Youtube: I Win
For a couple of years now, I've known in the back of my mind that I watch a little too many Youtube videos.
After spending a couple of weeks banning myself from any Youtube, I can tell it wasn't that I was filling a gap. I've found plenty of better things to do with my time, I wasn't sitting uncomfortably, scratching my arms.
It's also amazing to see the "Youtube persona" a little clearer, now I've stepped back. A, for want of a better word, unnatural style where nearly every video contains a suggestion you're missing something in your life and this is the way to solve it.
It's similar to how Twitter makes people talk. It's jarring to hear it in the real world, but some people are so wrapped up in the social media world they can't help but leak it, it seems.
Then of course, there's LinkedIn. But let's not go there.
Naturally, I blame Youtube and it's enchanting algorithm. Putting irresistible videos in front of my eyes to keep me watching.
The downside to zero Youtube is that you do actually miss out on some useful resources. There's yoga channels I want to see, and some real people vlogging.
If only there was a way to use Youtube intentionally, without being manipulated in to wasting your evening on forgettable video after forgettable... what was I saying?
Enter: Invidious. An open-source proxy (of a kind) to Youtube. No ads, no sign in, no "suggested" pages. And the best part? An RSS feed for channels.
So, introducing a way to get out of the Youtube loop while keeping the benefits!
- Grab an Invidious instance (here's your list), and search for a channel
- Click on the page for that channel (often the first result)
- Then copy the link on the RSS button
- Add that to your feed reader and - voila - a curated Youtube experience without the crap!
And to think I was giving them money for Premium too...