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Personally I avoid videos with variations of the open mouth, confused face, and disappointed look these days. It’s just the area of YouTube I’ve gotten tired of, and those videos usually tend to be pretty shilly playing to the algorithm and tend to be from bigger channels. I understand why its done, but it doesn’t shield from criticism. Anyways good for them, but it has manifested in a way where because the algorithm is what dictates the product it feels like AI in a way where the presentation style gets tiring.
True. But as a concept, it only makes sense… right? If you’re editing a video to have high production quality, then there should be something to draw the audience in… a generic thumbnail wouldn’t be as useful to get the attention of a new viewer, right?
And even if they add an option to only choose a frame from the video, that can also be manipulated as long as we know which frames are likely to be chosen for the choices.
Indeed, the reason they added the option was because of how many people were just putting their custom thumbnail as the middle frame of their video, which was jarring every time it happened.
As far as production value and drawing in the audience, I really don’t care. I would much rather just not see obnoxious shit no matter who it benefits. But that’s what happens when one website has an effective monopoly, people have to scratch out any advantage they can within the closed system because there just aren’t enough viewers to go around. At this point, what viewers click on is basically irrelevant anyway because we’ve crossed over the feedback loop point: because it used to drive engagement on its own, a pog face thumbnail is necessary because not having one gets your channel sent to Algorithmic Deprioritization Purgatory even faster than criticizing youtube on social media does.
I have a genuine curiosity for what you think thumbnails should be? If not this, then what?
The thumbnail shows the product, shows the general reactions.
What else do you want?
Personally I avoid videos with variations of the open mouth, confused face, and disappointed look these days. It’s just the area of YouTube I’ve gotten tired of, and those videos usually tend to be pretty shilly playing to the algorithm and tend to be from bigger channels. I understand why its done, but it doesn’t shield from criticism. Anyways good for them, but it has manifested in a way where because the algorithm is what dictates the product it feels like AI in a way where the presentation style gets tiring.
Fair enough.
Do we really need to have an exaggerated reaction in the thumbnail?
It’s barely a reaction in the first place.
I know the rest of YouTube is inundated with such thumbnails but this one in particular is very, very on point.
The thumbnail should be the frame closest to the middle of the video’s runtime, with no regard for context. I have an extension that does just that.
IMO, that defeats the purpose of the thumbnail.
YouTube worked fine for almost a decade that way. Custom thumbnails are pretty recent.
True. But as a concept, it only makes sense… right? If you’re editing a video to have high production quality, then there should be something to draw the audience in… a generic thumbnail wouldn’t be as useful to get the attention of a new viewer, right?
And even if they add an option to only choose a frame from the video, that can also be manipulated as long as we know which frames are likely to be chosen for the choices.
Indeed, the reason they added the option was because of how many people were just putting their custom thumbnail as the middle frame of their video, which was jarring every time it happened.
As far as production value and drawing in the audience, I really don’t care. I would much rather just not see obnoxious shit no matter who it benefits. But that’s what happens when one website has an effective monopoly, people have to scratch out any advantage they can within the closed system because there just aren’t enough viewers to go around. At this point, what viewers click on is basically irrelevant anyway because we’ve crossed over the feedback loop point: because it used to drive engagement on its own, a pog face thumbnail is necessary because not having one gets your channel sent to Algorithmic Deprioritization Purgatory even faster than criticizing youtube on social media does.
Less cringeworthy thumbnails? What else do YOU want?