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[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 71 points 2 months ago

This tactic probably worked the first ten times it was done ..... but it's completely useless now

Every time I see this kind of thumbnail, I actively avoid the video, channel and the creator

[-] Pilon23@feddit.dk 19 points 2 months ago

Same, but they can A/B test thumbnails, so clearly it leads to more engagement.

I like that its become an easy filter for dumbed down content, so I save myself some time

[-] And009@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 2 months ago

It's only gotten subtle, can't avoid it

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 5 points 2 months ago

I have ascended to a higher level of old-man-yells-at-cloud and just don't watch youtube*. I'd rather just read words. It's really depressing how illiterate many people seem to be.

*with the exception of like music videos and the occasional "this is how you do this weird thing in a video game"

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago

I watch short form videos on mute

I find it regulates me from continuously watching hours of junk.

When you start seeing it all without sound, you start realizing how mundane and meaningless it all is.

[-] Empricorn@feddit.nl 65 points 2 months ago

I really, really hate "YouTube face", it's so annoying. Maybe it's overkill, but I actively avoid the videos and channels where they use it. Oh, your clickbait thumbnail is more important than the content? Guess I'll check out other sources then...

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago

Seems they all have to do it or the algo will punish you.

Fucking disaster.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 months ago

No they don't. There are plenty who don't.

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 11 points 2 months ago

And they probably get less views because of it. I respect their integrity.

[-] Psythik@lemm.ee 12 points 2 months ago

There's always DeArrow

[-] ThePrimitive@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

I block every channel that does it, even those that I've been subscribed to for years because it's a harbinger of quality decline.

[-] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 months ago

I used to think they were all "phone Shrek at 3am" kinds of jackasses but have since learnt that they all do this. "Phone Shrek at 3am" was still the first impression I had though and I honestly think it's really fucking weird that apparently doing this gets them more views. Maybe this is what getting old is but sometimes it feels like half the world has been replaced by pod people over the last 10 years.

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 3 points 2 months ago

It gets them more views when they use it. I hate it, too, but human psychology is to blame.

[-] index@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

but human psychology is to blame.

I believe youtube algorithms are playing a bigger role than human psychology here.

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 4 points 2 months ago

People have to choose to watch it, regardless. Many creators have said they get more views with the stupid faces than without.

[-] Lifter@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 months ago

I recommend a Firefox extension called DeArrow, it replaces all the thumbnails and titles to be less clickbaity.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 points 2 months ago

Every couple weeks my recommendations gradually turn into mostly this crap and I don't even know what I'm doing. I literally never click on them and pretty much only watch the same stuff but still the algorithm somehow is like... no this must be just the thing for him. I've started just running it in private window so it wipes my cookies and shit whenever I close out of it.

[-] Klear@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago
[-] Empricorn@feddit.nl 3 points 2 months ago

That's actually amazing. Thank you for sharing!

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Glad to see i'm not alone. It's for me a sign of, uh, .

[-] kibiz0r@midwest.social 58 points 2 months ago
[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 27 points 2 months ago

I hate that useless "nobody:" Glad it went out of style. If nobody said nothing, then everybody said something. The still useless but correct way would be "everybody:"

[-] federalreverse@feddit.org 13 points 2 months ago

It's a shorthand for "nobody asked for this but [person/group] do it anyway:"

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I know, it's just very poorly done. You can remove it every single time and it changes nothing about the joke.

[-] federalreverse@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago

Be that as it may, "everyone:" is not a good replacement.

[-] samus12345@lemm.ee 4 points 2 months ago

It's more accurate, but yes, they both suck.

[-] django@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 2 months ago
[-] UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago

Was about to do that, saved me the crop thanks

[-] GargleBlaster@lemmy.world 27 points 2 months ago

The extension DeArrow gets rid of the annoying thumbnails and titles

[-] vaguerant@fedia.io 22 points 2 months ago

The problem I have with that is that it probably means I'll end up unknowingly rewarding the clickbaiters/blanking the more thoughtful creators who deserved the view. Somewhere, somebody in the world will think I deliberately clicked on a dumb thumbnail and that's too great a burden to bear.

[-] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 21 points 2 months ago

How do you know to avoid the Video/channel then?

[-] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Need one that puts things in their gaping mouths

[-] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 2 months ago

The hilarious thing is that they probably practiced the face in front of the mirror

[-] jeanofthedead@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago

Thank fuck for Dearrow!

[-] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 13 points 2 months ago

All that's missing is a massively huge curved red arrow and a bit of text with an exclamation point or a question mark.

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

And some sort of lame question/exclamation.

[-] vaguerant@fedia.io 8 points 2 months ago

The worst is when the painting actually has interesting composition but I have to waste my time looking for a similar work where nobody is making a stupid face, to avoid rewarding artists who paint overly dramatic self-portraits.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I remember watching a video where the guy was reaming influencer culture.

He referred to that face as the "dick sucking face", and I can't unsee it now.

🤭

EDIT: Holy shit, I found it. It's from The Hated One, on a video he made about YouTube three years ago. The dick sucking thumbnail comment is at around 3:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZZ59HOdAbI

[-] baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 7 points 2 months ago

Yeah, enjoy your block.

[-] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

And either the word "shocking" or "nightmare" is being used

[-] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

Well, to be fair, there really are a lot of shocking nightmares going on these days.

[-] ThePrimitive@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

BANNED??!????!??!!?!!!!!!!!

[-] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 months ago

What’s sad is that making a good thumbnail/poster for a form of media is truly an art to itself.

Some movie posters have taught me that you can capture attention, be witty AND have artistic merit.

[-] Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

More than one has complained about how dumb it is yet how well it works. Another version of Don't Hate The Player, I guess

[-] jbk@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 months ago

kid named finger:

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago

The oh noes duckface.

[-] GraniteM@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago
this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2025
798 points (98.0% liked)

Trippin' Through Time

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