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This Change Is Not Good News for YouTube Users

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A tough position faces YouTube, the most popular video-sharing site on the Internet. In an effort to make YouTube a safer and more pleasant environment, the site is eliminating the power of thumbs-down video ratings.

Many YouTubers, including the co-founder Jawed Karim, have complained about the shift. Will the backlash force YouTube’s hand, restoring the full power of negative user sentiment, or has it already been written in stone?

The change

The update to Google’s market-leading video service is quite basic. The thumbs-down button isn’t going anywhere, but viewers will be unable to assess how many bad reviews a certain video has. The number of thumbs-up ratings will not change.

The dislike count is visible behind the scenes to creators, and the negative clicks will be incorporated into the algorithms that determine every YouTube user’s stream of suggested videos. It’s just the public display of negative I’m-not-a-fan ratings that is gone.

All YouTube viewers are currently receiving the modification. You may or may not be able to access it right now.

The controversy

The broader concept is pretty harmless. Certain films were discovered to have an unintended use of the dislike button, with increasing amounts of negative evaluations being handled as if they were “a game with a visible scoreboard.” These storms of “dislike” mouse clicks had nothing to do with the video itself, but rather targeted certain video creators and “what they stand for.”

With visible thumbs-down counts, YouTube conducted some tests to see if the quieter version encourages less of this undesirable behavior. In the hope of moderating the hostile and divisive misuse of thumbs-down ratings, YouTube has adopted a standard policy for all future videos.

“Honestly, I believe you’ll get used to it rather quickly. Keep in mind that other platforms don’t even have a dislike button,” Koval concluded his video on the subject.

Community responses

The undeclared number of dislikes was quickly rejected by some YouTubers. The general consensus is that the bad reviews are an important and beneficial tool for directing viewers toward high-quality videos, and that it’s a terrible idea to eliminate public count.

Other video sites such as TikTok and Instagram, according to YouTuber Marques Brownlee (15 million subscribers, 2.8 billion total video views), do not offer negative ratings, but they are nevertheless distinct from YouTube.

Other video-centric social networking sites are little more than “content recommendation engines” that aim to maximize viewership in platform-by-platform popularity contests. As a general rule, Google’s YouTube is considerably more popular than its own search engine. It also functions as a “large search engine,” as one might expect from a tool under the wing of search-giant Google. As a result, Google’s service makes less sense than the TikToks and Instagrams of the world, since limiting not-too-good feedback from viewers who didn’t find what they were looking for in an instructional video or an opinion piece makes sense.

The most popular YouTuber on YouTube, PewDiePie (110 million subscribers, 28 billion views), agreed with Brownlee. Negative reviews may be helpful in real-world searches for high-quality material. The two stars also stated that “certain videos truly do need public criticism,” as PewDiePie put it.

It’s a common misconception that popularity equals quality. You may need to understand something about the quality of your search results in order to avoid being duped. Entertainment for the sake of entertainment does not have to be entertaining.

Finally, YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim made his feelings known in an original manner. Instead of releasing a new video, blog article, or podcast about it, he altered the description to the platform’s first ever video. The timeless nature of “Me at the Zoo,” an 18-second slice of life featuring Jawed in front of a few elephants, makes it a valuable broadcasting possibility. It has nearly 203 million views to date, with over 11 million comments, 10 million likes, and 225,000 negative reactions.

The new video is described as a “universally disliked change,” and the video description now claims that not one of the service’s content providers supports it. Jawed’s video description reads:

But why? Because not all user-generated content is great. It simply can’t be. In fact, the vast majority of it is terrible. And that’s just fine. The notion never was that all information was high quality.

As a result, dissatisfied users must be permitted to express themselves. Otherwise, the system would collapse.

Jawed asked, “Does YouTube want to become a location where everything is just okay? Nothing can be excellent if nothing is terrible.”

In certain aspects and in certain lights, YouTube’s objectives make sense.

Even if it means giving up platform-defining elements, making the video platform less prone to random acts of exclusion and derision is beneficial in its own right. The rating system has previously been altered — from a five-star scale to like-or-dislike alternatives in 2009 — and it may be argued that it was better off as a result. But suppose the new system makes YouTube behave more like TikTok and Instagram, which might not be such a bad idea. The new YouTube Shorts module is another step in that direction anyhow. Let’s just embrace change and go with the flow!

One significant reason for this gloomy conclusion is that it overlooks one key factor. YouTube isn’t some upstart attempting to catch up with the big winners. It’s a market leader with a distinct niche that its biggest competitors can’t easily copy, and it has no plans to change course anytime soon (or ever?).

Google should double down on quality and let the rest compete based on total viewership numbers. Advertisers will pay a premium for a more engaged audience, which is why we’re seeing an increase in high-quality content.

The business is already blossoming. Ad sales grew 43% year over year in the third quarter to $7.2 billion. I can’t predict what will happen if the useful quality ratings are replaced by a popularity contest, which publishes only kind comments and hides the negative. But it wouldn’t surprise me if a significant portion of the YouTube audience moved on to other platforms, turning YouTube into yet another TikTok imitation with an extensive and colorful past.

That would be a real tragedy for YouTube users and Alphabet investors. I give the planned content-rating system shift a thumbs down as an Alphabet shareholder. Please don’t do it, YouTube.

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Netflix Is Getting Involved In The Meghan And Harry Saga

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Fans of the British royal family were ecstatic when it was announced in May that Netflix will release an “At Home With” style documentary series focusing on none other than royal rebels Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex (via Page Six). The pair, who now live in California with their two children, struck a lucrative distribution deal with Netflix to share their life story.

According to several sources, the film’s release date has been evolving for weeks; will Netflix be able to air it in time with Prince Harry’s much-anticipated memoir, which is set to be published this fall, or will it not appear on screens until next year? A rep for Netflix stated at the time, “The announcement has not been made yet, and things are still in flux” (Page Six).

However, new information suggests that Netflix is attempting to capitalize on the fuss surrounding the royal family by releasing Meghan/Harry, a documentary series at the same time they release the next season of their blockbuster hit, “The Crown.”

What Netflix is aiming to do

Netflix is working “extremely hard” to release the docuseries about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the end of the year, according to an inside source, in order for it to be available on living rooms throughout the world in time for both Prince Harry’s upcoming tell-all book and the network’s own royal drama “The Crown.”

“There’s a lot to organize and a lot of things going on here,” said one source to Page Six. “Netflix wants to make sure they don’t get scooped by Harry’s book, so they’re coming in hard.” The fifth season of “The Crown” is set to premiere on Netflix this November (via BTV). The final season will pick up in the 1980s, focusing on the marital issues faced by Princess Diana and Prince Charles, Harry’s parents.

It’s uncertain whether Netflix will be able to actualize this mythical combination, but we’ll keep you informed!

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Instagram knows you don’t like its changes. They don’t care.

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Instagram has released numerous improvements in recent years in an attempt to transition from a social media platform to an e-commerce behemoth, messaging application, and, most recently, a short-form video discovery platform comparable to TikTok.

Now this public identity crisis is bleeding into its user base.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, addressed the situation on Tuesday morning in a bid to prevent further damage. Wearing a bright yellow pullover and facing the camera, he attempted to quieten a mounting rebellion from prominent Instagrammers.

On Sunday, Kim Kardashian West and other high-profile personalities shared a black-and-white image that read: “Make Instagram Instagram Again. (Stop trying to be TikTok I just want to see cute photos of my friends.) Sincerely, everyone.” The viral story, written by a 21-year-old influencer named Tatiana Bruening, has more than 1.9 million likes as of Wednesday morning.

In the video, Mosseri explained that the app was in transition and that some features, such as a full-screen feed, were simply tests. “There’s a lot going on on Instagram right now,” he said. “We’re experimenting with a number of different changes to the app, and so we’re hearing a lot of concerns from all of you.” But the rapid succession of new features and tests has prompted even its most devoted users to ask if Instagram itself understands what it’s doing.

“Instagram has become overcrowded with so many different types of content happening at the same time,” Bruening said. “Everyone has been feeling the same thing at the same time, but a lot of people have been too afraid to say anything.”

Many changes to the app have been made, including but not limited to: eliminating chronological timelines, elevating photo posts, and downplaying algorithmic discovery. A Change.org petition initiated by Bruening aims to restore many of these features, including a chronological timeline, priority for photo postings, and removing the Reels video tool. By Wednesday morning, it had more than 190,000 supporters.

Instagram, which has more than 1 billion monthly active users as of 2021, is still vulnerable to competition from TikTok, which boasts about 400 million monthly active users. While Instagram continues to outpace TikTok in terms of total number of users, short-form video app use has exploded in recent years. In 2020, TikTok became the most-downloaded app in the world, and its young user base began spending more time on it than Instagram and Facebook. The earnings report from Instagram’s parent firm Meta is expected to be published on Wednesday, and it will show if TikTok has harmed its market share.

The Instagram controversy has spilled over into the physical realm. Last Saturday, several dozen content producers gathered outside the firm’s New York headquarters to protest its restrictive community standards and modifications that make locating new users difficult.

How to fix your ‘trash’ Instagram feed — at least temporarily

However, the organization is attempting to move closer to the entertainment world. According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Instagram owner Meta is establishing an advisory board that will include top entertainment executives, managers, and publicists. The plan has been in the works for over a year, but outreach to possible board members began this week. The board will not focus on specific product improvements, but rather on how Meta may collaborate with the entertainment industry more closely. Others, on the other hand, believe Instagram’s intentions may yet be validated because only the platform has the data to see what is and isn’t working.

The fact that Instagram is putting out so much effort to challenge its basic purpose of connecting with friends and relatives, according to some pundits, speaks to how radically social media has evolved. “Making that content harder to access shows the competitive landscape they’re in right now,” said Matt Perault, director of the Center on Technology Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It might be totally necessary that they pivot, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll succeed in this new world.”

Instagram will have to pay attention to the proper people and navigate the fallout from either side if it wants to weather the storm. “There’s a war between people who want Instagram to be more like Snapchat and people who want it to be more TikTok,” Woodbury said. “Right now the former group is larger and louder.”

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Inside Khloé Kardashian’s Huge Baby News With Tristan Thompson

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Sources tell TMZ that Khloé Kardashian is expecting a baby via surrogate with her ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson. According to a spokesperson for Kardashian, the news is true. Us Weekly reported that the confirmation read: “Khloé is incredibly grateful to the extraordinary surrogate for such a beautiful blessing. We’d like to ask for kindness and privacy so that Khloé can focus on her family.” The baby was conceived in November, implying the surrogate should deliver any time between August and September.

 

Kardashian and Thompson already have a daughter named True, but the good news is somewhat tempered by the fact that the pair are no longer together. More so, Thompson stated that he had cheated on Kardashian with fitness trainer Maralee Nichols during the pregnancy – and that he fathered a kid with her (via The U.S. Sun). “Khloé, you don’t deserve this,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “You don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you.”

 

Unfortunately, Thompson’s vow of fidelity proved to be as insincere as his relationship with Kardashian. Just months later, the couple called it quits after a model accused him of getting too cozy with her, according to Page Six. He was also photographed attending a soiree at which he entered a notorious “hookup room” with three other females. Many people thought the two had split up following these things, but the latest statement has them wondering where they stand now.

Are two-time parents Khloé and Tristan back together?

In the case of Khloé Kardashian’s pregnancy, history is repeating itself. In early 2022, when she was recording “The Kardashians,” Khloé experienced one of the most difficult periods in her life, discovering Tristan Thompson’s latest indiscretion. After years of marriage, it was revealed that four years ago, he had been cheating on her while she was pregnant with their daughter True, who is now three (via Insider). Not to mention, with her younger sister Kylie’s best friend, Jordan.

 

Although she is concentrating on having a second kid, Kardashian is focusing on becoming a mother for the second time. According to ET Online, a source said, “The two have long said they wanted True to have a sibling, and Khloé even told her family she’d do it without Tristan if she needed to.” Her doctor, according to Us Weekly, informed her that if she tried to conceive naturally again, she was at high danger of having a miscarriage. Which is why Kardashian and Thompson decided to move forward with a surrogate. Page Six has also reported that the pair will be welcoming a baby boy, as “Khloé has always wanted a little brother for True.”

 

Fans want to know if this means Kardashian and Thompson are back together. No, according on the ET source: “The two aren’t together and Khloé will have the baby full time, but Khloé wants Tristan in both the kids’ lives as much as he wants to be.” The two had already been cordial for the family’s sake. The pair not only watched True’s dance recital together on Father’s Day 2022, but they also had lunch with the rest of the extended Kardashian family afterwards, as reported by TMZ.

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