day RUclips lets plays and just creative exploits and yeah they’re out there still just feels like the thing that does well is this style
This is all so interesting to hear for me. I’m not really into RUclips shorts or even those $1-however many dollar videos either. On another note, I used to avidly watch Mr beast but recently I’ve felt Jimmy tends to only pour out those kinds of videos and I’ve lost interest in his stuff unless it’s a challenge video. After watching this video it all made sense.
This is the type of content as to why Matpat is one of the best RUclipsr ever. Thank you and your teams work. As someone who always watch on RUclips, I truly appreciate you.
You see, this is the exact reason I don’t watch any of those types of videos. I stick with let’s players, game streaming, horror stuff. Don’t get as many “TikTok moments” or big money things. Keeps me grounded
This has been a subject that’s been talked about a lot recently, but only in the darkest corners of the internet. Glad to see it brought out into the light.
To be honest, whenever I watch y'all's videos like on most of your channels, it's never boring. But yeah, RUclips's been getting pretty boring, but I guess it's always been like this for the past 3 years for me. I rarely use RUclips now. Back then, before 2020, I used to watch RUclips videos every single day. But it doesn't feel the same anymore.
10 hour video, every frame with a different bright color, obnoxious noise constantly, as well as that one frequency that causes brain damage in children and animals
It's so interesting to see this... because I don't interact with this kind of content (excess, specifically). The closest I get is VTuber translation clips. I'm still watching what amounts to watching someone play a game mostly unedited for about 45min/video on average.
Those excess videos are the easiest to ignore. I went on RUclips from a fresh install with no login and all I saw was page after page of those videos.. I ended up watching some music videos instead.
I've noticed for the past three years or so that I keep getting recommended these types of videos and yeah, this past year or so, I feel like it's gotten WAY worse. This puts all that weird itch in my brain into words and a thorough explanation. I admit, I am a *tiny* art channel. I try to make timelapses of my work, with music to fit the vibe and it is incredibly saddening for me that it barely gets 100 views. I often feel like no one likes them and that I'm doing something wrong. This gave me some perspective as to why that feeling may be partially due to the algorithm wanting to push only these types of videos. I mean, yeah, sometimes they can be cool, but for the most part, it just feels... empty if that makes sense? Obviously there is no shame on anyone who likes these videos. I just think that youtube is being a bit... bias, I guess, is the word for this one particular form of content.
Well said, MatPat! Maybe youtubers should try sketch comedy again :)
-Ian
NO WAY SMOSH BIG FAN
first hi
I love comedy videosssss
YOOOOO ITS HIM
That would activate my neural pathways.
One major issue I have with this modern RUclips is that even if you search for specific keywords they still only show the most trending results. It's so hard to find specific videos anymore.
I think this is because they use the same algorithm for shorts as they do for their long video content. Since shorts pull all their videos into one queue, the first three or so videos will be an exact match, but then they seed in other videos so the hit of getting what you want stays fresh and you get that hit of Domaine as they seed out what you were looking for with more and more content in between to keep you on the queue as long as they can.
It's even worse. First they show few most tranding then shows you GENARAL content that might interest you, totally not connected to what ou search. After little scrolling down you get to less popular results
I’ve noticed recently aswell whenever I wanna search something niché
The first 2 videos are gonna be what I searched for and the rest would be something unrelated or I’ve already watched or got recommended to
That’s when I noticed how much RUclips has really changed
This problem is real. I feel this.
genuinely true, i searched for a csgo pro game and got a woman with personality stretching
I've definitely had conversations about how my Horror History videos may perform better when I use the words "Complete History" in the title. There could be other factors, but I wonder if this ties into the excess era stuff.
I think it's a "tag". Youtubr has some kind of "tags" thing in their algorithm, if you put words on the description or title,it's more possible for it to be recommended I'm other videos with those tags
Oh, hi CZsWorld
It’s more so because geeks like me who like listening to the history or lore of a game world is interesting and listening to complete timelines in order is cool because we can learn the before present and after of the story and then any of the extra stuff we find out like creatures and stuff we can listen to on the side once we are done
Personally, I find that using words like complete, whole, all, etc. removes all doubt that something might have been left out or is missing. All questions you have or you could potentially have will be adressed in that video and you'll feel like everything you need to know about that subject is there.
I'll be honest I would rather turn on like 1 hour video about the complete history of something so that I feel like im getting all of the information possible, compared to just the history of movie series
I thought “shouldn’t this be a film theory video” but then I realized he uploaded it here cause he wants to inform everyone of this since this is his biggest outlet, Thanks Mat 👍
He often post youtube theories in this channel anyway. I think there's even a playlist for that where he discuss other youtube issues or issues on other platforms.
Matpat inspires me, my parents said if I get 30k followers here They'd buy me a better camera for recording... begging u guys, literally begging .
That, and also it's the companies and RUclips channels "gamifying" the system, so it still applies to games, just not videogames.
@@MbitaChizi To help you out, I reported your entire channel :)
Social media is basically just one massive MMORPG so
This is why I primarily watch/listen to long-form video essays. I do it to protect my attention span from all of the span-destroying garbage, and to not destroy my mental health in the process.
That’s great! After watching this video I really want to change and start doing that as well 🥲
Recently I’ve found myself watching content from 7-8 years ago because it just feels… homely? I’m not exactly sure how to put it, it might just be nostalgia, but it really does entertain me more than a lot of content that gets put out nowadays, probably because it didn’t feel as formulated as it all is now
The creators felt more like themselves.
Because back then most RUclipsrs probably didn’t realize the amount of success they could make on RUclips. So they instead made videos that didn’t feel as corporate and were just made to show the world what they did.
That's exactly how I am on RUclips! Unless it's a video game live stream where the RUclipsr needs to have lower energy to last that long, then the video's at least four years old.
I always worried that I was living in the past, and should have no reason to hate new content as much as I do. Now knowing that avoiding "EVERY" videos because they make me feel worse about my life makes me feel like I'm making the right decision. Knowing really is half the battle.
...Now if only I'd get off RUclips more.
Yeah those times felt more special…
Same
NGL, I was thinking about getting off RUclips and social media because of the wealth overdrive. I'm starting my adult life and because of comparison I always felt like I'm a failure. This video helped me understand my problem. Thank you Mat!
its easy to become rich on the internet once you throw away your morals. it sucks social media always makes us compare ourselves to these soul sellers
Life tip: Don't forget, it's more expensive to live in the city.
U don’t have to compare yourself to them….
Got to tech school, avoid college.
Same here, I had to stop creating videos because I just couldn't get myself in that hyperactive mindset. Seeing this, I'm glad I did. I'm slow paced. I dont like feeling rushed, and my videos don't feel like mine when I make them that way.
I’ve made it in a Game Theorists’ video @1:07, This is the best day of my life 😂 Awesome video guys!! 🙌🏻
I love the bored man
@@aratismitry LOL I appreciate ya, thanks Aratismitry! 🙏🏻
@@prettyboredvidsYou Should Have More Subs Now, Your Content Is Awesome
Yooooo!!
lucky
After watching this video and reading the comments, I'm really glad I'm not the only one who feels like RUclips has become boring nowadays. I'll scroll the home page for several minutes sometimes trying to find something to watch. Not only is the algorithm becoming very formulaic, like MatPat said, but (and I don't know if anyone else is noticing this) I'm also getting recommended videos on topics that I don't even care about and have never watched a video on. I'm glad a big youtuber like Matpat is addressing it.
Yeah that's true
if your youtube feeds became samey and boring, it's because you're boring, old, dry and grey.
and can't accept anything new or different
tbh, i can't relate to this at all,
my feeds are diverse because i'm not only watch comedic, gossips, money gifting video
and pushed everything else aside.
your algorithm is the reflection of you,
any insult that you throw to the algorithm, that insult applied to yourself as well.
Yup. Luckily, I don't find the excessive content entertaining, but that makes finding something to watch pretty hard since most content just seems dull.
@@le_tinybarrelbo1honestly
Yeah, I outgrew "excess" when I was twelve and realized there was no point in making a burger bigger.
The problem I have with channels like Mr. Beast is that the pace for me is so quick that it overwhelms me and I get disconnected from the video. TheRadBrad or even Markiplier have built channels that keep a pace that is quick enough to not be boring nor fast that it hurts my head to process it
Exactly like how are you going to have a huge competition that costs you thousands to
Millions of dollars and the whole video is only 10mins long.
Love TheRadBrad!
Agreed. But even Mark and the other "slow" RUclipsrs can't fully escape the speed trend. They cut out a lot of the small few-second moments where nothing happens. It's subtle, but there's a lot of it.
God I haven't seen TheRadBrad in forever
mrbeast's audience includes a LOT of kids. ig that's why the pacing is extremely fast to keep their attention for as long as possible.
Finally, someone with merit covering this. Felt this way for a while.
fr like I thought I was going crazy
No
Bro you said the same reply on another comment
Yea so do i
@IAmJustAPersonLolloh wow you’re two different kinds of bot
You hit the nail on this video matpat. I've avoided the bigger RUclipsrs lately and honestly have kept with my more niche content, I've also enjoyed more watching long RUclips videos, a video that's 30 minutes is more on the short side, but I've enjoyed alot of videos that reach 4 hours and feels better on my attention span
Same! I have RUclips playing while I work and I always choose videos that are 90+ minutes, usually some deep dives into a topic I have no knowledge about but I love the detail and passion these creators put into their videos lol
yea, like history, science, interviews, architecture, politics...
Can u give some suggestions
This is exactly what I’ve been feeling lately. I’m addicted to RUclips but I’m so sick of it and the repetitive ideas
The funniest thing is that this video is an example of this. There are already so many videos on this topic, we just all clicked on the theory video cause we like the brand and the algorithm fed it to us.
We need a decent competitor. YT is basically a monopoly for user generated longform pre-recovered video content
@@maenad1231 the closest to a competitor of YT is Tiktok and well... yeah, it's not great
@@maenad1231It exists. It's called Odysee and does have a decent amount of users though not even close to RUclips
@@maenad1231 did you even watch the video? if RUclips has to have a competition, we would have to change as human beings.
This is super cool of matpat to put out. It's not going to help him or his creator buddies, it just feels like he truly cares about his audience. Fab job, matpat. You nailed this one.
Completely agree, this really doesn’t help anyone around him but man it really is eye opening as a consumer
@@typhoidfever549reread his comment
They sold the channel last year(?) so this is ironic.
fab job?
@@beans00001 i assume s/he means "fabulous job"--a conpliment
This is honestly one of your best videos
Nice
Hi
yes
Great
👍
I have followed this channel since 2015. I love that MatPat is not afraid to call out these kinda of things (recall the video game violence video or mobile game video). I love this because it lets me know that team theory cares about ppl and the content they put out.
Man the fact that "every" videos can be viewed as just glorified Tiktok compilations kinda blew my mind. Like this weekend I found myself sucked into watching Keith eat Cheesecake Factory for the third week in a row on Try Guys and I was like "how did this become must watch content to me"? It really is that little dopamine hit that comes when he reacts to each menu item.
Matpat nspires me, my parents said if I get 15k followers They'd buy me a better camera for
@@MbitaChizino. Stop fishing for subs bot
Admittedly, I think part of the appeal of the Eat the Menu series is the fact that it's so dumb and absurd that it becomes funny. At least to me
When I watch 'eat the menu', I don't see the whole thing, I look for things that I either like or hate to compare my opinion with Keith (ie. "I really like x flavor of cheesecake, wonder what the Try Guys will say about it"), that's what makes it fun for me.
But in general, I'm not the biggest fan of these "excessive videos", it's too much and there's no real apeal to me.
I tend to stick to video essays and commentary videos, so this "excess trend" has less of an impact on the content that I watch.
Well… I hope this never happens to me, but I really don’t know 😂. I don’t even have TikTok.
As someone who prefers long in depth video essays, I always get a bit sad when RUclips keeps promoting the opposite
Same, especially when it comes to never-ending clout chasers and clickbaiters who keeps put misleading titles.
OMG YES SAME
exactly what i was thinking like emplemon or nexpo so many creators
big same
Well, this coment is sponsored by Nebula....
I Appreciate how matpat is bringing awareness of this towards his younger audience..
Big respect
@@Dont_Read_My_Pictureok
@@Dont_Read_My_PictureI hope you stub your toe on the refrigerator door.
@pray4mepls783 as an adhd person with a low attention span i can confirm
@pray4mepls7832:00 mark*
@@star_fru1tz Kinda an odd channel to be subscribed to of you can't pay attention.
This is a needed perspective. All the shorts feel loud, rushed, and geared towards kids and their short attention spans.
We need to support long-form content and show RUclips that chasing Tiktok isn't the way to go.
Fr
If you click the x to remove the "shorts" shelf it says they won't return for a full 30 days. I would guess that YT is keeping tabs on that to see who wants them to drop their shorts. (Well, you know what I mean...)
@@KenLieck I just did that today🎉❤…&😂
@@KenLieckhow ?
@@runisa Unfortunately, it looks like the jerks have canceled that feature in the last few days since I pointed it out...
ive been growing sick of these excess videos lately, probably because i feel assaulted by them constantly and just want something else. Ive been getting into actual stories and shows recently and it feels so refreshing
Hold my beer
@@davudlinteanu8947 lol
I've never really been into excess videos
More like videos in excess
3 hour long explanation of the metal gear timeline for example
Fr.
We are just getting older.
It's nice to know that MatPat is always looking out for us with videos like these.
he's kinda our internet dad that wakes us up every once a while
Bro 1.5k likes and only one comment (now 2)
Matpat nspires me, my parents said if I get 15k followers They'd buy me a better camera for recording,, begging u guys, literally begging
@@MbitaChizi I got you bro
tbh when markiplier does a "youtube trend" it somehow becomes so inexiplicably insane that it's way better than the actual trend
Matpat inspires me, my parents said if I get 30k followers here They'd buy me a better camera for recording... begging u guys, literally begging .
@@MbitaChizi
or get a job
Him playing a nsfw game just to prove Cory's point about RUclips moderation having bias towards certain big RUclipsrs was one of the greatest things he ever did
@@MbitaChizi no. suffer
@@MbitaChiziyour like 25+ buy your own sh!t
I realized of this some years ago and that is why I don't watch Mr.Beast anymore. I realized I didn't want to be shown those things, avoid comparisons and focus on personal growth.
It’s really funny because I literally never engage with that kind of content because it seems boring to me so I guess I managed to keep out of the pit lol
i don't typically interact with some videos like action vids because the thumbnails are the exact same lol
Same
I don't really have a recommended anymore since I use a web extension to keep me out of them
Same, glad it's not just me
What i find very goated about matpat is and his team, is that no matter how long its been, the theory channels has in some ways never changed *drastically* (compared to other channels) and still have consistent views and still keeps me hooked up even in this excess era.
Gametheory changed a lot. It used to actually focus on science and theories based in reality, rather than lore and meta content. Ffs (even the series that started his transformation, the FNAF lore series) started with actual real life connections. He was relating it to an actual crime committed at a mascot diner, rather than the in-game lore.
@@Naev0w0 say it louder
ok
youtube is not rewarding quality anymore and it's all going downhill
You absolutely nailed describing this era and why we watch these kinds of videos. I've genuinely felt that I could "experience" stuff I'll never actually get to experience when I watch an "Every" video
To a lesser extent, it's the same with illustrated entertainment. It was something that struck me as one of manga's (and webtoons nowadays) buggest asset to get you hooked : very short chapters with a cliffhanger eveery issue. Bound together in a volume, it's a whole lot of very close, regular, emotional punches. Would make sense that this sort of dopamine hook would work even better in video format.
Its so bad with webtoons and manga, I don’t keep up with any series weekly. I just let episodes/chapters pile up so i can just read the entire arc or so in 1-2 sittings
@@cookiesandpudding8485 Yeah, I tend to jump from a few series to some others, so when I come back I have at least 3 chapters to read. Even better, some I forget and then I have 20 of them to catch up!
I actually don't know much about webtoon, myself. I was on a long hiatus and came back and it was the thing to do now, but when I went there I swear 90% of the covers and art looked the same. Or when I clicked on them most of the pages looked exactly the same. They could have been the same comic for all I knew. I started my comic in the early 2000's and not much has changed with it. It's seeing comments like yours that really make me want to just stick to my guns and keep doing what I'm doing, and realize that it doesn't look like a lot of the comics out now, and that's ok lol.
The problem with the RUclips algorithm is it's specially designed to recommend stuff just like what you've already watched before. This means that it selects videos of the same category to that of the one you just watched, making it feel boring
Exactly this! I fell for this trick a while ago: I enjoy watching things like Helluva Boss and Max0r and I enjoy react content. So what does RUclips do? Serve me up the same videos but in a reaction format, to the degree that I see the same video up to 5x in a single day. It's something I'm trying to become better in, but that is hard with ADHD and the RUclips algorythm stacked against you.
Turn off watch history and search history, or use anonymous since anonymous detached you from youre usual recommendation, thats the solution
I think YT actually just rolled out a new feature where it just plays a random video if you click the button. I havent tried it yet tho so idk if its still gonna tailor those random videos to you or not
I'd agree..if it worked like that for me. RUclips is determined to show me things that doesn't interest me instead of the type of content I actually watch 😑 so I just have to scroll and scroll.....and scroll...
@@RockinAfr0max0r is peak
I’ve felt this for a while. Whenever I see a face with a shocked expression in the thumbnail, or random numbers and arrows. It’s pretty much guaranteed to be nothing content. Or whenever it shows a preview in the beginning, I usually just skip or move on. Tiktokisms push me to ignore most of the videos I get recommended, because they’re all pretty much the same. I’m stuck watching old videos because they actually feel cared about.
Mr Beast is pretty much the only person I watch that does that stuff, At least to the extreme extent you're talking about anyway lol, After-all even Matpat does similar Thumbnails every now and then xD
Same. Any video where there`s even a small hint of something clickbaity, i immediately dont feel like watching it.
Its got to be something that actually looks interesting and enjoyable to watch.
W Matpat for talking about something most of us are worried about and the new era of RUclips.
I miss the old RUclips
Stopped being a fan of Mr beast when he started the whole giving money away scheme
@@Dont_Read_My_PictureI dont give a fuc😂
@@JPdraws_you were a fan of mrbeast? Hahaha...
@@Echinacae yea. Back when he made fun of peoples intros
I have also found that a lot of Channels don't make actual content, they just make content about making content.
I actually started noticing that I was comparing and feeling depressed with this types of RUclips videos a couple months ago so I decided that I was just going to skip them. I now try to only watch other types of content that I like like psychology videos, the theorist videos and videos that I know don't trigger that feeling of sadness
I’d also recommend videos similar to psychology videos: educational content about random topics is always fun.
Are we the same person? Cause I think like this too!!!! 😱
Educational Channels yes! Sci-Show, Veritasium, PBS-Terra, Steve Mould, ASAP Science, etc
I pretty much stick to educational, late night, cooking, and hobby videos, and if any of those veer into the "excess" category, I drop them. I no longer watch GMM or Josh Weisman, for example. Once a month, I tell RUclips to stop recommending Shorts to me.
Educational videos is one of the great things of the Internet that are being hidden away. I've tried to do a better job of watching/listening to those than wasting hours on nonsense that I'll forget within a few days
While the Eddy Burback and Ted Nivison restaurant vids fall into the formula technically I don’t remember them being fast paced or loaded with dopamine hits. Just 2 dudes going on a wild road trip and slowly going insane in the process and it was honestly such a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else’s excess content.
just made a comment about this too lol. it was more about them than the restaurants.
i'm guessing matpat hasn't seen those videos, i'm sure he wouldn't have included them otherwise
for now
Eddy's descent into insanity is what increased our dopamine levels
@@thememe4uhe literally did a Food Theory on Rainforest Cafe because of that video, so I'm pretty sure he watched it
Thank you for making this video. I have felt it for so long now and I don't think I could have put it any better. I think a lot of viewers now are desperate for character development that eventually this compilation trend will create the next vlogging renaissance.
If I may jump in for a second. YT pretty much banned these type of video for MFK content (made for kids). So at least there is that!
I think this video (perhaps unintentionally) also goes to show how tightly-curated the RUclips algorithm can make the recommended feed for its users' interests. I have literally never seen a single one of these videos in my recommended feed before
Exactly what I was thinking. Like I knew about these videos as I see them on my friend's homepage. But I have never been recommended a single one of these type of videos
Same here, I haven't seen any "every" videos pop up on my feed naturally. I know of Mr.Beast, but never through RUclips.
@@sapphireshineauthor I have seen maybe 2 Mr. Beast videos, and ironically that was before he became popular(the video was about guns and shooting things and not his usual 'Money Flex'), then suddenly he became extremely popular and I was like wait I know that guy. It's kinda terrifying how you can just miss extremely popular things due to how extremely your recommendations are catered to you.
the only ones ive seen them from are MrBeast and MrWhoseTheBoss
You will now 😂
To anyone who's looking for a new type of content to watch, there's always Animation 👉👈 😅
Love both of your work. Defeat the algorithm, by catering to its wants. Then, in about 10 years, it'll get tired. Love your short vids. Haha.
I love your stuff! Keep it up!
Fr
Amen to that
True that
Great video. We talked about big numbers before Mr Beast made it cool 😎
Oh, for sure!
never thought id see the day mr economics man here
ok
As a googologist, our field has been talking about big numbers since it was invented
@@CompactStarlegend!
I'd learned this roughly about myself years ago. When my mental health is poor there are just certain types of content I can't watch. It started with Nerdy Nummies ages ago for me, when I was really in the rough of it mentally the very curated life made it so much worse. I still find that, certain types of beautiful, aspirational content or creators seemingly (emphasis seemingly) living in places I'd love to live or the way I'd love to live can really messed me up. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's not. I've been trying to watch more thoughtful content when I can, or learn new things when I'm consuming videos through channels like this or even more educational. It's not perfect, but I agree that being aware of what you're watching and how it affects you is so important.
I was just discussing this a month or so ago. I was calling it “scale meta”, but era of excess also works. Genuinely hit the nail on the head. Thanks for calling this out.
Though I will say one thing you kind of dodged, even though you were almost there, is the barrier of entry for small content creators. Like no average Joe can afford that massive team, so we can’t compete like it used to be. I’d say it’s a major issue that can’t easily be addressed, as it’s sadly too far gone.
Interestingly enough, especially with traveling, the barrier of entry isn't as small as one would think. I solo travel on a pretty meager income and could easily create content for it. Since I'm already paying for it, any income I'd make from views just helps with more travel. Plus, creators have tax deductions that the rest of us don't have access to.
Remember twinsthenewtrend created thousands upon thousands of subs just from exposing themselves to music they've never heard before in front of a camera. They're not MrBeast or Markeplier but the thing about YT is everyone doesn't have to be. Sure I sub to quite a few of these guys, but I mostly lean into other content dealing with news, history, science, geopolitics, sports, etc, by smaller creators with smaller or no creative teams. I think if YT is getting boring, then it's we the viewers that need to expand our own playlists, and not rely solely on YT recs. Unfortunately, younger kids don't really have that kind of idealism.
At this point, I'm just creating for fun. I feel bad for many kids consuming content of this new era and not like Smosh's MK theme.
I think this is exactly what Jack was talking about when he said Mr. Beast was ruining RUclips.
Yeah definetly feels like it
jack who?
@@kiratwo4u jack bigbutt
@@kiratwo4u Sean AKA Jackscepticete
@@kinjapleb4228 wait jacksepticeye wouldn't say something like that bro. Sean's is a wholesome dude
I thankfully didn't get into channels like Mr. Beast as a kid, but my little cousins love him. I grew up first gen low income, but they're in a much better financial situation at their age than I was, so the difference in our views of what's worth buying or not is staggering. They lovingly call me a cheapskate but I don't think they quite realize how expensive things are getting, and I have to wonder if media has desensitized them to it
You bring up some fair points. Desensitization is something to consider depending on ones lifestyle/perspectives
MatPat is the educational non-fast paced version of MR. Beast. Change my mind. Hahahaha.
I love how this video is counter-clickbait. The title is an understatement, the video is even more interesting than its title.
My partner wrote an essay about the phenomenon of 'power creep' in media. Like Marvel. The first iron man film was about a corporate takeover, the last film iron man was in was about trying to save half the universe. Things need to get bigger and bigger. It's super similar to this 'eating everything' kinda stuff.
This was always a thing for Marvel though. Even in the OG comics you would have spiderman going from saving the city to saving planets way before a 'power creep' in media existed
Question is, what happens after the end? Is there salvation, a return to simplicity?
I actually tend to prefer longer videos to the point that I watch nearly no shorts on RUclips and would actually prefer a multi hour deep dive explaining something in detail. I also tend to randomly watch reviews just because I find them interesting. I do write, but that isn't why I find them interesting so much as I tend to find it interesting just to hear them talk.
ok
I do that too 😅
I do that too 😅
With that said tho. Most of long form content nowadays still use the same fundamental editing style for short form content just the length is extended.
I enjoy short form on tik tok, and RUclips for long form. I like both, and that's why there are different platforms. I hate YT trying to do shorts and almost never watch them.
I unironically want youtube to return to windows moviemaker garbage. Everything is so formulaic now that it's hard to find anything remotely new. Hopefully whatever trend is next breaks the cycle and we get back to interesting content
I just hope it gets better because I find myself scrolling yt for 10+ minutes looking for something decent to watch. Five years ago I needed to barely scroll 30 seconds to find a decent unique video.
After this era ends we may find that type of content coming back
So true
What you want is analog horror, sorry
RUclips is full of interesting content, they just made it borderline impossible to find
Not to mention the new algorithm which is WAY too sensitive, if you watch only one video from a creator prepare yourself to see half of their videos and all of their posts, which puts you in a loop of the same stuff (this also applies to more than just RUclipsrs and also to what they do videos on)
This 💯, I hate this new update that youtube had done
Honestly, I’ve been saying to myself over the past few days “Wow, RUclips is getting really boring”. There’s just not much on RUclips that I want to watch that I haven’t already watched.
Animation is fantastic and if you like anime reactions that are actually fun then Danny Motta!
I may recommend gacha reactions, because you’re missing out if you don’t ! Essay videos can be nice to listen to in the background
Same, that's why I'm rewatching shows in Netflix haha
Now, I just kinda watch animation memes and get it recommended to me.
Same but change days to years.
The most interesting thing on RUclips is the comments. And that’s very sad.
@@palemeadows why would anyone that's not a complete loser what reaction "content" ?
Man this was an interesting video. Love that idea that it's all just a "tiktok compilation". Really puts perspective into things. I think that might be why on one hand I'm finding myself needing to doom scroll cause the most "entertaining" thing i do on the internet is just read webnovels and watch youtube. On the other hand, I'm getting so bored too the point that besides the novels I read, I'm appreciating live-streams or boring long-form content cause it's drastically different and easier to tune out and listen in. The entertainment world is really just weird, crazy and scary.
you just shot me out of they air that is almost exactly what i do
agreed. it's almost like there's so little worth actively watching that it's better to put something mildly interesting on in the background while playing games that have also gotten more samey than ever.
I have been around to remember when RUclips first launched.
And back then it was fantastic because you never knew what gold mine of content you could stumble upon, and there were no ads. It was incredible, and we didnt have creators keep telling us about how their videos took so much money to make.. because the content made was made to entertain, be it the creator or the audience.
And now I personally block every single big channel from showing up on my youtube feed. Every single generic big mouth face thumbnail channel even if I've never watched it before I instantly throw into the blacklist becauae I know exactly what content it's churning out.
The younger generation doesn't realize how corporate RUclips is because they are spoonfed the most generic algorithm slop. It's a shame when I think back to what we used to have.
Ads were what ruined RUclips. Once everyone wanted that monetization, we all lost.
Well said
I wasn’t born when youtube was made and now I’m nearly an adult. Do with that info what you will
I really miss the older days of RUclips where it felt easier to find new channels and videos, now everything generally speaking feels the same ... Even smaller creators who try to make content "like it used to be" or with passion seem to always be overshadowed by bigger creators who nail the algorithm or low effort content that goes viral
it's not really because everyone wanted monetisation , but that youtube put monetisation over the creators
@@gwyngwyn_24162007 baby?
I find this so fascinating since none of this stuff ever really interested me. I never watched Cribs, Real Housewives, these "I tried every" type shows. I always gravitated toward theory videos like MatPat's or SuperCarlinBrothers and science adjacent cooking or crafting shows like How To Cook That or Evan and Katelyn.
No wonder my homepage never has my subbed youtubers on it anymore. I have to click into them to watch their stuff since the page is constantly trying to force me into watching stuff that doesn't interest me.
I love How To Cook That, that’s a channel that my whole family happily watches together haha
I had no idea that these "every" videos were a thing. I stopped watching Dangerously Funny and GreyStillPlays the moment they began escalating and these were pretty much the only channels I watched that had this kind of content, so I genuinely didn't know these were a thing lol
I guess I am truly blessed by the algorithm, huh
Same
greystillplays is just gta, its not a financial cost? It's just hours of suffering in challenge for comedic effect
Dang, I didn’t realize dangerouslyfunny’s content has changed so much. I only really watched his stardew valley stuff
@@nrdcrimsoncam-vet1225and hacked/modded versions of games that let him crank numbers up to ridiculous levels or cheat microtransactions. But actually, lots of the gta vids are as much about how much he's paying the map makers as the actual challenges themselves. He's the only yt'er I watch who does that kind of content and I certainly get tired of it. Then again, I generally prefer longform, slower paced content and get irritated if it's over-edited.
Same
Wow, this really opened my mind. The fact we all probably notice this, but dont do anything about it is kinda scary but understandable. Thanks for the heads up MatPat
@@Dont_Read_My_Pictureok I wont
Game theory will never be boring
Fr
True
Yup
yeah
Fr
Awesome video. It's really refreshing to see someone actually acknowledge that there is a serious problem with how our digital lives are be lived.
I've been noticing this Mr.Beastification as I like to call it all over youtube. Everything is about how expensive or how much it is and I can't escape the cycle of watching it as youtube is making it harder to discover new things
Same, especially the more longer form nitty gritty lecture kind of content... e.g. how a E.M. pinball machine works🤩🔧
I've been calling it meta verse logic 😑 though
Basically how many camos can we put in👥
how many boxs can we tick✅
Even if it subtracts from the quality of the content 〽️
Has long has it leaves more of a impression and gets that initial click 🤳... In the moment↪
Then is quickly forgotten due to not been actually meaningful... just a dopamine hijacking.🚮
Ayy another Kairos fan
Please continue to make more content about this! As someone who tries to tell stories and make content it’s very helpful and interesting to see what can be done to improve what is being made now and how to make new and exciting original things :)
I LOVE these videos. They're so informative and educational.
Keep it up MatPat, after all these years, you're still one of my favorite YT channels.
I really, really REALLY miss the old internet
Much respect for making us viewers aware of where RUclips is right now
8:05
As the editor of that video I can confirm that strategy.
First react?
Ok
Makes me glad I'm one of the rare cases on YT who actively tries to avoid these kind of videos as much as i can.
Keep doing it, I need to start lol
Same here, recently been avoiding watching drama content 8 months ago, and when I look at excess era type of videos, I just scroll past it and instead of just watching something that isn't so clickbaity or content farmy like I DID STUFF, COMPLETE HISTORY OF CONDOMS, THE BEST SHOW YOU NEVER HEARD OF, etc. I can watch something neat, like chroma's music, Felix Colgrave's unique animations or something else.
Gotta watch old videos now for me. I hate this type of video
I've never seen one of these videos. I guess the algorithm gave up on me.
Im the same, except I do it cuz the content hurts my eyes and ears and is just sensory overload
Thankfully RUclips doesn't feel boring to me because I avoid all these typese of videos.
After many years I realized what I like and about 80% of what I watch are channels I subscribed several years or at least several months ago.
this makes me appreciate the fact that i never got sucked into these types of videos and that my youtube watching trends are mostly informative video essays on movies, art, games, and music.
Right! I have no idea what all these videos are as my RUclips looks vastly differently. Lol. I don’t have the excess phase. And by the looks of it, I am not missing much.
Same! I never got into this "excessive" type of content and prefer video essays
Essays aren't safe. I've watched too many 2h-4h essays that could've been 30mins. Don't be fooled by 'long watchtime = quality content'.
@@scrittleWhat essays are you watching that's longer than an hour???
@@triliner254 I watch vods so hourly essays don't phase me. However, there are 12 hour essays out there that are mostly plagiarised.
I'd love for matpat to cover the complete opposite of the era of excess. How do channels like charlie consistently get millions of views? Is it really just the fanbase? What about channels like wendover and wendigoon and lemmino who create amazing essay videos? Can breaking the meta also work?
IMO, youtube, and to an extent, the internet, can be broadly divided into two categories, the casual viewer (90%) and the other 10% which is the fandom based or non-meta viewers. These are not exactly watching the "Excess" videos because it feels plasticky, while wendigoon or Jacob Geller or charlie seem real, even profound at times. This kind of reverse catering to the smaller share can be disastrous for a big creator who has to pay hundreds of ppl, but for someone like Wendigoon who is, iirc, a one man everything, it becomes viable. Kinda like Games with millions of ppl flocking over to the newest AAA title like COD or Starfield, while smaller indie games like, say Omori, develop a sort of cult following instead. Both of their userbase is fundamentally different.
I think this is why i gravitaded to Cinnamontoastken. He seems like an every man he doesn't make "every" videos just react videos his commentary on the videos are down to earth he's just a normal dude.
Omg I love ken he just feels like that cool uncle that has all the stories and info on drama while staying away from it
he feels like your long lost father makes fun you
His channel is one of the only channels I’ll watch anymore
Not really. More the opposite
2014 - 2019 youtube was the peak of youtube the best summary being "a party that never ends with a host that never dies" until it did
I like your media theories on yt. They're so reflective and give a deep rooted view of bits of internet culture and meme evolution. Even once a year or 6 months when uploaded they match every projection of that period or concurrent times.wish there were more ingenious and attentive audiences for this kind of content.i will keep waiting for next media theories.
Great video. As a youtube hobbyist I hope that a new generation of creators can band together and forge a new path forward.
I think the title of the video says it best. RUclips is becoming more boring, more sterile, more safe. We have to try together as creators AND viewers to avoid this problem becoming even worse.
NERD
Absolutely hit the nail on the head here Matthew! This is exactly why I don't care for the current era of RUclips, all I watch is Smosh and long form videos from DefunctLand and NationSquid.
I find myself doing the same thing. Lately, it has been the Lizzie Bennett Diaries, HISHE, Cracked After Hours, and older Lindsay Ellis and Jenny Nicholson vids.
Yeah, as a younger viewer that pretty much sums up, I’ve been feeling kind of empty and disappointed thanks matpat you made me feel understood
MatPat supplying us with the cold hard theories.
@@Dont_Read_My_Pictureok
This ain't even a theory
This is so real matpat should make a channel called hard fact
As someone trying to become a RUclipsr, this new era of RUclips is really hard to grow on. It feels like you have to be everything and anything just for some numbers. I honestly can't wait to see what's next for RUclips after this era passes.
The algorithm give-th, and the algorithm take-th. I've noticed getting in contact with larger creators is the most organic way to grow a channel, but it's a never-ending competition with trend-hopping grifters and media mills.
@@scrittle Honestly the best way to explain it. 😭
Now I'm thinking about how this applies to other topics too, like reading a lot of romance (or watching a lot of couples' channels) and then feeling bad for being single, when being single is totally okay and no worse than being in a relationship
This is kind of interesting to me bc I find most of those videos kind of boring. I’ve definitely noticed myself becoming more impatient and wanting to skip forward in movies, but I’m not sure why these videos that clearly grab other peoples’ attention don’t really appeal to me
11:57 reminded me of that old incredibles quote: when everyone's super, no one will be.
In this case, when everyone's chasing that "wow" factor, nobody really gets to succeed because it all just feels samey
This is my favorite video you’ve ever made. This meta analysis of what it means to be a content consumer in the modern era just elucidates how corporate greed has weapon used our psychology for capital gain without any regard for who gets hurt along the way.
I’ve been watching RUclips for 9 years at this point, and I never found RUclips to be boring. It takes a while before a new channel earns my sub, so I don’t attach to channels that easily, but I also don’t detach to channels that easily. I also keep record of the channels I’ve grown to love, so that way I could always revisit them and enjoy them. Maybe it’s my combination of nostalgia and stubbornness that allows me to continue to enjoy RUclips…
Edit: 11 years actually. I remember when Gangnam Style exploded, and I even remember watching the Pokémon in Real Life Smosh video
@@Dont_Read_My_Picture ok
Yeah I think the issue is how you enjoy the content rather than the content itself.
Ngl, same! I do the exact same thing as you do!
I do genuinely miss early day RUclips lets plays and just creative exploits and yeah they’re out there still just feels like the thing that does well is this style
The intro is something Matpat would definitely do if it meant getting one additional letter of lore.
I feel like matpat should have just "a theory channel" for random theories, I would watch that for sure.
Imagine conspiracy theory
This is all so interesting to hear for me. I’m not really into RUclips shorts or even those $1-however many dollar videos either. On another note, I used to avidly watch Mr beast but recently I’ve felt Jimmy tends to only pour out those kinds of videos and I’ve lost interest in his stuff unless it’s a challenge video. After watching this video it all made sense.
There was a short timeframe when I watched his stuff, but I moved on quick after he began flashing his wealth.
This is the type of content as to why Matpat is one of the best RUclipsr ever. Thank you and your teams work. As someone who always watch on RUclips, I truly appreciate you.
I miss bathtub videos
You also miss wassabi production, by the way,hey roy 👋
We miss the Skits!!! 😍😍🥰
This sounds like a really depressing comment out of context BAHAHSHSHSHSHSHSAHAHAHA
Aren't you the one who devolved RUclips to a despicable degree?
yoo guava juice
Got jumpscared by me 💀💀💀
Oh hello
Hello there
wow really
yes i did
You see, this is the exact reason I don’t watch any of those types of videos. I stick with let’s players, game streaming, horror stuff. Don’t get as many “TikTok moments” or big money things. Keeps me grounded
Same here
Samee bruh
This has been a subject that’s been talked about a lot recently, but only in the darkest corners of the internet. Glad to see it brought out into the light.
"Or in our case a world that feels like its about to burn down around us" - MatPat
To be honest, whenever I watch y'all's videos like on most of your channels, it's never boring. But yeah, RUclips's been getting pretty boring, but I guess it's always been like this for the past 3 years for me. I rarely use RUclips now. Back then, before 2020, I used to watch RUclips videos every single day. But it doesn't feel the same anymore.
6:10 made me wonder what the worst way to make a RUclips video would be. I'd love a theory on that.
10 hour video, every frame with a different bright color, obnoxious noise constantly, as well as that one frequency that causes brain damage in children and animals
That's also the problem for small creators, who don't have the money to do some extreme things
Huge shout-out to Team Theorist for putting together this video - keep speaking truth, as well as fun theories, out into the world 😁
RUclips feels boring sometimes and I'm glad you are talking about this man and great video MatPat :]
It's so interesting to see this... because I don't interact with this kind of content (excess, specifically). The closest I get is VTuber translation clips. I'm still watching what amounts to watching someone play a game mostly unedited for about 45min/video on average.
Those excess videos are the easiest to ignore. I went on RUclips from a fresh install with no login and all I saw was page after page of those videos.. I ended up watching some music videos instead.
It's great that Matt Pat is here telling me about these trends that I never heard of.
fax
fr
Never heard of? Do you not watch RUclips???
@@troyami Yes, and it is my primary source of video entertainment. Outside of the Theorist channels, I watch maybe 5 other channels.
14:28 Exactly, which is why I don't watch any of that, never have, and don't actually understand how it can be popular...
I've noticed for the past three years or so that I keep getting recommended these types of videos and yeah, this past year or so, I feel like it's gotten WAY worse. This puts all that weird itch in my brain into words and a thorough explanation.
I admit, I am a *tiny* art channel. I try to make timelapses of my work, with music to fit the vibe and it is incredibly saddening for me that it barely gets 100 views. I often feel like no one likes them and that I'm doing something wrong.
This gave me some perspective as to why that feeling may be partially due to the algorithm wanting to push only these types of videos. I mean, yeah, sometimes they can be cool, but for the most part, it just feels... empty if that makes sense?
Obviously there is no shame on anyone who likes these videos. I just think that youtube is being a bit... bias, I guess, is the word for this one particular form of content.
I’m so glad I’m not someone who gets addicted to that type of content. Self awareness is key