Many people are now talking about the “death of the ad-supported internet model,” and I can only say that it can’t come quickly enough.
The main reason why it all switched to ad-supported is the massive costs of storing and streaming all that high-definition video. And for what? So I can see every pore on Joe Rogan’s face while he sits in front of the mic and talks for 3 hours?
Or so that some video game dweeb can read his essay about why an obscure JRPG is the height of postmodern art over 30 minutes of game footage. Or all the channels trying to imitate Kurzgesagt with shitty animation and information they gathered from browsing Wikipedia.
Face it. Most of this video is unnecessary. 99.9% of all possible information can be relayed through text, pictures, and the occasional sound file.
Furthermore, most video content creators are unnecessary too. I can just read about a laptop’s specs and the reviewer’s experience with it. I don’t need LinusTechTips to stare at me with his reptilian eyes while he destroys the inferior product with an oversized novelty mallet.
Most of what’s on YouTube and other video-heavy social sites is not insightful, not creative, not informative, not fun, not sexy, and honestly shouldn’t exist at all.
It might make more sense if you look at it as sharing experience rather than information. Video is a more empathetic medium that people can connect with and understand more complete experiences through. Another thing to consider is the desire for infotainment more than information. People are made to learn things without necessarily understanding why and infotainment shows are a good way to connect with them in that. Like Mr. wizard, Bill Nye or Beakmans world, making information and learning fun, because the core content is itself not sexy or interesting but is still real and qorth informing some people of. I do generally agree with the idea of TMI in the marketplace, though. That’s how we ended up with the alternative facts -> fake news -> alternate reality pipeline for the world’s reactionaries over the last couple decades of social media influence.