Indian YouTubers lap up fake videos

Is YTube's popularity going down cuz of this fake menace?


  • Total voters
    19
  • Poll closed .

swatkats

Skilled
Videos that are watched by Indians on YouTube, on a daily basis, are predominantly fake, ambiguous and hoax. Whenever a major event happens, especially tragedies, the YouTube is flooded with conspiracy theories.

During the untimely demise of actor Sridevi, YouTube was filled with several videos, most of them with fake. Even if a person opens a fresh account, the YouTube India home page can show some sleazy suggestions because YouTube’s algorithm chooses them based on the views in India.

The video content contributed up to 65 per cent of the total mobile data traffic in India, according to a Nokia MbIT 2018 report. While India has become the world’s largest mobile data-consuming nation, YouTube also caters to the country with a different algorithm for India compared to other countries. This is attributed to the wide variety of languages and diverse people with different tastes.

Experts believe that over the past five years, the meaning of digital literacy has changed from computer education to being able to effectively use smart phones.
Many users are coming online and are exploring the internet all by themselves. Evidently, it is easy for them to get carried away by fake news.

Nitin Kumar, a software engineer, said, “My mother saw a video on Youtube which asked her to put a leaf on her sandal and walk. She tried it and ended up with pain. We had to rush to the doctor”.

The company is yet to fix the issue of fake videos in India while it is testing it out in US. In February, it rolled out the notices option “to equip users with additional information to help them better understand the sources of news content that they choose to watch on YouTube.”

With the new option, a notice will appear below the video, and include a link to Wikipedia so that the viewers can learn more about the news broadcaster.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nati...18/indians-lap-up-fake-videos-on-youtube.html
 
Just don't use that cancer youtube app. Google makes their app worse with every update, i don't know how people tolerate chrome and youtube app with their ads on every tab/video.
Use Newpipe it doesn't have ads, no cringy comments and many options such as blank home page, playing videos with external players and playing video as mp3.
You won't fall for fake videos if you don't use their home page.
 
Requires education and application. Take a person outside their zone of knowledge and they are easy marks. And this is with educated people.
 
In 2010 some people abroad told me they don't watch TV any more they watch youtube. I thought they were crazy

Then in 2015 i found i was doing the same thing they were. Is ytube's popularity going down. No it is skyrocketing because its free.

It is very easy to make up facts and present them in a misleading way. It takes much effort to spot holes and outright lies. Who is able to do this ? you are likely to believe whatever story pushes your buttons. In some cultures only the conspiracy theory is credible. A simple story is not accepted even if it may be true.

eg. remember that english cricket coach of the Pak team who died on tour ? Everybody i spoke to said he was murdered. Bookies ordered a hit. Here and offline. But three independent reports said no evidence. Which story did people believe ? the murder story of course because it was hard to believe the three doctors. That had to be the diversion or fake story. Yet the wife never thought there was any foul play. Which to me debunks the murder theory right away.

Whatever Indian youtubers are doing exists already in much more variety and depth abroad.

Be selective with your sources.
 
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I've switched to Firefox with Adblock to watch videos on Mobile. Painful though but flawless.

I removed normal firefox and installed firefox focus. it disables ads by default. not many indian ads are disabled if you go to indian news paper sites though. but it is very fast in loading pages. best of all it deletes history by default. there is no close button for tab. just a trash icon at bottom.
 
Just don't use that cancer youtube app. Google makes their app worse with every update, i don't know how people tolerate chrome and youtube app with their ads on every tab/video.
Use Newpipe it doesn't have ads, no cringy comments and many options such as blank home page, playing videos with external players and playing video as mp3.
You won't fall for fake videos if you don't use their home page.

ad blocker with Xposed
 
It costs to publish videos and the ROI received from youtube doesnt even covers 10% of expenses for great video.
(consider adding high end models / celebrity etc.).
YouTube India neads to still open the pockets from Youtube HeadQuarters !! to succeed.

A very minor fraction of people succeed on Youtube (trying about various methods.. ) but finally failed and closed down there hobby as cannot sustain..
 
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