By Andre / April 8, 2026
I Thought YouTube Was Different
I’ve said it before: I’m not a fan of social media.
After all these years, I still don’t fully understand its purpose. And it’s not because I’m a boomer. It’s because the cycle repeats itself every three to five years and never seems to evolve:
- a new network appears
- it becomes popular with the “yutes”
- parents join
- the network dies
When my sons were on MySpace, I kept it simple: don’t talk to weirdos. My daughter talked about Snapchat. Same reaction. My wife uses Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Still not interested. But YouTube? I thought that was different.
I used YouTube constantly. White noise, news, Marvel and DC breakdowns. It was entertaining or useful. Lately though, something feels off. Not a little off. Way off. Did YouTube fall into the same trap? Or was it always social media and I just ignored it?
What Used to Be
Yes, YouTube is social media. I just never treated it that way. I used it for information and entertainment, not for the typical social experience.
It felt different. Cleaner.
I could watch deep dives on development, listen to music (now it’s YouTube Music or bust), or get news without feeling like I was swimming in nonsense. It didn’t feel flooded with misinformation or low-effort content.
That’s not the case anymore.
How’s It Going Now?
Now I’m constantly telling YouTube what not to show me.
What used to be a once-or-twice-a-year cleanup has turned into a monthly chore. Sometimes I have to go directly to channels just to see new uploads. Then there’s the content itself.
The algorithm pushes what I can only describe as slop. Faceless videos, recycled topics, scripts that barely make sense, and voices that all sound the same. You listen and realize halfway through you’ve learned nothing. And the thumbnails. You know the ones. Over-the-top AI-generated garbage paired with the most aggressive clickbait titles imaginable.
These videos keep getting pushed to the top. On top of that, ad reads are everywhere now. One or two per video. And not great products either. A lot of it feels sketchy.
It’s hard not to notice.
What Could Fix It
I’m old enough to remember what the internet promised.
Somewhere along the way, we lost it. Not only did it distort the vision, but it turned into something that actively contributes to social and mental strain. The platforms have their own incentives, and we’re the product whether we want to admit it. We are the metrics. MAU.
So what’s the way out? Go back to the source.
Build more websites. Write more blogs. Hell, build your own platform.
I’ve told clients for years: your website is your new brick and mortar. That hasn’t changed.
More creators are starting to realize this too. You hear it now: “You don’t have to post constantly.” That’s people recognizing the flaw in platform dependency. An anti-social media culture is building.
Consolidation is the problem. If you rely entirely on a platform, you’re setting yourself up to fail. These companies optimize for engagement and revenue, not stability or fairness. High usage metrics and recurring revenue come first. Recent legal losses are forcing some of these platforms to adjust, but the question isn’t if they’ll change. It’s how.
And the answer is usually the same: suppression and enshittification.
Over the last year, I’ve noticed more creators building their own sites:
They’re making it clear where to find them outside the platform. That matters.
Because if you don’t control access to your audience, you’re exposed.
Use Platforms for What They Are
Platforms aren’t useless. They’re distribution.
Use them. Don’t depend on them. The internet is built on open-source technology and decentralized ideas. That’s still an advantage if you’re willing to use it.
With clear intent and some effort, you can level the playing field. Social media was supposed to democratize publishing and connection.
Right now, we’re a long way from that. So if you want it back, you have to build it yourself.
