Ask HN: People with direct knowledge of YouTube Algorithm-why the repeats?
by tomcam on Hacker News.
I get that YouTube and virtually all social media sites want to maximize clicks. I get that YouTube really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what I want in that context: they think it’s worth far more to override my preferences and add all kinds of channels to my feed than I want. But if you have direct knowledge of the algorithm, please tell me why I can watch a video to the end, then have it recommended for days, weeks, or months after, even when I have dutifully upvoted or commented. What’s in it for YouTube? Just because I liked a video by Kyle Kulinsky or Jordan Peterson in 2022 doesn’t mean I’m still dying to watch it in 2023. And if you want to force shit down my throat, why give up valuable screen real estate to videos I already saw?