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

Through the years, the YouTube suggestion algorithm has change into fairly complicated. I’ve seen that it might probably extrapolate my tastes very nicely primarily based on my watch historical past, constantly tempting me to eat extra movies. For instance, I just lately watched a dwell clip of The Prodigy at Coachella. My dwelling display screen feed then stuffed up with not solely live performance clips from different reveals by The Prodigy, but additionally different artists that I get pleasure from, reminiscent of 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 thousands and thousands of {dollars} refining, because it retains individuals glued to YouTube and fueling the money-printing machine that it’s change into. Curiously, whereas the algorithm is clever sufficient to do this, it’s nonetheless utterly 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 process. 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 pricey German leather-based boots that I put on practically daily and love with all my coronary heart. Since I put on them a lot, they endure 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 might probably’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 process, 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 once 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 assume that the YouTube algorithm would perceive that this course of I went by means of is by no means just like watching a dwell live performance clip. I’m not focused on shopping for leather-based boots. I’m not on the lookout for 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 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 dwelling web page with different movies about refreshing leather-based boots. Severely, 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?

Bear 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 drawback — its incapacity to stop itself from suggesting irrelevant content material primarily based 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!

Primarily based on this, one would assume that Google would prioritize stopping this concern. Nonetheless, 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 assume.

To Google’s credit score, a little bit 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 grasp that I didn’t click on on any of its strategies, so I’m not likely focused on 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 concern, and out of the blue my feed was a beacon to anybody who needs to find out about my medical situation? What if I watched a video about find out how to resolve a marital drawback, and my feed grew to become 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 an identical 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 you decide one thing within the ballot above, too!