Do you find Youtube as a waste of time?

[DJ_Saidez]

I've recently become sadly addicted to politics and I find myself more often than not arguing with people (and creatures) in the comments
Also I'm taking 5 college-level classes (I'm in high school) and YouTube has been a major source of procrastination from schoolwork
So yes, even though I don't feel like I'd be able to stop, I do think it's a real waste of time, like most social media these days

Edit: As litilravnur pointed out, it's about how you spend your time there
Besides the fact that it's hard for me to avoid the arguments and manage my time wisely, I've seen a lot of good stuff on YouTube too

 

[Ichiban]

its a time waster for sure but not a waste of time if that makes sense.
whenever i have chrome open theres usually a youtube tab going either for music or whatever channels im subbed to, i watch a lot more youtube then i do netflix or tv nowadays

i've even got it open as i write this lmao

Post automatically merged: Mar 23, 2021

i should add though i used to get really good cursed/meme videos on my home page endlessly until one update, so yeah thats one thing i dont like, my home feed isn't chaotic anymore

 

[moonolotl]

Theres a loooot of garbage on youtube but theres also a lot of informative, educational or just plain entertaining stuff on there if you search enough for what you like. I get reccomended mostly always stuff i enjoy because of how frequently i use youtube and how i only ever click on stuff i wanna watch (obviously)
I mainly watch the same youtube channels though or ive been watching a lot of AC island tours recently!

As for if its a waste of time it depends what you watch but theres a lot of good stuff on there
Educational-wise tom scott, mark rober etc make some interesting stuff!
William Osman has some funny yet sort of educational videos ?? he likes to mess around with engineering aha
I watch mostly comedy stuff though and so ill often watch markipliers irl videos, sometimes gamegrumps, i watch a lot of youtubers like Slimecicle, Condifiction and some others

 

[Stella-Io]

Waste? Not really. A time killer? Absolutely. I use it when I'm bored and don't want to go to sleep, so I watch Zelda videos and stuff. I also use it to listen to music.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I don't think it's a waste of time at all. I only spend my time on youtube watching videos that educate people on subjext matters that im interested in (earlier i watched a bunch of videos explaining certain aspects of The Office that I never realized before because I'm not a TV show writer, really allowed me to gain insight into the psychology behind the show) or watching youtubers that play/talk about games I love (particular favorites are Cinemassacre, Poketips, Johnstone, and Swanky Box). i've never thought of youtube as a waste of time because i always use it to enhance my life, whether it be by learning something new or having a good few laughs.

 

[BluebearL]

Youtube is an important way to access instructions, free music, and some educational things but I do not appreciate it when I get stuck in an internet hole lol! It can both make more or much less productive depending on my mood and whilst some recreational use of it is great, it is far too addictive for me!

 

[mocha.]

I guess it depends on how you define time wasting. A lot of things could be seen as wasting time - playing games, watching tv, reading a book. These activities bring people entertainment and can be a good way to connect with others. I think as long as whatever you’re doing is bringing you joy, it’s never a waste of time

 

[Manah]

You need to know what to look for. Put some effort into curating your experience instead of just following recommendations and you can avoid most crap.

Without Youtube a lot of the music I listen to wouldn't exist or at least not get enough exposure to reach me/be a lot less accessible to me. I'm about to spend ~130 € on one artist's entire discography and I'd NEVER be able to afford to do that without having listened to a lot of it before to know it's worth the money.

In the same vein, most games don't have demos, and trailers and reviews aren't usually enough to get a good idea of what I get for my money. People actually playing the game are immensely helpful.

 

[visibleghost]

i watch so much youtube and while it's not really the best content out there, i find it relaxing. i often do something else while watching youtube, like playing animal crossing or checking social media. yes, i could do much more productive things or get a hobby, but i don't have a ton of energy nor motivation so watching youtube videos about topics i'm interested in is fun and broadens my horizons a little.

my home page is a bit of a mess, it's everything from live stream vods from specific streamers, animal crossing and sims content, true crime, mukbang and specific um physically large individuals, diy things, music, social commentary... and so on.

i could do more productive things but idk if i want to. i like youtube

 

[ting1984]

You need to know what to look for.

Yep, this right here. There's certainly a lot of garbage content and comments on YouTube, but if you get past that, you can find the better content.

 

[Nicole.]

Sometimes I watch it to pass the time, or often I'll have something playing in the background as I work. I agree with what others have said though, it can be a waste of time depending on what you use it for. I've learned quite a lot just from searching youtube tutorials.

 

[demoness]

we're primates so wasting time on pointless shenanigans and existential angst is in our nature

don't fight it

 

[~Kilza~]

It can feel like a waste of time sometimes, but for me it usually isn't because the videos I watch are videos I want to watch. I don't really bother looking at YouTube's recommendations (so much so I just watch videos in a private window since I can't be bothered letting the algorithm learn what I watch, lol) and just have a specific set of channels that I watch the videos of.

 

[satine]

I find it a huge waste of time. And yet there are so many things on YouTube that help me when I need it that I can't put it on my blacklist of sites. To help prevent my procrastination issues I blacklist a ton of sites with this blocker app on my computer. I always refrain from adding YouTube because when I DO add it, I actually need it for instructions on something. And it sucks.

Usually it's a waste of time though. I find the whole YouTube personality thing an extreme waste of time and don't indulge (though people do and that's obviously ok, you do you). I don't use it for that as much as I use it for memes like vine compilations... Which, funny or not, is still a big waste of time. At least to me.

I think it just depends on the content or your intentions really.

 

[Princess Mipha]

I only really watch videos from channels I know and like. It's really mainly (Horror) stuff and some music aswell.
I don't even bother going on the trending page anymore, because I know it's full of garbage.
"24 hours only eating chips!!! You can't believe what happened!!!!" like wtf, why is this kind of stuff still so popular?
What do people expect to happen? That the person turns into a chip ?

 

[Shawna]

It's complicated.

I love YouTube. As soon as my parents finally allowed me and my brother to use it, it became a huge part of our lives. I eventually was also allowed to create a YouTube account too where I made quite a few videos (I had to leave it behind, because I couldn't log back in for whatever reason, but I believe it is still up). I remember the exact date I created my first YT channel: November 24, 2011...also known as Thanksgiving 2011.

I have moved YT channels multiple times, but I think I will stick with the one I currently have. I have made quite a few friends on YouTube and it is a wonderful place to express yourself and find videos that you relate to, videos that remind you that you are not alone. Plus it's where I listen to music. I have no idea what my life would be like if it wasn't for YouTube.

. . .​

So why do I say "It's complicated"?

YouTube has gone downhill since 2012. It started with them getting rid of the BETA channels. This was devastating for a lot of us because this meant that our channels were NOWHERE NEAR as customizable and diverse from one another.

Then the google integration which made navigating through YouTube a lot more complicated.

And let's not forget COPPA taking over. This is by far the WORST! I cannot even comment on half the videos anymore all because they are "mAdE fOr kIdS"! Sometimes I have stuff to say, you know. YouTube is NOT for kids! I completely understand having this for YouTube Kids, but not the main deal. And I have found some adult videos that are marked as "made for kids". I know this is not just the uploader, because some of the videos on my old channel have been affected by this, and I haven't even been logged in since January 2015.

 

[Che5hire Cat]

YouTube is a mixed bag imo. On the one hand, I often find well made content on YT, which is worth watching. Sometimes, I even find clips or complete episodes of older shows I like. For example: Back in December, I actually found an person there who uploaded the whole series 7-10 from my favorite comedy show on their channel, which was for me like finding the holy grail, since I was searching for so long to find those episodes. There are nowhere to find on the internet and the BBC are total idiots for not releasing the show on DVD, despite the fact that many fans asked for years now for this, so it's hard to even watch the show in it's entirety. In this case, I was happy that YouTube was there and helped me to end my search.

On the other hand, the side changed a lot in a negative way over the years. The whole YouTube Kids thing, drama, comment sections getting hidden on videos for no or dumb reasons, more drama, content creators getting treated like trash, videos which shouldn't even be on the internet at all getting not removed from the YT staff (even if they get reported so many times), trashy videos by trashy people... I mean, it's still usable as a time killer as well as for music, sometimes to also check out video games by watching Let's Plays. If you search for the content you like, then you may find what you would like to watch. The trading page is also pointless, 90% of the stuff there are people with topics I don't care and then there are one or two videos which are like hidden gems in a pile of trash, which are worth checking out. And not to mention how horrible those Rewinds are (thank goodness they seem to not be a thing anymore for now). I miss old YouTube so much.

 

[princess.looking.for.frog]

Sometimes it is a waste of time, but there are specific channels I watch because I love them. Such as Moriah Elizabeth, TwoSetViolin, RoomieOffical and a few more random channels I find as I look for specific content.

 

[tomatospooks666]

i don't think doing things you enjoy is a waste of time, personally, and youtube has been there for me so many times when people weren't. watching fun videos has gotten me through so many dark times in my life. times when i've felt alone in the world, putting on a let's play video helped me feel a little less hopeless, but i'll stop before i go on a ramble.

 

[Jamborenium]

if you enjoy your time watching videos you like, then you aren't wasting time at all.
especially if it's on your own free time​