I need the YouTube algorithm to cease doing this one annoying factor

Over time, the YouTube suggestion algorithm has turn into fairly advanced. I’ve seen that it may possibly extrapolate my tastes very properly based mostly on my watch historical past, constantly tempting me to eat extra movies. For instance, I lately watched a stay clip of The Prodigy at Coachella. My residence display feed then crammed up with not solely live performance clips from different exhibits by The Prodigy, but in addition different artists that I take pleasure in, akin to 9 Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Air, and extra. Notably, these artists sound nothing like The Prodigy, however the algorithm is sensible sufficient to imagine that my tastes will align with them based mostly on my watch historical past. I’m not going to lie: I needed to cease myself from spending all day watching stay live performance clips.

That is spectacular and one thing Google has most likely spent thousands and thousands of {dollars} refining, because it retains individuals glued to YouTube and fueling the money-printing machine that it’s turn into. Curiously, whereas the algorithm is clever sufficient to try this, it’s nonetheless fully inept at one thing else: understanding after I seek for a video not as a result of I’m deeply within the subject, however as a result of I need assistance doing a particular activity. Even now, in 2025, this nonetheless appears to throw the algorithm for a loop.

Let me provide you with a real-world instance of the algorithm’s deficiency. I’ve a pair of pricy German leather-based boots that I put on almost every single day and love with all my coronary heart. Since I put on them a lot, they endure fairly a bit of damage and tear. Previously, I’ve taken them to a cobbler for a refresh each few years, however right here in California, that’s costly — and never getting any cheaper. I figured it may possibly’t be that troublesome to do annual upkeep on my boots on my own, and doing so would definitely save me cash.

I went straight to YouTube with this thought. I looked for “leather-based boot refresh” and located dozens of high-quality movies going over the instruments, polishes, conditioners, and different supplies wanted for this activity, in addition to step-by-step directions. I watched one video — only one! — and knew I might do that myself. I purchased the merchandise the video urged, and after they had all arrived, I re-watched the identical video a number of instances as I adopted its directions. My boots look nice now — they’re like new!

One would suppose that the YouTube algorithm would perceive that this course of I went via is under no circumstances just like watching a stay live performance clip. I’m not occupied with shopping for leather-based boots. I’m not on the lookout for different tips about fixing my boots. I’m not going to open a cobbler store. I had a one-time drawback — refreshing my boots — and used one YouTube video to resolve that drawback. If I ever need assistance once more, I’ll seek for it (or simply watch the identical video as soon as extra).

Regardless of how apparent this would appear, this didn’t cease the algorithm from filling my residence web page with different movies about refreshing leather-based boots. Severely, for a couple of days after I did the refresh, roughly half of my residence web page was movies associated to leather-based, boots, or cobbler issues. Shouldn’t we be past this by now? Shouldn’t the algorithm be capable to inform the distinction between video hours spent watching stuff I take pleasure in and hours spent utilizing YouTube as a software?

Keep in mind how I needed to maintain myself again from bingeing total concert events after watching only one Coachella clip? That’s what has made YouTube so profitable. Sadly, this drawback — its incapacity to stop itself from suggesting irrelevant content material based mostly on one-time wants — actively makes the house web page worse, working in opposition to its success. In different phrases, my feed being coated with boot movies makes me need to navigate away from YouTube. It’s the precise reverse of Google’s intentions!

Primarily based on this, one would suppose that Google would prioritize stopping this situation. Nevertheless, provided that YouTube has been round for 20 years (man, I’m outdated) and this drawback nonetheless exists, it clearly isn’t as a lot of a precedence for Google as I’d suppose.

To Google’s credit score, somewhat greater than per week after this occurred, my feed cleared all references to boots and leather-based. It appears the algorithm is sensible sufficient now to know that I didn’t click on on any of its ideas, so I’m probably not occupied with extra boot movies. However what if this wasn’t one thing associated as well restore, and as an alternative one thing extra delicate? What if I went to YouTube for an answer to a health-related situation, and all of the sudden my feed was a beacon to anybody who desires to learn about my medical situation? What if I watched a video about remedy a marital drawback, and my feed turned crammed with different movies about marital issues I’m not having? YouTube must be working for us, not in opposition to us.

Have you ever confronted the same drawback? What did you seek for that the algorithm then pummelled you with different associated movies? Let me know within the feedback, and make sure to choose one thing within the ballot above, too!