[Best of 2019] ‘YouTubers’ author Chris Stokel-Walker on how to fix the world’s biggest video platform

Naturally, the company has been lambasted over these shortcomings rightly so, many people would argue.

Ive been on that side of the debate too,having written aboutthe platformsmistakes over the past few years.

Stokel-Walker had a lot to say about the platform, and how its viewed in the media.

Obviously theyre not going to be perfect ever, Stokel-Walker said.

Thats part of the challenge.

He basically asked, why cant Youtube actually just hire more human staff?

So where does the problem actually lie?

And is this problem part of the way YouTube is built, or is it simply difficult to solve?

Stokel-Walker said that the algorithm design is a black box up to a certain extent.

Theres only partial information on how it works, from academic papers that YouTube has put out.

And thats just one part of the story.

Some creators are, in a way, giving into the algorithm with their content too.

Its kind of a symbiotic relationship, Stokel-Walker explained.

Humans like watching interesting things.

And if you want to grab viewers attention, you kind of need todo more extreme things.

So I guess its kind of human nature in a way, he said.

The algorithm is, in many ways, an attempt to try and hold a mirror up to society.

But also I think that it is inherently a reactive rather than a proactive company.

And it only answers really to advertisers.

Stokel-Walker said this is essentially how every YouTube scandal has played out over the past two years.

And then things happen overnight.

So is there a way to fix whats broken at YouTube?

With so many moving parts, its certainly not going to be easy.

However, there are potential models that can be looked at as useful prior examples.

Now that doesnt always work.

He didnt have people saying, this is a bad idea.

These are businesses set up to capitalize on the profits that can be wrung from this new media space.

Stokel-Walkers book,YouTubers, is out now from Canbury Press.

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