The article seems to be circle around some unstated idealistic point, it's unclear what it is.
www.youtube.com##ytd-rich-grid-media.ytd-rich-item-renderer:has(a[href='/@MrBeast'])
www.youtube.com##ytd-rich-grid-media.ytd-rich-item-renderer:has(a[href='/@BeastReacts'])
www.youtube.com##ytd-rich-grid-media.ytd-rich-item-renderer:has(a[href='/@BeastPhilanthropy'])Every Saturday he releases a new video that quickly racks up 120M+ views, which is on par with the Super Bowl.
Speaking to YT, many creators i watch needs to be prefaced with please like and comment, because these long videos are algorithm poison.
yt was about selling ads on fun content. With shorts/reels/tiktoks, long form fun content no longer works.
But that is not the point made in this article, at all.
Yes, and no. It's weird. YT very much does want creators to make shorts. They take a bigger cut after all, and it's the big trend. But the traditional algorithms (from what I hear from creator who talk about the topic) hasn't changed too radically. The 8 minute target point is still a factor and longform videos still seem to be rewarded.
I imagine YT is just trying to hit on multiple fronts. Shorts are for the Tiktok crowd while the normal videos are still tailored towards people who come to YT to get more substantial content.
>But that is not the point made in this article, at all.
The article directly mentions your point though:
>So far, much of what’s been heralded in YouTube’s era of MrBeast sounds bleak, but the next era might already be upon us. If the old YouTube was Instagram, the new YouTube will be more like TikTok. That manifests in literal ways, with the company putting much of its energy into “shorts,” but also figuratively, beyond structural elements. TikTok’s strength lies in its ability to surface videos from everyday users to an enormous audience, and it’s so good at doing this that people talk about its algorithm in mystical terms.
I stopped watching anything I am not deliberately searching for on YouTube, as they all seem to be MrBeast copy-cats. Never heard of this person they are interviewing in the article, but again, the article itself seemed to go nowhere... maybe we were duped, and that was the point?
But I'm undecided about who/what it says more: MrBeast & his antics, his audience, YT, its audience, other populair platforms & their audience, today's public in general, or how its preferences are changing.
Personally I prefer authenticity, uniqueness. Seek out stuff that's found nowhere else. For which # of views are (mostly?) irrelevant as long as creators & maybe their audience enjoy it.
Perhaps MrBeast is authentic in that way: copycats aplenty, but no-one is doing, or living exactly like him.
I think it's a sign of a new generation approaching the internet in a different way. We're at a point where Gen Alpha is starting to hit its teens and social media isn't a flashy new tool but a medium of life. When everything starts out shiny, nothing is. So they will start to cut through the glitter and simply be efficient with the platform. short form content made for the smartphone they co-existed with their whole life, a focus on more relatable creators (or the appearance of relatable) instead of the most eye catching, and a general resistance to clickbait and ads that have disappointed them young and early.
meanwhile, the Genz/late millenial era is aging into its 30's and their interests are shifting. They literally grew out of the high energy roller coaster style of content and are likely still cynical of the world they grew into. They've had their fun but they will probably settle into different forms of content on Youtube. and/or creators will adjust their formats. I remember the early 10's era of "skit comedy" where every video felt like it needed to copy AVGN/Nostalgia critic and insert small skits between their reviews/analysis. That's pretty much all shifted towards a more documentary style of video with minimal fluff (or at the very most, very short interjections with meme visuals/sound FX, usually using the piece of media in question).
>I stopped watching anything I am not deliberately searching for on YouTube, as they all seem to be MrBeast copy-cats.
you seem to inadvertently understand the point of the article and are in fact a subject of the supposed shift away from the Mr. Beast era. I think the issue is the article focuses too much on Mr. Beast, who is more of a metaphor for the actual trend than the actual subject of interest. When you cut out the biography you end up with 2 core points:
1. the "high energy" style of videos that feel like it's trying to dangle keys at you is shifting towards more authentic experiences (which apparently tiktok does)
2. people in general are shifting from long form to short form content with #1 as a factor. I do know Tiktok's biggest appeal is that it's really good at highlighting smaller creators, which works opposite to most other kind of social media.
That could have been the focus instead of going over Beast's entire life story and thought process on how he makes videos. But Polygon is ironically in that same bus, knowing most people will click to focus on Beast instead of the actual "era" in question.