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Has anyone else noticed smartphones have got significantly more addictive recently

I’ve noticed YouTube specifically has become more addictive, I never used to be one to sit and scroll for long durations before but I often catch myself spending way too long on shorts now

Even people or older generations seem to be getting sucked in nowadays

TimewornTraveler ,

shorts are designed to be addictive. just don’t use them. otherwise, the platform hasn’t changed, you have

Lauchs ,

Shorts are new-ish to the platform. Like others that saw the success of TikTok (e.g., facebook with their reels, presumably instagram has something similar) they pumped out their own version to better trap people on the platform.

Same idea as ever but more addictive than before.

Contramuffin ,

Strangely, the opposite for me. Recently (and I mean a couple months ago), I’ve been noticing that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm changed in some way. It’s now recommending me things that I’m not particularly interested in, or things that I would click away from more readily. I used to like educational channels (SciShow, PBS Spacetime, Deep Look, PBS Eons, etc.) and I’m noticing that these videos are almost never recommended to me anymore. I have to go to their channel to even see that they posted a video.

feedum_sneedson ,

This just put me off YouTube, I get that they are trying to copy Tiktok’s addictiveness but I just don’t get anything out of short-form video content.

intensely_human ,

I hadn’t noticed but I think you’re right

gmtom ,

Yeah as much as I hate shorts or reels in theory it’s so easy to get sucked in to scrolling for hours. I had to delete instsgram and install an extension that blocks shorts because of it

Fleppensteijn ,
@Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl avatar

I’m getting bored with my smartphone. Stuff like YouTube I never watch on my phone anyway, but imo YouTube has gotten much worse over time and I barely watch it at all now.

Crotaro ,

I honestly think that content on YouTube has gotten better and better. Not the systems of YouTube, mind you, just the stuff that people create. But maybe that’s because in the last year or so I’ve been watching and discovering a lot more educational YouTubers (think Tom Scott, Münecat, Real Engineering, etc). among the exclusively funny stuff.

ExLisper , (edited )

No, shorts are shit and I’m absolutely not sucked in. They try to emulate tik tok so I would say this format simply works for you.

flashgnash OP ,

It does unfortunately. I don’t like it but it absolutely hacks my brain

Would love if there was just an option to disable shorts in the app because I still want to use original youtube

psithurism ,

If you keep hitting not interested on the shorts, they get temporarily disabled for a while.

flashgnash OP ,

Temporarily being the problem there unfortunately

I’m not the kind of person to put up with doing stuff like that repeatedly

ExLisper ,

You either have to accept that you like watching shorts more than doing other things and watch them without worrying or change your habits. There’s no magical way where you just stop doing it. I will take some effort.

flashgnash OP ,

The change in habit unfortunately is just not opening YouTube on my phone, which is a shame because there are good videos that I feel good after watching but I can’t resist getting drawn in by shorts.

Typically I don’t get that problem on PC or on a smart TV because they push long form content more there

feedum_sneedson ,

Ah, you already said it. Exactly how I feel.

Rai ,

I have a seething hatred for shorts. I refuse to watch anything designed like them on any platform.

ExLisper ,

That’s part of the idea, isn’t it? They mix normal content with max cringe content because that’s what keeps people watching.

Rai ,

Absolutely. That’s completely not for me, no way, no how.

TORFdot0 ,

I feel the exact opposite about you tube. I feel like there is nothing interesting to watch any more unless one of my follows post a new video

jtk ,
@jtk@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I feel the same way. New show on Netulumaxplus? Add it to the list, never watch it. New post from a followed YT channel? Instant watch then down the rabbit hole of related stuff. I get more out my ~$50 in Patreon subscriptions in a single month than I ever will out of the $100/month I spend on streaming services.

Jay ,

This reminds me of “Gum’s Gotten Mintier Lately. Have You Noticed?”

Thorny_Insight ,

Not really. I never got into mobile gaming, tiktok, reels, shorts, instagram, snapchat etc. so I mainly use my phone for podcasts, maps and browsing lemmy while on toilet. While on my computer I spend 95% of my time on YouTube but I feel like even that has gotten worse lately. I’ve been getting suggestions about videos with like 19 views constantly and no matter how many I mark as “not interested” or “don’t recommend channel” they just keep coming back. Apparently because I like watching TheRunningManZ I must also like every other DayZ streamer that no one has ever heard about.

friend_of_satan ,

Say no to shorts on every platform.

remus989 ,

Even porn is getting shorts. What the hell is going on Internet?!

jtk ,
@jtk@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

That might be the one genre where I wouldn’t even notice the difference.

GissaMittJobb ,

Do you mean to tell me that you don’t watch long-form porn, spending 6 hours in a row on one video?

Zahille7 ,

Really? Where?

Rai ,

Tumblr, a decade ago lawl

Rai ,

Is getting? Tumblr was waaaaaay ahead of the curve then, a million years ago

MrFunnyMoustache ,

I mostly agree, but I really like Daniel LaBelle’s shorts.

intensely_human ,

As someone who grew up in the 80s and 90s I disagree.

They remind me of the d nickelodeon pictures that actually cost a nickel. I think you youngins should salute your shorts. It’s fun to watch wild and crazy kids doing stupid bottle tricks. Legends of the hidden temple in some state park nearby. It’s just cool stuff and you can’t do that on television.

Tlaloc_Temporal ,

I might agree with you if the shorts player wasn’t ass. Everything about it works differently to the video player, and everything about it pushes you to more shorts. Even on the video player I disable autoplay and the prev/next buttons, having a player built around those was DOA for me.

SHamblingSHapes ,
@SHamblingSHapes@lemmy.one avatar

I find YouTube is less attractive than a year ago. Ads are more invasive and more difficult to remove. Recommendations skew heavily to the rage-inducing, e.g., I watched one late night comedy sketch making fun of Jordan Peterson and then my feed was full of clips of him spewing his hot trash for weeks.

I gave up on reddit earlier in the year when all the API / sub blackout / forced mod removal stuff was going on.

Freemium apps seem to be pushing ads more and more, which makes me more resistant to using them.

If what I read online is true, the days of investors throwing money at anything tech related are slowing down. Which means some companies that have never had to be profitable before now must find a way to do so. Which means tightening up subscriptions and/or more ads.

vivi ,
@vivi@slrpnk.net avatar

I try to spread this tip everywhere i can: If you ever find that you’ve watched one of those videos that fucks up the recommendations, go to your watch history and delete the video. It really works.

jtk ,
@jtk@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I disabled and cleared my history, now I don’t get any recommendations except the ones related to the video I’m currently watching 👍

huginn ,

If you find yourself suddenly grasping for more and more time escaping reality consider seeing a psychiatrist.

You could have major depression: it was one of my symptoms.

flashgnash OP ,

Jesus Christ lol make a comment about social media on the internet and immediately get diagnosed with depression

huginn ,

It’s not a diagnosis it’s encouragement to see someone about an issue you’ve expressed.

flashgnash OP ,

Therapists are gonna be pretty busy then because it’s a good proportion of people I know that have been sucked into this kind of content one way or another more than they’d like

ElGosso ,
@ElGosso@hexbear.net avatar

There’s definitely negative psychological effects to having a skinner box in your hand at all times.

ExLisper ,

If you find yourself randomly diagnosing strangers with depression consider seeing a psychiatrist.

huginn ,

If you interpret “talk to a doctor” as diagnosing someone consider seeing a dictionary

LemmyIsFantastic ,

No, not at all. And there are more tools than ever to monitor, track, and notify high usage.

PEBKAC or whatever the modern equivalent is these days.

marx2k ,

I’m finding it to be the opposite. All content on YouTube and social media, including lemmy, seems to just be endless reposts of the same limited list of topics and memes.

Its become boring to the point where I’m just going back to specific interest forums websites for content.

Selkie ,

People talk about how good algorithms are now, but they can’t figure out anything I actually want to watch nowadays

avapa ,

YouTube Shorts doesn’t even work properly for me. At least half the videos, that are suggested to me, I’ve already seen multiple times before. Boring, as you said. I’ve found myself staying off of social media or news sites more in the last couple of weeks. News’ll make me depressive, social media bores me. Then again, more time for hobbies!

marx2k ,

more time for hobbies

Exaaaactly

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