Youtube let the other shoe drop in their end-stage enshittification this week. Last month, they required you to turn on Youtube History to view the feed of youtube videos recommendations. That seems reasonable, so I did it. But I delete my history every 1 week instead of every 3 months. So they don't get much from my choices. It still did a pretty good job of showing me stuff I was interested in watching.
Then on Oct 1, they threw up a "You're using an Ad Blocker" overlay on videos. I'd use my trusty Overlay Remover plugin to remove the annoying javascript graphic and watch what I wanted. I didn't have to click the X to dismiss the obnoxious page.
Last week, they started placing a timer with the X so you had to wait 5 seconds for the X to appear so you could dismiss blocking graphic.
Today, there was a new graphic. It allowed you to view three videos before you had to turn off your Ad Blocker. I viewed a video 3 times just to see what happens.
Now all I see is this.
Google has out and out made it a violation of their ToS to have an ad blocker to view Youtube. Or you can pay them $$$.
I ban such sites from my systems by replacing their DNS name in my hosts file routed to 127.0.0.1 which means I can't view the site. I have quite a few banned sites now.
It really is quite something seeing people so concerned on behalf Google's revenue streams, and dedicating such passionate advocacy for them.
The other day I talked about migrating from youtube and I shit you not everyone told me how it's impossible. I know things can be hard but it really hit home the idea that the biggest obstacle anyone will have is convincing people it is even possible. As someone who was born before there was a youtube and will die (fingers crossed) after youtube is put to bed I just don't even know where to start.
So help me out here… I've tried to ditch YouTube a couple of times. I currently have a family premium sub. Since it's now like 22 a month, I'd love to save it for something else.
I watch a ton of electronics repair, ham radio, and car repair channels. Some of these channels have only 2k to 100k subs, some much less, like 10. I also look up a lot of how to repair videos a lot when working on my own broken crap (lawn mower, washer, etc).
I tried peertube twice and it's just not it. Nebula doesn't have the content. What else is there? I just can't seem to find a good replacement. Once I can find something for myself, it might be possible to get my wife and kids switched, but it would have to be a lot of gaming videos, make-up tutorials, and freaking happy planner stuff… I just don't think any other service is going to have this content.
I do prefer finding blog style articles for the repair stuff, but it seems that ship has sailed now. Everything is a video now.
I don't have the answer, sorry.
This is what I am saying though. It will be difficult to transition but if we never start it will never be reality.
I'll tell you what I am doing. I am forcing myself to only use youtube through the browser and only when it is most convenient. I don't use it for music. I don't go to it for tutorials on things that I already have a base understanding of and can find information elsewhere. I am just basically trying to live my life like it does not exsist.
That's good for me but some people are set, and I get that.
Though I will say, if there was some hobbiest youtube content with low subs I would start asking them for alternative ways to view their content. These people just want to get their content out there and if they have to go through as many channels as possible my feeling is they would be more than willing.
invidious?