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

Through the years, the YouTube suggestion algorithm has grow to be fairly advanced. I’ve observed that it could extrapolate my tastes very effectively based mostly on my watch historical past, constantly tempting me to eat extra movies. For instance, I not too long ago watched a stay clip of The Prodigy at Coachella. My dwelling display feed then crammed up with not solely live performance clips from different reveals by The Prodigy, but in addition different artists that I get pleasure from, resembling 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 grow to be. Curiously, whereas the algorithm is clever sufficient to do this, it’s nonetheless fully inept at one thing else: understanding once I seek for a video not as a result of I’m deeply within the matter, 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 offer you a real-world instance of the algorithm’s deficiency. I’ve a pair of high-priced German leather-based boots that I put on almost on daily basis and love with all my coronary heart. Since I put on them a lot, they bear 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 could’t be that tough 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 may do that myself. I purchased the merchandise the video advised, and once 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 assume that the YouTube algorithm would perceive that this course of I went via is by no means much like watching a stay live performance clip. I’m not fascinated with shopping for leather-based boots. I’m not in search of different tips about fixing my boots. I’m not going to open a cobbler store. I had a one-time downside — refreshing my boots — and used one YouTube video to resolve that downside. 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 dwelling web page with different movies about refreshing leather-based boots. Significantly, for a number of days after I did the refresh, roughly half of my dwelling web page was movies associated to leather-based, boots, or cobbler issues. Shouldn’t we be past this by now? Shouldn’t the algorithm have the ability to inform the distinction between video hours spent watching stuff I get pleasure from and hours spent utilizing YouTube as a device?

Keep in mind how I needed to maintain myself again from bingeing complete live shows after watching only one Coachella clip? That’s what has made YouTube so profitable. Sadly, this downside — its lack of ability to forestall 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 wish to navigate away from YouTube. It’s the precise reverse of Google’s intentions!

Based mostly on this, one would assume that Google would prioritize stopping this problem. Nevertheless, on condition that YouTube has been round for 20 years (man, I’m outdated) and this downside nonetheless exists, it clearly isn’t as a lot of a precedence for Google as I might assume.

To Google’s credit score, somewhat greater than every week after this occurred, my feed cleared all references to boots and leather-based. It appears the algorithm is sensible sufficient now to grasp that I didn’t click on on any of its strategies, so I’m not likely fascinated with extra boot movies. However what if this wasn’t one thing associated besides restore, and as an alternative one thing extra delicate? What if I went to YouTube for an answer to a health-related problem, and all of the sudden my feed was a beacon to anybody who needs to find out about my medical situation? What if I watched a video about resolve a marital downside, and my feed turned stuffed with different movies about marital issues I’m not having? YouTube ought to be working for us, not in opposition to us.

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