Optimal ways for taking advantage of Youtube without being taken advantage of yourself.
General attitudes
Whenever using sites like Youtube, always bare in mind that you are in enemy territory. Nothing is as “based”, “redpilled” or even “woke” as it first appears. Not even the specifically anti-Google channels. Moon’s impotent whining has earned him an official checkmark, Luke Smith hosts youtube-exclusive parasocial livestreams, and no, Sam Hyde is not your dad: he is just another E-Celeb.
Keep your visits brief, purposeful and infrequent (this applies to the internet as a whole tbh). Algorithms will tell you what to watch next: pay them no attention. If you watch something that you didn’t intentionally set out to watch then you have been manipulated.
It is very important to remember that the solution is not to find a cool Youtube alternative. Sites like Youtube and its imitators (Odysee, Bitchute, large Peertube instances, alternative YT front-ends, etc.) will always be evil wastes of time and resources. Likewise for music-streaming sites such as Soundcloud. Algorithmic internet streaming is just television for Zoomers.
There is some valuable content on Youtube and Soundcloud. Take it… and leave! Hoard the good stuff, but be ruthless in your selection. The content that you do keep should be good enough for you to take the time and resources to organise (e.g. correctly ordering, editing mp3 tags), store and possibly share with friends. Take pride in your hoarded files - keep them junk free. And be happy with less: you don’t NEED any of it, what you do take is all luxury).
Finally, you don’t need a Youtube account to pull an audience off Youtube. Some channels and labels will promote your music for you. Push to make sure that an alternative non-streaming source (preferably your own website with exclusive additional content) is promoted in the description.
Specific recommendations
- If/when you must, visit Youtube indirectly using an Invidious instance or similar and use an adblock. Don’t get too comfy though.
- If there are channels you want to follow/subscribe to: follow their channel RSS feeds! No updates means no reason to visit.
- Rip media with this excellent software.
- ncmpcpp is great for editing mp3 tags automatically from filenames.
- 200iq low-tech move: record youtube songs onto cassette tapes. Seriously.