YouTube will soon require watch history to be enabled to show video suggestions

soyagi@yiffit.net to Technology@beehaw.org – 111 points –
support.google.com

On the flip side, this also means users have the option to have a cleaner, less cluttered interface.

Full text:

[AUGUST 8, 2023] A new viewer experience that better corresponds to your YouTube watch history preferences

One of the benefits of having YouTube watch history on is that it enables YouTube to provide video recommendations you may be interested in; however, we know some prefer to clear and turn off your YouTube watch history. Starting today, we’re changing how you see recommendations on YouTube, based on your Watch History settings:

Starting today, if you have YouTube watch history off and have no significant prior watch history, features that require watch history to provide video recommendations will be disabled – like your YouTube home feed. This means that starting today, your home feed may look a lot different: you’ll be able to see the search bar and the left-hand guide menu, with no feed of recommended videos thus allowing you to more easily search, browse subscribed channels and explore Topic tabs instead.

We’re rolling these changes out slowly, over the next few months. We are launching this new experience to make it more clear which YouTube features rely on watch history to provide video recommendations and make it more streamlined for those of you who prefer to search rather than browse recommendations. You can change your YouTube watch history settings at any time based on whether you prefer us to provide video recommendations or not.

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I guess a CEO opened the YouTube frontpage while logged out and went "what is this shit".

But seriously, this seems like it's a good thing overall. The "default"/empty history algorithm recommendations are truly, truly horrifying more often than not. It's almost entirely low-quality clickbait and I can't imagine many people actually appreciate it like that.

And after three or four clicks, you’re immediately stumbling through horrible right wing ragebait

Or spoilers after spoilers if you search up some media you are interested in. I hate those youtubers so much who put the spoilers right in the tile and thumbnail.