Post by @kerravonsen@mastodon.au
The purpose of advertisements is to make us unhappy, discontent with what we have.
Advertising-funded social media wants to make us angry, outraged, unhappy, and addicted, because that generates more clicks, and more clicks means more revenue.
News outlets only tell us bad news, because "good news doesn't sell".
We are surrounded by toxic input; intrusive, loud, unremitting.
Me, I stopped watching television many years ago. I have ad-blockers that work. I don't read, watch, or listen to the news. And my social media is mainly just Mastodon nowadays (though I keep on meaning to catch up with Dreamwidth...)
This is good for my mental health.
How about yours?
Oddly enough, *local* newspapers don't seem to have gotten the memo that "good news doesn't sell", considering that they seem to have a fair number of articles about local people and local happenings that... aren't bad?
Funny, that. 🤔
2 likes
@kerravonsen for me, in addition to the above, getting away from YouTube's algorithm is a big one. I download music when I can, and I have all YouTube's recommendations blocked.
Realising I was getting political and history clickbait recommended when I was just looking up a music video for the first time in a session (and it was set up so it shouldn't remember me) woke me up to how much anger it spreads. Why do I need to see politicians and AI CEOs faces when I'm trying to relax?
@BoysenberryCider I open my "subscriptions" tab rather than the "home" tab - that avoids the recs most of the time. I also use a plugin which tones down the clickbait by (a) putting a random thumbnail rather than the assigned one, and (b) lowering the ALL CAPS titles to normal title case. I also (probably waste my time) click on the "do not show this" menu item when I do look at the recs and they are listing stupid stuff I am not interested in. I don't do this all the time, but I do do it every now and then.
Ah. Set up so that it doesn't remember you. So you can't tell it what you don't want to see. Ugh. Yes, the "random" clickbait that is there when I'm not logged in is... grrrr.
TOXIC.
@kerravonsen yeah, exactly. I use adblockers to block the sidebar without being logged in, but it's easier to control from inside your YouTube account. I stay logged out from spite for Google, but I do miss my playlists.
And same on the recommendations. Logging out was enlightening as to where all the horrible, moronic takes you hear people repeat are coming from. Default is Trump level stuff, then the second it identifies me as male I get Joe Rogan clips and manosphere rabbit holes.
@BoysenberryCider@mastodon.social @kerravonsen@mastodon.au
Do you use the original youtube website/app?
I haven't done so in years, I watch all youtube videos, without ads, without algorithmic recommendations via Invidious, FreeTube (Desktop) and NewPipe (Smartphone).
@fasnix @kerravonsen I'll try not to thread hijack, but do you have the problem of those apps constantly running into errors with YouTube? How do you work around that, because they'd be amazing if it weren't for that (fully aware that its YouTube causing that on purpose, not the apps' fault).
My workaround on my phone is to just use a downloader and play any music I want on my media player, and on my computer I use them in browser with blockers to sanitise everything.
@BoysenberryCider @fasnix (Not the person you're asking, but...) I don't ever watch YouTube on my phone...
@BoysenberryCider@mastodon.social
In NewPipe (Smartphone) it sometimes states that the video wouldn't play as it wants to make sure the app isn't a bot.
Funnily enough, the solution is to switch from WIFI to Mobile Data, then the video will load.
Before playing, I switch back to WIFI to reduce data use via mobile ;)
Smartphone runs with GrapheneOS.
In Freetube (Desktop) it sometimes states that Youtube blocked my domain.
My workaroun is to open the video in the smartphone app.
Most of the time it will play without problems.
I'm not downloading any videos to watch them offline.
@BoysenberryCider
I'm not feeling quite spiteful enough to inconvenience myself that way, I admit. Not for YouTube. I *have* de-googled my phone (I use GrapheneOS rather than standard Android)... so I guess I'm angrier about the smartphone Duopoly than I am about YouTube's algorithm.
@kerravonsen hell yes! How is your experience with GrapheneOS?
I have a phone I'm hoping to switch to degoogle if and when the kernel gets released, congratulations for making the jump
@BoysenberryCider I think my switch was eased somewhat because I'd already been focusing on using more apps from F-Droid (Free Libre Open Source Software) so there weren't a lot of apps I needed to stop using or replace.
But there are some definite drawbacks (the price of which I am willing to pay):
1. Using the phone for Google Pay does not work, because GrapheneOs is not considered "valid" or "secure" by Google. (I was using GP for public transport, so it was very inconvenient)
2. I decided to try not-installing Google Play Services altogether, and found that there are a handful of apps I need that won't work without it. So I made another user profile where Google Play Services is enabled, and those apps go there. Somewhat inconvenient, but manageable.
(Yes, Google Play does not work without GPS, but Aurora does, so I can still install apps from the Play Store if I need to.)