I clearly remember the days when using YouTube was enjoyable and when it went downhill. I will say it right away, the golden years of YouTube were from 2007 - 2009. This is when you had all the content you needed available and yet the site still had a unique identity and was fun to use and not fully made corporate yet. The next best time of course was 2005 and 2006, the days when it was all about the people making YouTube videos. When it was literally "Broadcast Yourself" and the "You" in YouTube was still around. An all-around awesome time. Then the next best time is when things slowly started to decline in 2010, it started to get more corporate... I've noticed this right away. You saw a lot more Vevo around trying to screw people over with Copyright and censoring songs and putting all the popular music videos onto their channel (this happened in 2009 actually but you really started to notice it further into 2010). And a bunch of other silly things got changed. Things that used to be around like the rating system were replaced with the like/dislikes too. In 2010, things started to decline but it wasn't horrible yet. But things officially got horrible in 2011. 2011 is the year when YouTube went downhill and started to be horrible. When they changed the layout and it received this new makeover as stated in this article. I clearly remember when this happened and I got so mad. YouTube was not the same site anymore and went downhill. You really noticed it declined and started to suck around 2010/2011 and it was not how it was before. For this reason, I declare YouTube officially started sucking in 2010/2011. For the life of me, I cannot understand people who say YouTube was still good until 2013... How can anyone say that? I clearly remember myself and others complainin in 2011 how YouTube went downhill and it wasn't the same anymore.

This article gives a solid date when YouTube really went downhill when it changed its layout and got a new design and a new makeover. It was really about corporations over people. This was December 2, 2011. I remember it like it was yesterday even though it's 9 years ago now:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/tech/web/youtube-redesign/index.html

I clearly remember the days when using YouTube was enjoyable and when it went downhill. I will say it right away, the golden years of YouTube were from 2007 - 2009. This is when you had all the content you needed available and yet the site still had a unique identity and was fun to use and not fully made corporate yet. The next best time of course was 2005 and 2006, the days when it was all about the people making YouTube videos. When it was literally "Broadcast Yourself" and the "You" in YouTube was still around. An all-around awesome time. Then the next best time is when things slowly started to decline in 2010, it started to get more corporate... I've noticed this right away. You saw a lot more Vevo around trying to screw people over with Copyright and censoring songs and putting all the popular music videos onto their channel (this happened in 2009 actually but you really started to notice it further into 2010). And a bunch of other silly things got changed. Things that used to be around like the rating system were replaced with the like/dislikes too. In 2010, things started to decline but it wasn't horrible yet. But things officially got horrible in 2011. 2011 is the year when YouTube went downhill and started to be horrible. When they changed the layout and it received this new makeover as stated in this article. I clearly remember when this happened and I got so mad. YouTube was not the same site anymore and went downhill. You really noticed it declined and started to suck around 2010/2011 and it was not how it was before. For this reason, I declare YouTube officially started sucking in 2010/2011. For the life of me, I cannot understand people who say YouTube was still good until 2013... How can anyone say that? I clearly remember myself and others complainin in 2011 how YouTube went downhill and it wasn't the same anymore.

This article gives a solid date when YouTube really went downhill when it changed its layout and got a new makeover. It was really about corporations over people. This was December 2, 2011. I remember it like it was yesterday even though it's 9 years ago now:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/tech/web/youtube-redesign/index.html
I blame the system in America that lets big companies get away with practically everything. People do idealize capitalism too darn much there, and then it comes back to bite them in the butt.

I blame the system in America that lets big companies get away with practically everything. People do idealize capitalism too darn much there, and then it comes back to bite them in the butt.

The US is weird because it calls itself capitalism but it's not true capitalism when the government comes to bail out large corporations and is shady in ensuring large corporations are taken care of. This leaves smaller businesses in the rut. Therefore they aren't even letting the market decide so it's not even a real free market so it's not even real capitalism! So lack of socialism is not the cause for the gap between the rich and the poor in the US but rather pure corruption is the cause of it.

When Youtube first appeared I thought it would immediately go the way of the original Napster and be shut down. That is, the original intent of Youtube was for people to post their own videos of their own selves. Videos they themseves made and owned. Of course people immediately started posting videos of copyrighted things, things owned by other people or entities. Official music videos, television broadcasts, etc, etc. I thought the powers that be would immediately swoop in and shut it down, just as they did with Napster. But they did just the opposite and completely embraced it. They must have seen there was money to be made and turned it into a tool for themselves in a way they could not do with Napster.

When Youtube first appeared I thought it would immediately go the way of the original Napster and be shut down. That is, the original intent of Youtube was for people to post their own videos of their own selves. Videos they themseves made and owned. Of course people immediately started posting videos of copyrighted things, things owned by other people or entities. Official music videos, television broadcasts, etc, etc. I thought the powers that be would immediately swoop in and shut it down, just as they did with Napster. But they did just the opposite and completely embraced it. They must have seen there was money to be made and turned it into a tool for themselves in a way they could not do with Napster.


I didn't think it would get that big either. I remember when it was for flaming farts, ball crushing and Dragon Ball Z music videos.

The US is weird because it calls itself capitalism but it's not true capitalism when the government comes to bail out large corporations and is shady in ensuring large corporations are taken care of. This leaves smaller businesses in the rut. Therefore they aren't even letting the market decide so it's not even a real free market so it's not even real capitalism! So lack of socialism is not the cause for the gap between the rich and the poor in the US but rather pure corruption is the cause of it.
Ah yes, the "go big or go home" mentality of America too. The military-industrial complex as well. IDK, this all makes me angry that I feel like I might want to do something criminal. I think at this point, government and companies keep only each other alive.

The US is weird because it calls itself capitalism but it's not true capitalism when the government comes to bail out large corporations and is shady in ensuring large corporations are taken care of. This leaves smaller businesses in the rut. Therefore they aren't even letting the market decide so it's not even a real free market so it's not even real capitalism! So lack of socialism is not the cause for the gap between the rich and the poor in the US but rather pure corruption is the cause of it.


In other words, the answer is moar capitalism.

I clearly remember the days when using YouTube was enjoyable and when it went downhill. I will say it right away, the golden years of YouTube were from 2007 - 2009. This is when you had all the content you needed available and yet the site still had a unique identity and was fun to use and not fully made corporate yet. The next best time of course was 2005 and 2006, the days when it was all about the people making YouTube videos. When it was literally "Broadcast Yourself" and the "You" in YouTube was still around. An all-around awesome time. Then the next best time is when things slowly started to decline in 2010, it started to get more corporate... I've noticed this right away. You saw a lot more Vevo around trying to screw people over with Copyright and censoring songs and putting all the popular music videos onto their channel (this happened in 2009 actually but you really started to notice it further into 2010). And a bunch of other silly things got changed. Things that used to be around like the rating system were replaced with the like/dislikes too. In 2010, things started to decline but it wasn't horrible yet. But things officially got horrible in 2011. 2011 is the year when YouTube went downhill and started to be horrible. When they changed the layout and it received this new makeover as stated in this article. I clearly remember when this happened and I got so mad. YouTube was not the same site anymore and went downhill. You really noticed it declined and started to suck around 2010/2011 and it was not how it was before. For this reason, I declare YouTube officially started sucking in 2010/2011. For the life of me, I cannot understand people who say YouTube was still good until 2013... How can anyone say that? I clearly remember myself and others complainin in 2011 how YouTube went downhill and it wasn't the same anymore.

This article gives a solid date when YouTube really went downhill when it changed its layout and got a new makeover. It was really about corporations over people. This was December 2, 2011. I remember it like it was yesterday even though it's 9 years ago now:

https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/02/tech/web/youtube-redesign/index.html


Slim, I think YouTube wanted the redesigning for a long time, I think the layout is pretty good, You can comment, subscribe and leave a thumbs up/thumbs down but the problem is when they ask for money to donate to their Patreon sometimes.

In other words, the answer is moar capitalism.

The way I like to say it is "less corruption".

Slim, I think YouTube wanted the redesigning for a long time, I think the layout is pretty good, You can comment, subscribe and leave a thumbs up/thumbs down but the problem is when they ask for money to donate to their Patreon sometimes.

I also don't care about the redesign or Vevo stuff. I just hate the constant ads, and now the ads for YouTube premium/YouTube music.

What really grinds my gears about YouTube is that:
- The whole community makes it feel like it's Fox News. Heck, YouTube tries to do something woke, it pretty much always fails (e.g. the #MoreThanARefugee like-dislike ratio and comments). Meanwhile you can, at least in time, encounter red-pill BS like "why women are inferior to men" and that sort of stuff, and people celebrate it.

- Copyright claim abuse that YouTube is probably turning a blind eye to at this point. Not a fan of how culture is just used to make money at this point and this is proof of someone (not even a big company that's deemed legal) exploiting such a notion.

- YouTube and Google just simply putting money over everything else even if consumers really hate it.

- Sponsorship messages and self-promos are commonplace, I reckon because YouTube just wants to be advertiser-friendly and many videos aren't so these creators are resorting to shilling their own and/or someone else's crap. Disappointingly, this happened with someone like Tom Scott, who never really used to do this AFAIK.

Now I try to access places like Invidio.us to try and get around YouTube's algorithm. I try to never directly access YouTube otherwise, especially without adblock, except for university research (which doesn't make a significant amount of my time on YouTube).

IMO, ever since Google Plus was implemented into YouTube in 2013, the site never had the same classic original feel that I loved between 2007-2012. Even tho Google Plus has been gone, the damage was long already done, and the site has been through so many changes with all this YouTube TV, Premium, Kids, or COOPA crap whatever you call it. YouTube will never be what it once was prior to 2013 when there used to be an inbox and you'd message your friends and subs from there, and you were able to customize your own page and have great commentaries on your own page as well. All of that's been long gone. It goes way deeper than this. I haven't even explained everything.

IMO, ever since Google Plus was implemented into YouTube in 2013, the site never had the same classic original feel that I loved between 2007-2012. Even tho Google Plus has been gone, the damage was long already done, and the site has been through so many changes with all this YouTube TV, Premium, Kids, or COOPA crap whatever you call it. YouTube will never be what it once was prior to 2013 when there used to be an inbox and you'd message your friends and subs from there, and you were able to customize your own page and have great commentaries on your own page as well. All of that's been long gone. It goes way deeper than this. I haven't even explained everything.

Long before that man. The Google Plus thing happened when YouTube was already in the dumpster... The google plus thing feels like yesterday. And besides they removed that two years ago and YouTube is still bad.

IMO, ever since Google Plus was implemented into YouTube in 2013, the site never had the same classic original feel that I loved between 2007-2012. Even tho Google Plus has been gone, the damage was long already done, and the site has been through so many changes with all this YouTube TV, Premium, Kids, or COOPA crap whatever you call it. YouTube will never be what it once was prior to 2013 when there used to be an inbox and you'd message your friends and subs from there, and you were able to customize your own page and have great commentaries on your own page as well. All of that's been long gone. It goes way deeper than this. I haven't even explained everything.
Money speaks louder than words.  :(

Well, I feel that the day that YouTube truly died was on the 6th of this month as they announced that their COPPA rule was in effect. It ruined cartoons for me as I can't comment on the videos anymore. Doesn't YT realize that there are older audiences who enjoy cartoons as well?

Well, I feel that the day that YouTube truly died was on the 6th of this month as they announced that their COPPA rule was in effect. It ruined cartoons for me as I can't comment on the videos anymore. Doesn't YT realize that there are older audiences who enjoy cartoons as well?
Does that include all forms of cartoons, even Warner Brothers, etc?

Does that include all forms of cartoons, even Warner Brothers, etc?

Yep.  :\'(

Yep.  :\'(
OH NO!!!!

...and Disney?

OH NO!!!!

...and Disney?

That as well. Just check on Disney Channel's YouTube page to see what I mean. The comment sections on all of the videos are blocked and you won't be notified of any new videos popping up.

Long before that man. The Google Plus thing happened when YouTube was already in the dumpster... The google plus thing feels like yesterday. And besides they removed that two years ago and YouTube is still bad.


I genuinely don't think a redesign like that ultimately changed YouTube for the worse. I agree with mqg96 though with Google+. Ever since it was put into YouTube policy, it didn't allow you to make usernames like everyone else did before 2013. Also it forced everybody to use Google+ for almost every YouTube feature. Not only that, but it also required literally everybody to use a Gmail account to make a YouTube account. Which means if you have a Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or even an AOL Mail account, then you're out of luck. It sucks because Google is still making a monopoly on email accounts and nobody can't do anything to stop them.

The second worst thing that happened to YouTube though was changing their algorithm back in late 2012, which insists on recommending people more videos based on how long they watched their videos instead of the tags the video had on. It's pretty much pointless to have that algorithm now because YouTube would recommend random crap that barely anyone wants to watch.

I genuinely don't think a redesign like that ultimately changed YouTube for the worse. I agree with mqg96 though with Google+. Ever since it was put into YouTube policy, it didn't allow you to make usernames like everyone else did before 2013. Also it forced everybody to use Google+ for almost every YouTube feature. Not only that, but it also required literally everybody to use a Gmail account to make a YouTube account. Which means if you have a Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or even an AOL Mail account, then you're out of luck. It sucks because Google is still making a monopoly on email accounts and nobody can't do anything to stop them.

The second worst thing that happened to YouTube though was changing their algorithm back in late 2012, which insists on recommending people more videos based on how long they watched their videos instead of the tags the video had on. It's pretty much pointless to have that algorithm now because YouTube would recommend random crap that barely anyone wants to watch.

Tell me about it. I keep getting recommended videos from SEVERAL years past over topics I typically don't care about.  >:(

I also agree with mqg96. YouTube was fine until they integrated it with Google+.

I also agree with mqg96. YouTube was fine until they integrated it with Google+.

I also agree. Screw Google+. It tried to be the next big social media network, but it flopped. Google was already a monopoly on search engines, so for them to create that monstrosity was pointless. The interface was terrible, you needed a Google+ account in order to get signed up for YouTube, and there was no need for the circles/hobbies as they were also pointless.

I also don't care about the redesign or Vevo stuff. I just hate the constant ads, and now the ads for YouTube premium/YouTube music.


Are you subscribed to a channel you like?

Tell me about it. I keep getting recommended videos from SEVERAL years past over topics I typically don't care about.  >:(


I get recommendations from channels I subscribed to.

Yep.  :\'(
No more "Tom and Jerry"?

Google+ isn't even around anymore... That's not what made YouTube bad at all.

I didn't like the forced Google+ integration, but Google+ on its own wasn't too bad if you were a nerd. It was nicknamed "a social network for nerds" ;D I do remember following a lot of cool projects on it, although I didn't use it much myself (the only post I made was in 2012 when I got Pokémon Black 2 and a profile pic)

Google+ isn't even around anymore... That's not what made YouTube bad at all.


Even with Google Plus not being around anymore, it still permanently damaged the classic YouTube in my eyes. The exact way YouTube was prior to Google Plus taking over, by the time Google Plus went away it was way too late by multiple years. Google Plus had a huge impact on YouTube and changed the way we communicated with our subscriptions, subscribers, commentators, other users, and so forth. There was a YouTube Inbox in 2012 and such thing as YouTube Friends, and it was much simpler to communicate with users, send private messages, and see your notifications that way, but when Google Plus came, it got so complicated and damaged the classic feel of YouTube.

We'll never get the golden ages of YT back. It's gotten way too big.

You know what makes me mad though. In 2012, for some reason, I feel for the SOPA scare/hype and deleted all of my videos. Now I have none of my classic videos. I do remember several users re-uploading at least one of my videos and now those are no where to be found. It's like YouTube took them down. 

Google+ isn't even around anymore... That's not what made YouTube bad at all.


I barely even used Google+.

I barely even used Google+.
I am not sure if I ever used it.

I am not sure if I ever used it.


I used it a few times but I became disinterested in it.