Do platforms treat creators and viewers fairly?
John has long worried that YouTube values advertisers over its audience, and in 2024 argued that the user-generated internet has always been rigged against the users who generate it. Hank criticizes demonetization, false copyright claims and engagement-driven algorithms, and in 2026 called TikTok's view counts manipulative, though he praises TikTok-style feeds for helping new creators get discovered.
Axis: fair partner ... breaks its contract with creators
Concept: recommender system
Positions by date: 25 records in 25 videos. The position was refined (2015), never reversed, in these records.
John
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-12 | first on record | John says YouTube has no responsibility to the little guy and he can't get mad at it for wanting to stop losing money, but he hates the reported screen-dimming feature because YouTube is about participation. | The Death of Youtube?? Redesign Coming 00:01:20 |
| 2015-10-27 | refine | John worries YouTube Red could split viewers into those who can pay and those who can't, eroding YouTube's flatness on the audience side. | Understanding YouTube Red: Paid Subscriptions and the Future of Online Video 00:02:02 |
| 2018-07-03 | restate | John thinks YouTube faces big problems: it relies too much on flawed algorithms, and its monetization system often values advertisers over audience. | How Does This End? 00:01:29 |
| 2021-08-17 | restate | That 45% share seems a little bit high to John. | Who Owns Nerdfighteria? 00:02:26 |
| 2024-08-27 | restate | John's thesis: the user-generated internet has always been rigged against the users who generate it. | How The Internet Is Rigged 00:00:44 |
| 2026-09-15 | restate | John worries about what recommendation algorithms value: if only capturing attention, they feed viewers whatever they will watch, not what they will help co-create. | YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 00:03:53 |
Hank
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-21 | first on record | Hank says that afterwards all the algorithms tightened: some channels rebounded but many fell further, squeezing creators of good but not super-happy-family-fun content. | The Adpocalypse: What it Means 00:02:29 |
| 2018-01-05 | restate | Reason five: YouTube's problems are those any sufficiently big social video platform would have: getting advertisers in, monetizing for creators, and too much open uploading to review it all. | Making a Better YouTube 00:02:01 |
| 2018-04-13 | restate | For the platforms anything that gains attention is good, and whether they regard truth, social stability or their users' health is, for now, entirely up to them. | Who is in Control? 00:02:54 |
| 2018-05-25 | restate | Hank tells YouTube it created a contract with creators: the sub feed has to work this way, the one place where users are and need to be in charge. | Please Unsubscribe 00:02:31 |
| 2019-02-01 | restate | Hank says false claims have been a huge issue since Content ID began and still are, especially for small and medium creators, who have basically no recourse at a third strike. | We Have Destroyed Copyright Law 00:05:13 |
| 2019-03-08 | restate | Hank says such stories make advertisers cut spending, YouTube then overreacts by strengthening demonetization algorithms, and even slightly controversial videos may earn nothing. | Does "The Press" Hate YouTube? 00:00:42 |
| 2021-10-05 | restate | Hank says TikTok's discovery system is better than other platforms at lifting good content that would go unnoticed; not certainly, but with a higher chance, and great work inspires more. | Why the Heck am I on TikTok??? 00:01:18 |
| 2022-09-23 | restate | Hank says this is more of a thing on TikTok, because you don't choose what to watch: you are fed only extremely popular content, so less engaging posts about a creator's live show or themselves rarely reach you. | Apparently you can make a short from a video comment now!!! 00:00:00 |
| 2022-09-23 | restate | Hank says systems that allow discovery of new, talented creators are important, and TikTok-like feeds are great for discovery and for building early in a career. | The Real Difference Between YouTube and TikTok 00:02:45 |
| 2023-08-18 | restate | Hank says people reply to shocking takes, which modern algorithms read as engagement and time on platform, so the less common, worse opinions are often intentionally promoted. | The #1 Tip for People Who Use the Internet 00:01:40 |
| 2023-10-27 | restate | Hank says the trouble is that viewers who start with Complexly's content still get these fake videos recommended, because their titles about aliens being real are exciting. | I Keep Thinking About Taylor Swift 00:01:20 |
| 2024-04-12 | restate | Hank worries about our collective decision to hand power to algorithms: then platforms, which often don't know how their algorithms work, decide, so it is no human's choice what exists. | Feeling Like a Failure (During an Eclipse) 00:03:14 |
| 2024-08-23 | restate | Hank says YouTube treats creators not as website users but as business partners, which is almost always how it feels, but not in this situation. | Is Google Training AI on YouTube Videos? 00:29:28 |
| 2025-10-31 | restate | Hank says the terrible thing about algorithmic platforms is that they amplify tiny signals, as YouTube does in serving ever more enticing content. | We Did It… 00:04:19 |
| 2025-11-21 | restate | Hank says the best way to help Complexly and the world is to indulge curiosity and not let algorithms, which serve fear, anxiety and outrage to keep us engaged, shape our choices. | I Wasn't Always Like This!! 00:05:43 |
| 2026-01-02 | restate | Hank says algorithms are amazing at showing us what we want and terrible at showing us what we want to want. | I Got a New Disease and I Kinda Liked It. 00:05:48 |
| 2026-02-13 | restate | Hank calls today's content systems ultimate salience engines that keep people from ever looking away. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! 05:33:36 |
| 2026-06-05 | restate | Hank says TikTok reports higher view numbers to look impressive and partly to manipulate creators into feeling more successful. | The Things We Don't Discuss 00:03:59 |
| 2026-09-18 | restate | Hank says this is not what anyone means by a view, and he finds it inaccurate and manipulative, both to creators and to brands. | John was Wrong about YouTube Views 00:05:55 |
Background
| date | how | position | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-16 | background | Hank sings that YouTube may avoid its demise by becoming like Hulu, but if it comes at the cost of the little guys he might say goodbye; he closes that YouTube is what the community does, not Google. (playful, hedged) | The Day the YouTubes Died 00:01:10 |