Why is YouTube like this?

And by this, I mean overly sensationalized, insanely over-the-top, highly edited, and fake. I mean, is it just me, or does most content on this platform feel dystopian, artificial, and soulless?

The content we watch has evolved, there is no doubting it. What was once a place to post fun videos with your friends is now a platform for corporations to market their brand, for people to generate passive income, and for creators to succeed, whatever this means.

And this isn't all bad, but if I'm being honest, the worst aspects of all these things really stand out and create a nauseating experience for the average user.

But something has recently changed, and maybe you've noticed it too? Authenticity on YouTube is rising again. Now, instead of clicking on overly sensational videos, I find myself clicking on videos that are simple, more intimate, and honestly more human. But why? Is the MrBeast-ification of YouTube over? How did we get here? Why is this happening? And what the heck is "corecore"?

Here are the chapters for this video. Feel free to jump around accordingly:

0:00 Introduction
1:23 Authenticity vs Sensationalism
2:45 MrBeast-ification And AI
4:22 Creator Example 1
5:39 The Eras of YouTube
6:24 What Is CoreCore and Why Its Taking Over
7:55 Creator Example 2 Dodford
8:38 Creator Example 3 Sam Sulek
9:01 The Next Era Of YouTube

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Creators note:
Hello, my name is Zackary Smigel. I've been creating YouTube videos since I was a kid. I started YouTube full-time about five years ago. You might have seen me from Real Estate License Wizard, where I obtained 60,000 subscribers and over 5 million channel views. I have since left that channel for creative pursuits, and this is my first crack at starting something new. I'd appreciate a like and subscribe if this content interests you and I captured your attention for even just a few moments.

On a secondary note, I am playing around with my thumbnail style. We'll see if you guys like my face or not lol. I am hoping you all enjoy, this is a bit more of a controversial topic and I was a bit hesitant to make this video so we'll see! Hopefully you guys enjoy.

Thanks so much for watching,

Zackary Smigel

Also, JJJreact

#youtube #videoessay #zackarysmigel

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Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more engaging video commentary!

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[ZackarySmigel]

If this video gets over 100, 000 views, I'll eat nothing but gas station food for thirty days.

[JamesRoyceDawson]

I get this stuff is popular, but I've trained the algorithm so well that I barely ever see it. I have to be reminded that this is what a lot of people are watching and it's fucking weird.

[PlungerPapi]

I completely agree with this, and its so nice to see authenticity coming back to the platform where people care about connecting with other people more than spectacle all the time

[masterplusmargarita]

I'm still not over the old YouTube slogan - "Broadcast Yourself". At its conception, YouTube was a place for random people to share their authentic self with the world. I really hope it can become that again.

[ITalk]

I absolutely agree with you. Content feels so fake nowadays.

[OnwardToMail]

I'm very positive that one of the reasons you got so popular so fast is because you ARE real and sincere with your videos and not over the top and fake trying too hard to get views.

[colinernest]

honestly the AI narration content is really the worst offender to me. I wish youtube could do something to help me filter out this kind of content. As a person who has always been interested in the voice acting industry, its hard not to see AI narration as incredibly cheap and lazy. Its impossible to escape the flood of AI centric videos and it feels genuinely brain rotting.

[bear_jaws]

I welcome the end of clickbait thumbnails. I remember it being a huge controversy on Linus tech tips, almost a decade ago when they switched to them, but the numbers do not lie. They were huge for the channel. Hopefully audiences will start seeking better thumbnails like you said.

[SolaireIntensifies]

Just to add on to your examples, commentary channels have been exploding recently (I don't mean reaction). I've seen so many commentary channels rise to stardom so quickly it's baffling. Allie Tricaso, not 4 months ago had less than 10k subs. Today she's sitting at 130k. Gabi Belle, Chad Chad, all creators that started their content after 2021 are rising incredibly quickly. Some of the fastest growing channels I've ever seen. And I think that confirms your theory that authenticity is what people crave. People making fun of the synthetic nature of social media is a hell of a lot more relatable and easy to watch than Chevrolet's AI Vtuber or whatever mega corps are doing these days.

[Jeracraft]

Great video! I have always fallen for the cycle of over hyping my videos, but I must say people used to stand out for being unique but now it's like were all sacrificing the authenticity for a corporate script/formula. It is a shame indeed! My content used to be a small niche too, but now it's oversaturated 😅

[plantswizard]

I think the "authenticity era" prediction could wind up true. I have friends who only ever watch video essays and stuff when they're with me because I'm good at picking out which videos and creators aren't "Mr. Beastified".

[mitya_music]

Hey, are you that dude from the gas station by any chance?

Thanks for the video! I'm a musician, traveling through villages, and creating psychedelic pop music with grandmas while also filming a series about it. I have a feeling that deep down, I'm striving for the misterbeatification of my content, but my true passion lies in the raw, honest, and authentic vibes. Thanks for the reminder that there are plenty of folks out there who value authenticity, and you don't need to spend a year in the grave to promote your album

[DammitJeff]

Sometimes I click on videos and get actual headaches because of the obsessive yelling, constant transitions, 3 new video clips every 2 seconds, "one word per-line" subtitles on screen, it becomes overstimulating and it becomes too much. I cannot manage 10+ minute videos with this over-the-top pacing.

I feel like a year or two from now, the trend is going to go in the other direction, where the in demand channels will be the soft spoken, calm, and personal-feeling videos will be the ones most in demand.

[jessip]

I am OK with this change. As someone in their 30's, the hyper sensationalist Mr Beast-like videos are like cheese graters on my senses. I know they're for little kids but it'll be awesome when youtube stops recommending them to me.

[Tarapeutic]

Different generation. I think the young kids LOVE the Mr Beast style stuff. Once we're older, I think the authentic channels appeal more. There's room for both.

[Jan]

I might be the only one, but I never saw a video from Mr.Beast or one of the Mr.Beast-Like Channels. This hole style of videos completely passed me by. These authentic videos and channels have always been existed, but you never saw them.

[ihcobob]

I think the irony of AI is that people will appreciate human creations more. Even though it hasn't been around for long, I'm already sick of all the AI-generated content. I find myself rewatching old 80's movies and loving the cheesy practical effects, as opposed to today's polished CGI, even though they aren't "perfect". Turns out, perfection gets old pretty quickly.

[slppey]

Great video Zack. I had a similar hunch when I saw myself seeing much higher growth than expected in only the first two months of making videos again. People do seem to be wanting intimate, genuine, and thought provoking content right now, which is something I'm very happy to see. Here's to the potential new era of YouTube.

[cheeseburgermonkey]

You have to have guts to ignore all the rules of succeeding in YouTube and to prioritize authenticity. Great video once again!

[ManCarryingThing]

Another great video- I think with the rise of tiktok, youtube will become (even more) of an engaged medium, with certain creators posting longer, less frequent, movie-style "events" - and authenticity is a huge part of that