Discussion
@deutrino
> people who are doing a soft exit should look at the Unhook browser extension
Nice one. I use NewPipe on Android, and Invidious instances when I'm on my laptop.
For listening to music, I'm starting to move back to getting my album collection (mainly mp3) onto my devices, instead of streaming from YouTub or BandCamp.
@strypey They're also threatening original content with copywrite notices now.
Any youtube filing notices against my music would be fraudulently using DMCA.
@strypey can’t believe Rick is so forgiving and even gives effusive praise to YT. Does he think his success is typical and is just blind to the broader rot!?
@strypey big kudos to @joshsjunkdrawer for moving over to @peertube and calling out the #enshittification of YouTube. The decline of YT has been obvious for a while but it’s seemed intractable to escape. Josh reminds us that it’s not.
@strypey @joshsjunkdrawer @peertube I do wish Peertube were easier to use. Took me like 5-10 minutes to find Josh’s channel on the app and I’m still not seeing how to follow it. Normies would’ve given up. I’m sure I’m just missing something but it seems like it’s harder than it should be
@strypey appreciate this. I can't stomach going over to YouTube anymore and just ... don't. Having to deal with the ads and algorithms is a bridge too far now that I'm not used to them. The easiest de-Googling step for me, somehow (no judgement if it's not that way for anyone else though).
@strypey
so alphabet inc is enshittifying youtube.
i think it is only a matter of time when alphabet inc is enshittifying android into intolerable garbage.
which leads to some rhetorical questions:
do you carry google account in your pocket 24/4 ?! (or microsoft account or apple id ?!)
will android start showing ads in android user interface ?!
@zetabeta
> only a matter of time when alphabet inc is enshittifying android into intolerable garbage
Already well underway;
https://pluralistic.net/2025/09/01/fulu/#i-am-altering-the-deal
I know you said rhetorical questions, but the answers in my case are;
No, Android+F-Droid, no Goggle account (since I got my first Android in 2018)
Yes, they can, so they will.
@strypey Side note: I keep hearing that YT has banned ad-blockers, but I still have mine running and have never had any substantial problems continuing to use YT. Maybe their banning-solutions don't work with Linux, somehow?
...but yeah, we need more community-driven alternatives like PeerTube, and also revenue-focused/creator-owned alternatives like Nebula.
@denisbloodnok
> ublock origin works for me on Linux and Windows alike
I just skip their proprietary apps entirely and watch YouTub videos using NewPipe on Android (just trying PipePipe too), and an Invidious service when I'm using my laptop.
The only time I use YT's software is on other people's dumb computer ("smart TV"), and only until I find a NewPipe equivalent for those and a way to install it (those things are so locked down they make grApple look Laissez-faire by comparison).
@strypey jfc what a fuck
@strypey on top of all this, I also feel YouTube's algorithm is less effective than it ever was.
All the videos now have clickbait titles & thumbnails, it's harder than ever to tell the slop apart from the good stuff.
I used to watch tons of YouTube in the past, but nowadays it happens regularly I open the site, scroll around a bit and close it again, because it all looks like trash to me.
"Their excuses are irrelevant. They’ve opened Pandora’s box; they’ve told the world that they can and will edit videos after they’ve been uploaded, and will not tell creators or viewers. You can’t trust anything you see anymore, even from creators who adamantly do not use AI. Sure, it’s 'just' an AI smoother today, but tomorrow they could put an ad straight in the video, or remove something they don’t like."
https://joshgriffiths.site/youtube-is-awful-im-not-posting-there-anymore/
(2/2)
@strypey looks like my decision to start disconnecting from Youtube and changing my video watching habits was very timely
(people who are doing a soft exit should look at the Unhook browser extension)
@deutrino
> people who are doing a soft exit should look at the Unhook browser extension
Nice one. I use NewPipe on Android, and Invidious instances when I'm on my laptop.
For listening to music, I'm starting to move back to getting my album collection (mainly mp3) onto my devices, instead of streaming from YouTub or BandCamp.
@strypey I have PipePipe on my phone but lately they've been on the losing end of a battle to show videos to those of us whose devices/IPs/whatever are in Youtube viewing jail (login required) ... but I almost never watch long videos on my phone, so it's fine.
I still need a solution for integrating #QuodLibet smart playlists with my phone ... even an annoying one would be better than my current situation, where I only listen to my collection from a desktop OS
@deutrino
> even an annoying one would be better than my current situation, where I only listen to my collection from a desktop OS
I recently discovered FinAmp in the F-Droid repos. Apparently it plays music stored on a JellyFin server. Haven't tested it yet, but may be an option.
@strypey my issue is that I'm highly dependent on Quod Libet's smart playlists for a lot of my listening and they're not really portable in a way which updates last played / last started / last skipped data, which I use in the playlists themselves
"Sure, it’s 'just' an AI smoother today, but tomorrow [YouTub] could put an ad straight in the video, or remove something they don’t like."
@joshsjunkdrawer, 2025
https://joshgriffiths.site/youtube-is-awful-im-not-posting-there-anymore/
At which point YouTub can't claim to be just a dumb pipe for "User-Generated Content". As soon as they can't guarantee they serve videos exactly as uploaded (except for transcoding), they are a publisher. All the editorial responsibilities that come with that are now on their shoulders.
(1/2)
So ... what kind of TV channel is YouTub?
(2/2)
Wow, these quotes from Josh's blog post about the enshittification of YouTub went viral! And I don't mean fediverse viral, my notifications have been flooded with Favourites, Boosts and comments since I posted them.
Since folks are clearly interested, Josh has some other blog posts relevant to this topic, including one on his favourite PeerTube channels;
https://joshgriffiths.site/peertube-channels-you-should-watch/
(try searching this URL in your fedi app)
He can also be found in the fediverse here;
Quite often I see people publish these "cool Peertube channels" blog / fedi posts, and I'm totally here for that. That said, IU'd love it if someone (maybe @FediVideo ?) actually made regular short videos *showing* roundups like these, with clips so it's possible to get a sense of the channels without having to load each channel up in another tab, choose a video sit through the start and repeat for every channel.
I'd love more of a "trailer style" summary with a voiceover of why they're cool, with clips showing underneath, possibly with each video around a theme eg, educational, music, technology etc.
@Blort
> I'd love it if someone (maybe @FediVideo?) actually made regular short videos *showing* roundups like these, with clips
Cool idea. As we say in the rainbow gatherings, if you see a job, it's probably yours ; ) But maybe this is something @joshsjunkdrawer would be willing to do as one of his irregular videos?
As for @FediVideo, I'm guessing that's run by @FediTips, and they have more than enough work on their hands already.
It would be a lot of work to try to assemble clips from dozens of channels every day, make them representative of all the different topics each channel covers, keep up to date with new videos etc 😅
What I do do on @FediVideo is feature good channels and boost good videos, which is a lot less labour intensive and easier to keep up to date. It also means these channels and videos federate to all the servers of all my followers so that they show up in search results 🙂
@strypey @joshsjunkdrawer @FediVideo @FediTips
> As we say in the rainbow gatherings, if you see a job, it's probably yours ; )
I'm pointedly trying to ignore that, the fact I also thought it and the fact that I have a background in media production.
Na! Na! Na! Na! I can't hear you! My fingers are stuck in my ears! 😂 🙄
@strypey AI making real things look fake - https://mastodon.me.uk/@geoffl/115406799703488699
@strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz the biggest issue is that YouTube is the main video site on the Net. There aren't any other sites that come close to how big it is. Trying to find alternatives and reach people is a challenge.
@rhymerepartee
> YT is a sea of amateur aspiration or plagerized creation
Compared to cinema, or even TV, it's a cesspool of low-budget and often low-effort slop. True.
But in it's heydey it was also a convenient place to find conferences talks, HowTo videos on almost any subject, independent media reporting (like the Gaza genocide videos recently censored), and lots of other worthy stuff from people who couldn't afford to pay the full costs of video hosting for the web. Not simple to replace.
@rhymerepartee
> it was methodically enshitified over time
Agreed, see OP ; )
> Fediverse options are here now and we need to promote them
Sure, but we also need to improve them. There are reasons why huge numbers of people continue to post video on YT and not PeerTube, etc. To find out why, we need to listen to them.
Some of it is network effect and such. But there are many things that could be done to improve the usability of PT, and reduce transition pain, for both creators and audiences.
And Vimeo has been sold to a Private Equity firm. :(
@BillySmith
> Vimeo has been sold to a Private Equity firm
This is a bit like the acquisitions of BandCamp. It's far from ideal, but Vimeo like BC, gets revenue from selling services to creators/ audiences. Platforms that do this (rather than selling audiences to advertisers) do seem a bit more resistant to enshittification.
@pluralistic is right that is doesn't make them immune, but he thinks it makes no difference, which doesn't fit my observations over 30 years or so online.
@strypey @pluralistic @rhymerepartee
Depends upon how short-sighted/bonus-desperate the PE staff are this Quarter.
If they are thinking long-term, they'll just leave it alone, running as a cash-cow, but I don't hold my hopes up. 😐
Did you ever come across Jamendo?
They use the Torrent protocols to reduce the bandwidth costs for musicians promoting their gigs, by giving some of the music away. 😁
I've been looking at the costs of running PeerTube instances doing similar things. :D
There's actually a lot of really good stuff on YT, in my experience -- but most of the good stuff is also available ad-free either on Nebula or paywalled Patreon feeds.
@woozle @strypey @rhymerepartee
There's a ton of good stuff, but it is really, REALLY hard to find it. Finding new channels that are putting out good content is a challenge. I find myself re-watching old stuff I like rather than waste time looking for something new.
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