Yes, it avoids the worst of stupid thumbnail patterns that the YouTube algorithm pressures people into. Yes, nobody is making an O face, and the title isn't misleading. But this is still in a style shaped by those same pressures, and IS cringey to me. Titling something "I did such and such" and the visual style... does this not scream dumbed down for the algorithm to you? Five years ago you'd have wondered if this was targeted at children or something.

Listen, I understand why people who may have good quality content make compromises to reach more viewers. You might think i'm being excessively hard-ass about it, but in my opinion, playing ball with the algorithm just contributes to the problem. The fact that the style of this thumbnail has become so normalized that people can't even see what I find objectionable, IMO, just demonstrates what a slippery slope this is.