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

Over time, the YouTube suggestion algorithm has grow to be fairly advanced. I’ve seen that it may possibly extrapolate my tastes very properly primarily based on my watch historical past, repeatedly tempting me to devour extra movies. For instance, I not too long ago watched a dwell clip of The Prodigy at Coachella. My house display feed then stuffed up with not solely live performance clips from different exhibits by The Prodigy, but in addition different artists that I take pleasure in, comparable to 9 Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Air, and extra. Notably, these artists sound nothing like The Prodigy, however the algorithm is wise sufficient to imagine that my tastes will align with them primarily based on my watch historical past. I’m not going to lie: I needed to cease myself from spending all day watching dwell live performance clips.

That is spectacular and one thing Google has most likely spent tens of millions of {dollars} refining, because it retains folks 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 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 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 day by day and love with all my coronary heart. Since I put on them a lot, they bear fairly a bit of wear and tear 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 will surely 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 prompt, and after they had all arrived, I re-watched the identical video a number of occasions 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 by is under no circumstances just like watching a dwell live performance clip. I’m not eager about shopping for leather-based boots. I’m not in search of different recommendations on 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 unravel 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 house 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 house 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 instrument?

Keep in mind how I needed to maintain myself again from bingeing whole concert events after watching only one Coachella clip? That’s what has made YouTube so profitable. Sadly, this drawback — its lack of ability to forestall itself from suggesting irrelevant content material primarily based on one-time wants — actively makes the house web page worse, working towards 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 suppose that Google would prioritize stopping this subject. 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, just a little greater than per week after this occurred, my feed cleared all references to boots and leather-based. It appears the algorithm is wise sufficient now to know that I didn’t click on on any of its options, so I’m probably not eager about extra boot movies. However what if this wasn’t one thing associated in addition restore, and as a substitute one thing extra delicate? What if I went to YouTube for an answer to a health-related subject, and abruptly my feed was a beacon to anybody who desires to find out about my medical situation? What if I watched a video about the way to clear up a marital drawback, and my feed turned crammed with different movies about marital issues I’m not having? YouTube needs to be working for us, not towards us.

Have you ever confronted an analogous 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!