A 'fix' for those STUPID YouTube 'Shorts'

[Midpack]

Something not mentioned here, is that the 'shorts' format is rotated 90 degrees from what every screen in the world is designed to display. Who decided it was cool to watch a video like your are peeking through a keyhole?

Every screen? They're shot and viewed on smartphones, that's the normal orientation for them. Look at younger folks holding their smartphones, how often do you see them horizontal/landscape? We are not the target audience, it's all the Instagram, TikTok and the like crowd who YT is going after with shorts.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Something not mentioned here, is that the 'shorts' format is rotated 90 degrees from what every screen in the world is designed to display. Who decided it was cool to watch a video like your are peeking through a keyhole?

And this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I think anyone who takes video vertically should have all their flat panel TVs mounted vertically for a year.

ERD, thanks for the tip...I agree that the lack of controls is annoying. It would be nice to figure out how to omit the "shorts" from any search I do, but that doesn't seem to be an option.

 

[ERD50]

Every screen? They're shot and viewed on smartphones, that's the normal orientation for them. Look at younger folks holding their smartphones, how often do you see them horizontal/landscape? We are not the target audience, it's all the Instagram, TikTok and the like crowd who YT is going after with shorts.

And that *might* be just fine, if the only intended audience is casual viewing on phone screens.

But... they show up on my desktop too. And it isn't always intended by the content creator, and I've read complaints of this (may try to find a link later), but there is this:

https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-shorts/

YouTube will automatically categorize any YouTube content that’s 60 seconds or less as a Short.

So look at the video that started this.

A guy sitting in a chair reading a captioned script in a 59 second video. He's talking pretty fast, but it is fairly heavy content, and the context is broken up across several shots (only a few words posted at once). So as I'm watching, I go "Wait, what was that he said"..., and I want to replay the last 5 seconds (easily done with a left arrow - it's muscle memory for me now), but that option is gone.

Sure, I could start from the beginning, it's 'only' 59 seconds long, but why, when the tools are there to do exactly what I want - replay the last 5 or 10 seconds?

It just makes no sense to me to take away options without some sound technical reason. For the users that don't care about using those options, they have the option of not using them! That's why they are called.... options!

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

...

ERD, thanks for the tip...I agree that the lack of controls is annoying. It would be nice to figure out how to omit the "shorts" from any search I do, but that doesn't seem to be an option.

You are welcome, but I (personally) don't really want to eliminate the shorts, there are some I want to see. But I want the standard controls I'm used to when I watch them!

It's like if your car figured you were only going to take a short trip, so it disables the radio, or the heater (even though the car was warmed up from a recent trip), or disables the seat adjustment (heck, you'll only be in the car for three minutes, you can be uncomfortable for that short time!). It's just crazy stupid.

-ERD50

 

[Qs Laptop]

Every screen? They're shot and viewed on smartphones, that's the normal orientation for them. Look at younger folks holding their smartphones, how often do you see them horizontal/landscape? We are not the target audience, it's all the Instagram, TikTok and the like crowd who YT is going after with shorts.

Yep, and they're all doing it wrong.

[Edited to add: Now that I've actually watched my first YouTube short I understand why they are doing their videos in portrait orientation and I don't see a problem with it.]

 

[CaptTom]

Ahh, three of my pet peeves, all in one place. (1) Dumbing down a UI by taking away user control, (2) vertical videos, and (3) those stupid "shorts"!


Thanks. I'm glad it's not just me. I feel better now.

 

[threeonesix]

IT guy here ... Google has been telling us for the last decade that everything they do will eventually favor mobile devices over web browsers. For example, websites that do not support (at all, or even just "well") mobile browsers will have their search rankings lowered to the extreme. Whereas before the site might have been top 10 without paying for such, if it does not support mobile browsers very well it's going to find itself in the thousands.

My guess is, with YouTube, this is just more of the same, favoring shorts over full-blown video.

Everything is moving toward mobile browsers and apps. In a decade most, if not all, websites pulled up in a browser will show the mobile version by default. I don't think it is necessarily related to the popularity of TikTok or any other app; rather I believe it is due to the fact that computer manufacturers are moving R&D and dollar$ to the development of tablets and handhelds over laptops and desktops.

 

[JoeWras]

This saddens me. Rich content gone for eye candy and quick hits.

The golden age of the internet is gone. I'm gonna say peak was about 15 years ago. Lots of content. Good manners. Lots of cooperation. Freedom. Desktops. Mobile. Yeah, video too. All with good control.

Now it has devolved to non-controllable, minimalistic short attention span content that has to fit in someone's properly vetted box, with mostly vapid content. Sad.

 

[Time2]

And that *might* be just fine, if the only intended audience is casual viewing on phone screens.

But... they show up on my desktop too. And it isn't always intended by the content creator, and I've read complaints of this (may try to find a link later), but there is this:

https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-shorts/



So look at the video that started this.

A guy sitting in a chair reading a captioned script in a 59 second video. He's talking pretty fast, but it is fairly heavy content, and the context is broken up across several shots (only a few words posted at once). So as I'm watching, I go "Wait, what was that he said"..., and I want to replay the last 5 seconds (easily done with a left arrow - it's muscle memory for me now), but that option is gone.

Yes, I miss that option also.

Sure, I could start from the beginning, it's 'only' 59 seconds long, but why, when the tools are there to do exactly what I want - replay the last 5 or 10 seconds?

Yes, $#lY, I have replayed entire shorts because of that.

It just makes no sense to me to take away options without some sound technical reason. For the users that don't care about using those options, they have the option of not using them! That's why they are called.... options!

-ERD50

 

[GenXguy]

I've only run into this once so far several weeks ago. I didn't know what the heck was going on. I haven't run into it again and actually forgot about it until reading this thread.

Yeah, I hated it.

 

[euro]

How does one happen to land on YouTube shorts? I've never had it happen. I mostly view YouTube on my PC or TV.

A keyword search will bring up shorts and regular clips. I hate the shorts too for the same reason as the OP mentioned: zero control

 

[euro]

This saddens me. Rich content gone for eye candy and quick hits.

The golden age of the internet is gone. I'm gonna say peak was about 15 years ago. Lots of content. Good manners. Lots of cooperation. Freedom. Desktops. Mobile. Yeah, video too. All with good control.

Now it has devolved to non-controllable, minimalistic short attention span content that has to fit in someone's properly vetted box, with mostly vapid content. Sad.

Agree on all points!

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, I don’t think I’ve run across a YouTube short.

I expect it will happen now though.

 

[mf15]

Just looked at my youtube page on laptop.
Shorts are gone.
There is now a shorts icon under the home icon.
Oldmike

 

[Cobra9777]

Shorts don't bother me at all. I mainly watch Youtube on the big screen using the Fire TV app. The only tabs I click are "Home" and "Subscriptions." On Home, the first row is my Recommended videos. That's really all I look at and there are no shorts. Shorts are on the 3rd row where I don't even see them.

On Subscriptions, I do see shorts from time to time. But obviously, only the ones posted by my subscribed channels. In the vertical format, they are somewhat annoying to watch on TV. So I usually skip them.

On the phone, shorts can be a lot of fun and somewhat addicting. The vertical format works great. But it's purely for light entertainment. I don't try to watch serious videos in the short format. That's not what it's for.

And be aware... whatever shorts you linger on, you'll get more of. So I've learned to "flick up" quickly on certain... umm... genres.

As to OP's point about about lack of playback control in the browser version... yeah, I noticed that too. The workaround works well. But the fact remains that shorts are intended for viewing exclusively on a smartphone. If you want, you *can* watch them on a browser or TV. But I'm quite confident that they expended zero effort trying to optimize that experience.

 

[Golden Mean]

Every screen? They're shot and viewed on smartphones, that's the normal orientation for them. Look at younger folks holding their smartphones, how often do you see them horizontal/landscape? We are not the target audience, it's all the Instagram, TikTok and the like crowd who YT is going after with shorts.

Yeah, I suppose so. Though I only watch videos on my phone in landscape orientation.

 

[Midpack]

Hilarious how many here can’t grasp that our generation is NOT the target audience for YT shorts. They’re designed to appeal to their chosen younger target audience and compete with TikTok. It’s like a 70-something walking into an Old Navy store and complaining you don’t like the clothes there. Maybe this is how you can self diagnose as a curmudgeon?

That and the senior poster who will inevitably now tell us they buy their clothes at Old Navy all the time…

 

[punkinhead]

I use the Brave browser which allowed me to create a rule to block shorts on YouTube so now I don't even see them.

 

[ERD50]

Hilarious how many here can’t grasp that our generation is NOT the target audience for YT shorts. They’re designed to appeal to their chosen younger target audience and compete with TikTok. It’s like a 70-something walking into an Old Navy store and complaining you don’t like the clothes there. Maybe this is how you can self diagnose as a curmudgeon?

That and the senior poster who will inevitably now tell us they buy their clothes at Old Navy all the time…

Man, you are still not getting it!

It's not the concept of a grouping of < 60 second videos that I'm complaining about. There are two things:

1) They took away some of the user controls. This might not be a big deal for many videos, but there are some that a user may want to use the FW/RW keys for, I gave one example. Why take away options from the user?

2) YouTube converted content creator's <60 second videos to this format automatically, whether the creator intended them for this sort of casual viewing or not. I gave an example where a creator intentionally expects you to pause to read text at your own pace, and the FW/RW keys are an asset to this style. But the video get stripped of these features unilaterally, w/o any awareness of the content.

In fact, I can see where this almost 70 year old geezer would seek out a grouping of 'shorts' - say I have 5 minutes to kill, and just want some light entertainment, I don't want to get sucked into anything I can't finish. Four or five 'shorts' might fit that bill just fine. Going to a place with popular short videos could be quite convenient.

As far as the oft-derived vertical format - well, if YouTube research says most people watch these shorts on phones, I guess I can see some logic to that. What happens to the auto-converted ones from content creators who did not intend for their work to be presented in the vertical format? Just squished down? Cropped? That's not good either. And I understand they are competing with other platforms - but I don't see that as a reason to remove features, in fact, competition-wise, added features/options are good (as long as they don't get in the way, which these don't).

Maybe you should skip the 'curmudgeon' categorization when you just can't follow or agree with another persons reasoned point-of-view?

And I don't think any 'short supporters' have answered my question: What benefit is there to removing the controls (they are already developed, they will need to be maintained for longer videos where they are used by almost all)? As I mentioned, they are an option - if you don't want to use them, don't. But don't take them away for those who might want to use them occasionally.

-ERD50

 

[folivier]

I agree with you ERD50, facebook also has these "short reels" that are meaningless and apparently just put up to waste time. They also do not have FF, etc. Too many utube or other videos have so much wasted time that I hate watching any of them.
Gimme something to read and I can grasp the concept much better than most videos.

 

[punkinhead]

The two things I don't like about shorts, and the reason I created a filter to get rid of them, are because they don't have a volume control and they auto repeat. A good percentage of them seem to be at very high volume compared to regular videos. And why would I want a short video to automatically loop around and start over with no pause?

 

[dixonge]

Man, you are still not getting it!
<<snip>>
Maybe you should skip the 'curmudgeon' categorization when you just can't follow or agree with another persons reasoned point-of-view?

And I don't think any 'short supporters' have answered my question: What benefit is there to removing the controls (they are already developed, they will need to be maintained for longer videos where they are used by almost all)? As I mentioned, they are an option - if you don't want to use them, don't. But don't take them away for those who might want to use them occasionally.

-ERD50

A few thoughts here:

1. The more you 'yell' the more you come across as 'get off my lawn' - it is kinda curmudgeonly LOL
2. While others have mentioned several demographic reasons for YT to do this, that doesn't necessarily mean they *support* shorts
3. YT doesn't necessarily care about removing user control benefits if it somehow increases their revenue. Shorts are designed to be watched in full or skipped, not to be rewound or fast-forwarded like typical video. If some creators are putting studio content in shorts, that isn't something YT has designed it for and it will definitely frustrate both user and viewer. Again, YT has obviously seen some incentive to *removing* those controls from shorts. What that is, I am unsure

For me, I generally don't watch shorts because they seem to be designed to keep me watching mostly inane, useless content and I rarely want that.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Hilarious how many here can’t grasp that our generation is NOT the target audience for YT shorts. They’re designed to appeal to their chosen younger target audience and compete with TikTok. It’s like a 70-something walking into an Old Navy store and complaining you don’t like the clothes there. Maybe this is how you can self diagnose as a curmudgeon?

That and the senior poster who will inevitably now tell us they buy their clothes at Old Navy all the time…

We get it, we are just ignoring you. OUR point is we would like a choice and a few lines of code would make this work FOR EVERYONE.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

Shorts...watch them or don't watch them.

Complaining endlessly isn't going to change anything.

 

[bloom2708]

I don't mind the Shorts. I guess it depends on what you Subscribe to.

They can be a time eater. Flipping up and 20 minutes is gone.

Like anything, watch what you like, skip what you don't.