Made by the same person who made SponsorBlock. I haven’t tried this one yet but I’ll report back once I do edit: tried it out and it works pretty good so far, even contributed my own title
Made by the same person who made SponsorBlock. I haven’t tried this one yet but I’ll report back once I do
edit: tried it out and it works pretty good so far, even contributed my own title
Clickbait titles and dumb thumbnails make me so tired of the internet sometimes so I like the idea. Even the demo video gave me positive feelings so I’m going to try it out.
Clickbait titles and dumb thumbnails make me so tired of the internet sometimes so I like the idea. Even the demo video gave me positive feelings so I’m going to try it out.
I've been using it for about two weeks and I'm on the verge of removing it. I already make an effort to not follow creators that use clickbait-y titles and thumbnails, so the extension has only...
I've been using it for about two weeks and I'm on the verge of removing it. I already make an effort to not follow creators that use clickbait-y titles and thumbnails, so the extension has only been negative so far. I've had to walk back many of its filters because they'll replace well-made thumbnails and captivating—but accurate—titles with generic pictures and clinical descriptions. Not to mention lots of little headaches with the forced title case messing up acronyms or bugs where videos get the wrong titles and thumbnails.
And when you think about it, the extension hardly makes sense. I don't want a clickbait video to blend in, the bulging eyes, giant red arrows, and all-caps text are the strongest indicators that it isn't worth my time!
I tried this but it seemed to make browsing and playback very slow and sometimes wouldn’t play. I’m sure it’s a bug that’ll get ironed out. Will definitely try it again in the future, because this...
I tried this but it seemed to make browsing and playback very slow and sometimes wouldn’t play. I’m sure it’s a bug that’ll get ironed out. Will definitely try it again in the future, because this is something we all need.
I'm intrigued by the idea, but the thumbnail and title are pretty distinctly part of the creator's artistic discretion. Here's a couple ways using this could backfire. A "more accurate" title may...
I'm intrigued by the idea, but the thumbnail and title are pretty distinctly part of the creator's artistic discretion. Here's a couple ways using this could backfire.
A "more accurate" title may sound overly boring to the point where I wouldn't watch something that I actually would enjoy. Whereas the more clickbaity title explains how it appeals more broadly to those not already familiar with the subject matter. So a false negative outcome.
A creator that primarily uses clickbait to get views now looks more normal on my feed, causing me to watch something I don't actually enjoy and would normally be a channel I would block straightaway. So a false positive outcome.
I've seen an overwhelming amount of videos whose titles have been optimized for the algorithm to the point where they don't describe the contents of the video at all. Even reputable channels like...
I've seen an overwhelming amount of videos whose titles have been optimized for the algorithm to the point where they don't describe the contents of the video at all. Even reputable channels like Linus Tech Tips suffer from this. Here's an example from LMG Clips channel: the original title is "Another One Bites the Dust"; with the extension enabled it becomes "Google Sells Their Domain Business to Squarespace". I'd be much more interested to watch the second version.
The whole clickbait title game feels honestly insulting to my intelligence. I feel conflicted when I choose to watch something with a clickbaity title even when I trust the creator to make good videos. This extension helps me not only with making better informed choices, but also with just not feeling treated like a mindless idiot who'll consume anything flashy.
Unfortunately, the statistics show that playing to the algorithm works, so it's probably going to continue for the foreseeable future, which is why an extension like this is a godsend. I personally run it with original thumbnails, though, because I find that even exaggerated images are often more descriptive than any one frame from the video. It also helps recognize at a glance channels that have consistent visual style, like Tom Scott, Not Just Bikes, and so on.
Linus is maye the worst. The titles and in particular the faces are just one thing: annoying. It's like every thumbnail is a new effort to make a yet more grotesque caricature of a human...
Linus is maye the worst. The titles and in particular the faces are just one thing: annoying. It's like every thumbnail is a new effort to make a yet more grotesque caricature of a human expression.
I get that it works. That's maybe the worst part of it. It shouldn't. There is no upside to this except for the "monkey brain clicks stupid face because lulz"-element. And it's annoying insofar that I cannot truly blame the creator.
Which is why in turn I like extensions auch as this one. It means I get to skip this, but the creator can still put it there to game YouTube and their algorithms. Which really ought to bury them anyways but as Google just wants clicks because ads, there is of course no chance of that happening.
That's an interesting example because "Another One Bites the Dust" means nothing to me (and likely most other people) without a thumbnail that's informative or adds more context. I've definitely...
That's an interesting example because "Another One Bites the Dust" means nothing to me (and likely most other people) without a thumbnail that's informative or adds more context. I've definitely noticed recently the two being used in conjunction more often, like a newspaper with a headline and subhead. Which I suppose is why this extension chose to include both in its scope.
Honestly I could see myself using this extension more if it was a button next to each video, allowing me to "decode" the video's contents (or just add additional context) on demand instead of a full, drop-in replacement.
Tildes and this extension have made me realize how much I missed what I didn't even know I missed, community generated titles. It definitely feels weird seeing links with actually descriptive...
Tildes and this extension have made me realize how much I missed what I didn't even know I missed, community generated titles. It definitely feels weird seeing links with actually descriptive titles, and the demo video in the link made me realize even more how much I hate those wide eyed mouth agape clickbait thumbnails on YT.
I feel like that extension would be even better if users could upload their own thumbnails with composites of what is actually discussed in the video. Then you could even pick your favorite "thumbnailer" community and use their thumbnails across all of YouTube.
90% of the content I watch is from my subscriptions feed (~300 channels) and even then I don't hesitate to stop watching a video at any point if I'm not enjoying it or learning something. That 10%...
Personally after installing this, I realized that the majority of the people I follow don't use clickbait titles anyways, and I've done just fine finding content that interests me.
90% of the content I watch is from my subscriptions feed (~300 channels) and even then I don't hesitate to stop watching a video at any point if I'm not enjoying it or learning something. That 10% is where these concerns come into play.
Now this, where it seems you've been so conditioned to respond to clickbait you're unsure how you'll be able to browse or find things you're interested in without it.
When I decide whether to subscribe to a new channel I factor in their clickbait-iness relative to all the other content being recommended. So taking away both of those data points makes this decision more difficult, potentially leading to a worse subscription feed which is typically not a concern for me.
I guess my broader point is even if you're able to wave a magic wand and make clickbait disappear for an individual, it still exists and impacts how the creator operates, the audience, comments, and the direction of the channel. So living in a bubble may cause confusion in several different subtle ways over time. I have no doubt it'd be manageable for many users, but there does seem to be pros & cons even though "clickbait bad" is the generally accepted opinion.
Gamehut is a great example. The videos themselves are mostly this semi-retired game dev going on really sober deep dives about how he pulled off some interesting tricks with limited hardware back...
Gamehut is a great example. The videos themselves are mostly this semi-retired game dev going on really sober deep dives about how he pulled off some interesting tricks with limited hardware back in the day, with the rest being explanations of how games by other devs did it.
The titles are all things like "How (game title's) IMPOSSIBLE 3D effect was done!"
It's pure algorithm tuning, which kind of fits considering that's what the guy made a career out of, but I can't think of any other channel with such a huge gap between how clickbaity the titles are and how PBS the videos are. People are citing Linus Tech Tips. but the videos are full of overexaggerated fake enthusiasm, too. That's not the case with this channel. It may as well be antique roadshow clips with the trashiest clickbait titles you've ever seen.
This is my main issue with it, not necessarily exactly as you described, but along these lines, and I don't think there's a solution to that. I notice on occasion I do click on Linus Tech Tips...
A creator that primarily uses clickbait to get views now looks more normal on my feed, causing me to watch something I don't actually enjoy and would normally be a channel I would block straightaway. So a false positive outcome.
This is my main issue with it, not necessarily exactly as you described, but along these lines, and I don't think there's a solution to that.
I notice on occasion I do click on Linus Tech Tips clickbait (among a few others that are within my areas of interest), but much more often I choose not to click on them because I know they're clickbait. Not to say that I wouldn't like the content (which is why sometimes I click on them even though I generally prefer to abstain), I just don't want to reward Youtube for incentivizing clickbait. With this extension, I'd probably end up clicking on many more of their videos, which in turn would add to the metrics for the video, further cementing to the content creators and to Youtube that clickbait titles are the way to go. Granted just myself adding to the metrics isn't even worthy of calling it a blip, it simply wouldn't register, and possibly however many may ever end up using this might barely qualify as a blip, but as a matter of principle since I feel I'm mostly consistent with not clicking them I'd rather continue doing that.
This gives me the idea for an extension that tries to identify clickbait and warns you before loading the URL, "Hey, you're about to feed the clickbait idiot face algorithm!" and then let's me...
This gives me the idea for an extension that tries to identify clickbait and warns you before loading the URL, "Hey, you're about to feed the clickbait idiot face algorithm!" and then let's me decide whether to proceed or not. Like the warning uBlock gives for affiliate links.
Now that is something that would be interesting. Seems like it could be expansive across multiple sites even, not exclusive to just Youtube. Could even be expanded to things that are beyond just...
Now that is something that would be interesting. Seems like it could be expansive across multiple sites even, not exclusive to just Youtube. Could even be expanded to things that are beyond just clickbait, but maybe like sites that want you to doomscroll or just want to feed you tons of controversial topics to keep you engaged. That might be a little too general of a topic to approach, but just interesting to think about how such an extension could possibly make things better.
I've long considered the clickbait remover for youtube extension to be a must-have. A quick glance gives the impression that DeArrow is a refinement of this same approach, going beyond the blind...
I've long considered the clickbait remover for youtube extension to be a must-have. A quick glance gives the impression that DeArrow is a refinement of this same approach, going beyond the blind replacement of thumbnails with video frames and overriding title capitalisation to also offer user suggested thumbnail timestamps and titles when available.
I think it says something about the current state of YouTube that the blanket approach of blindly replacing thumbnails with frames for every video improves the browsing experience in the first place and have no doubt that if this is the case with the blind approach then crowdsourced suggestions for titles in particular will offer another significant improvement to the experience of navigating the increasingly unpleasant platform that YouTube seems to be determined to become.
Made by the same person who made SponsorBlock. I haven’t tried this one yet but I’ll report back once I do
edit: tried it out and it works pretty good so far, even contributed my own title
Clickbait titles and dumb thumbnails make me so tired of the internet sometimes so I like the idea. Even the demo video gave me positive feelings so I’m going to try it out.
I've been using it for about two weeks and I'm on the verge of removing it. I already make an effort to not follow creators that use clickbait-y titles and thumbnails, so the extension has only been negative so far. I've had to walk back many of its filters because they'll replace well-made thumbnails and captivating—but accurate—titles with generic pictures and clinical descriptions. Not to mention lots of little headaches with the forced title case messing up acronyms or bugs where videos get the wrong titles and thumbnails.
And when you think about it, the extension hardly makes sense. I don't want a clickbait video to blend in, the bulging eyes, giant red arrows, and all-caps text are the strongest indicators that it isn't worth my time!
Really like the idea of reducing the impact of clickbait, not sure about using this extension though
I tried this but it seemed to make browsing and playback very slow and sometimes wouldn’t play. I’m sure it’s a bug that’ll get ironed out. Will definitely try it again in the future, because this is something we all need.
I'm intrigued by the idea, but the thumbnail and title are pretty distinctly part of the creator's artistic discretion. Here's a couple ways using this could backfire.
A "more accurate" title may sound overly boring to the point where I wouldn't watch something that I actually would enjoy. Whereas the more clickbaity title explains how it appeals more broadly to those not already familiar with the subject matter. So a false negative outcome.
A creator that primarily uses clickbait to get views now looks more normal on my feed, causing me to watch something I don't actually enjoy and would normally be a channel I would block straightaway. So a false positive outcome.
I've seen an overwhelming amount of videos whose titles have been optimized for the algorithm to the point where they don't describe the contents of the video at all. Even reputable channels like Linus Tech Tips suffer from this. Here's an example from LMG Clips channel: the original title is "Another One Bites the Dust"; with the extension enabled it becomes "Google Sells Their Domain Business to Squarespace". I'd be much more interested to watch the second version.
The whole clickbait title game feels honestly insulting to my intelligence. I feel conflicted when I choose to watch something with a clickbaity title even when I trust the creator to make good videos. This extension helps me not only with making better informed choices, but also with just not feeling treated like a mindless idiot who'll consume anything flashy.
Unfortunately, the statistics show that playing to the algorithm works, so it's probably going to continue for the foreseeable future, which is why an extension like this is a godsend. I personally run it with original thumbnails, though, because I find that even exaggerated images are often more descriptive than any one frame from the video. It also helps recognize at a glance channels that have consistent visual style, like Tom Scott, Not Just Bikes, and so on.
Linus is maye the worst. The titles and in particular the faces are just one thing: annoying. It's like every thumbnail is a new effort to make a yet more grotesque caricature of a human expression.
I get that it works. That's maybe the worst part of it. It shouldn't. There is no upside to this except for the "monkey brain clicks stupid face because lulz"-element. And it's annoying insofar that I cannot truly blame the creator.
Which is why in turn I like extensions auch as this one. It means I get to skip this, but the creator can still put it there to game YouTube and their algorithms. Which really ought to bury them anyways but as Google just wants clicks because ads, there is of course no chance of that happening.
That's an interesting example because "Another One Bites the Dust" means nothing to me (and likely most other people) without a thumbnail that's informative or adds more context. I've definitely noticed recently the two being used in conjunction more often, like a newspaper with a headline and subhead. Which I suppose is why this extension chose to include both in its scope.
Honestly I could see myself using this extension more if it was a button next to each video, allowing me to "decode" the video's contents (or just add additional context) on demand instead of a full, drop-in replacement.
Well it's here opposite (the button temporarily restores the original), plus you an customize it.
Tildes and this extension have made me realize how much I missed what I didn't even know I missed, community generated titles. It definitely feels weird seeing links with actually descriptive titles, and the demo video in the link made me realize even more how much I hate those wide eyed mouth agape clickbait thumbnails on YT.
I feel like that extension would be even better if users could upload their own thumbnails with composites of what is actually discussed in the video. Then you could even pick your favorite "thumbnailer" community and use their thumbnails across all of YouTube.
90% of the content I watch is from my subscriptions feed (~300 channels) and even then I don't hesitate to stop watching a video at any point if I'm not enjoying it or learning something. That 10% is where these concerns come into play.
When I decide whether to subscribe to a new channel I factor in their clickbait-iness relative to all the other content being recommended. So taking away both of those data points makes this decision more difficult, potentially leading to a worse subscription feed which is typically not a concern for me.
I guess my broader point is even if you're able to wave a magic wand and make clickbait disappear for an individual, it still exists and impacts how the creator operates, the audience, comments, and the direction of the channel. So living in a bubble may cause confusion in several different subtle ways over time. I have no doubt it'd be manageable for many users, but there does seem to be pros & cons even though "clickbait bad" is the generally accepted opinion.
Gamehut is a great example. The videos themselves are mostly this semi-retired game dev going on really sober deep dives about how he pulled off some interesting tricks with limited hardware back in the day, with the rest being explanations of how games by other devs did it.
The titles are all things like "How (game title's) IMPOSSIBLE 3D effect was done!"
It's pure algorithm tuning, which kind of fits considering that's what the guy made a career out of, but I can't think of any other channel with such a huge gap between how clickbaity the titles are and how PBS the videos are. People are citing Linus Tech Tips. but the videos are full of overexaggerated fake enthusiasm, too. That's not the case with this channel. It may as well be antique roadshow clips with the trashiest clickbait titles you've ever seen.
This is my main issue with it, not necessarily exactly as you described, but along these lines, and I don't think there's a solution to that.
I notice on occasion I do click on Linus Tech Tips clickbait (among a few others that are within my areas of interest), but much more often I choose not to click on them because I know they're clickbait. Not to say that I wouldn't like the content (which is why sometimes I click on them even though I generally prefer to abstain), I just don't want to reward Youtube for incentivizing clickbait. With this extension, I'd probably end up clicking on many more of their videos, which in turn would add to the metrics for the video, further cementing to the content creators and to Youtube that clickbait titles are the way to go. Granted just myself adding to the metrics isn't even worthy of calling it a blip, it simply wouldn't register, and possibly however many may ever end up using this might barely qualify as a blip, but as a matter of principle since I feel I'm mostly consistent with not clicking them I'd rather continue doing that.
This gives me the idea for an extension that tries to identify clickbait and warns you before loading the URL, "Hey, you're about to feed the clickbait idiot face algorithm!" and then let's me decide whether to proceed or not. Like the warning uBlock gives for affiliate links.
Now that is something that would be interesting. Seems like it could be expansive across multiple sites even, not exclusive to just Youtube. Could even be expanded to things that are beyond just clickbait, but maybe like sites that want you to doomscroll or just want to feed you tons of controversial topics to keep you engaged. That might be a little too general of a topic to approach, but just interesting to think about how such an extension could possibly make things better.
I've long considered the clickbait remover for youtube extension to be a must-have. A quick glance gives the impression that DeArrow is a refinement of this same approach, going beyond the blind replacement of thumbnails with video frames and overriding title capitalisation to also offer user suggested thumbnail timestamps and titles when available.
I think it says something about the current state of YouTube that the blanket approach of blindly replacing thumbnails with frames for every video improves the browsing experience in the first place and have no doubt that if this is the case with the blind approach then crowdsourced suggestions for titles in particular will offer another significant improvement to the experience of navigating the increasingly unpleasant platform that YouTube seems to be determined to become.