YouTube Shorts is Changing YouTube - Smarter Every Day 266 

A video like this could not thrive on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or even Facebook for that matter. This is my attempt to explain what's good about RU-vid, and to encourage decisions within RU-vid's leadership to consider leaving a bit of money on the table in favor of protecting the beautiful cathedral that they have created for us. Following the short-term numbers will destroy the beautiful thing you have created, but if you stay the course and stay true to Your Voice, I believe the fact that Educational content thrives here on RU-vid will ultimately make you win in the end. Thank you to those who work at RU-vid for making a platform where beautiful things like this can exist. The challenge now is to fight to keep it this way, when the siren song of more dollars is no doubt trying to pull you away from that which is good.

Thanks for this thoughtful video Destin. I am constantly reminded of how ‘the medium is the message’ which makes me wonder what is the real message of RU-vid? I think for a long time the message of RU-vid has been in depth, quality content, which contrasts with other social media platforms. Like you I hope they keep it this way and don’t keep trying to copy every other platform out there. What I love about your work is you’ve never lost your voice. Thanks for using your voice for good on here.

Thank you all creators still try to steer RU-vid to the right direction.

RU-vid "Broadcast Yourself" That was the slogan and mantra when it was climbing up from obscurity. It was power to the people to make their voice heard.

Thank you Destin for the fun photo project! Running around Paris to find the exact same spots and capture it again was like a really cool Indiana Jones adventure!

Very good points. To add to the conversation, I'm not a fan of the dislike button no longer showing the count either. Now it's harder to sort through tutorial videos. I learn how to do some household tasks like change outlets here on RU-vid. Now I can't tell if the video is clickbait, low quality, or if everyone got electrocuted unless I read the comments in every video. The problem is, content creators can turn the comments OFF. So now people here on RU-vid can curate a well crafted lie for watch time, and even propaganda can flourish now. I think they're creating a monster without even realizing it. The RU-vid shorts are only going to exacerbate this downward trend too.

As Destin would say: “in a world of talkers, be a THINKER and a doer”. Thank you Destin for thinking about how content on internet should be delivered and for producing such good stuff for so many years.

After the disappearance of the dislike counter it's clearly harder to see yt in such a positive light, but i think that the overall message is still extremely important AND relevant, all content producers should take this message to heart, if they didn't already by themselves. God bless you Destin, never change.

“Half of RU-vid's mission is to give everyone a voice" The other half is making sure no one is able to hear it

Agreed. I'm not a fan of shorts, but rather more thorough content. Shorts, TikTok and reels are fine, but everyone wants to be what RU-vid is. RU-vid shouldn't try to be what they are not.

I honestly feel this is one of your most important videos that you have done. Although the aim of this video content is directed at the platform of RU-vid, it's application is much more broader and far reaching. And is fundamental to navigating our "modern" life. Keep up the good fight and stay the course.

Another showcase of not only how smart you are, but how WISE you are. Big props Destin🔥🔥

I use RU-vid mainly for education. I watch tutorials and DIY projects, and the dislike button saved me from wasting my time with bad videos, because people with more knowledge than me would dislike something that is wrong. Now I have no idea if something new for me is correct or wrong !!! RU-vid just destroyed education!!! 🤬

RU-vid needs to be replaced with something better. Removing dislike view is such a dumb decision, one of many these past few years.

Thank you for ‘not losing your voice’ and sharing this message. I hope to follow that lead in those things I pursue.

I have been watching you for a few years now, if there was a youtube saint award, you would get one. Khan academy comes to mind to compare to what you are doing. Making facinating subjects accessible and adding a level of unobstuctive entertainment is a massively effective delivery. You do an incredible job. Smarter Every Day is an example of the good things online communication has to offer and I wish you nothing but the best. (Also, as a 50 year old, I've been forwarding the James Webb video to everyone. Geeking out hard, fingers crossed, can't wait to see the results. Cheers to your Dad)

I agree, and really appreciate your message!

Completely agree. So many other RU-vidrs I see just copy the latest trend or success, rather than stick to their style that gave them the passion in the first place.

A very fascinating video!!!! The power of the “Voice” is amazing!! Thanks for your version/vision of voice….. You hit a major point I have thought of often. The “short” version… I watch Utube because I have the choice to go in-depth on a subject and think about it. It provides many opinions and points of view. That’s the short part. But it also allows you to think about it and make your own choice. That’s the long part. At least for me… Thanks again for the video!!! Definitely a change of pace!!! Keep your voice!!!! Please!!!! In this point in time too many are content with letting others “Voice” for them……

Hi Destin. That's one of the best video I've ever seen about being a individual, being true to yourself, being who you really are and not letting RU-vid, Facebook and all the other tech companies dictate your content and stuff with their algorithms. It's really food for thoughts. 👍👍

I agree about Notre Dame; most of the reason people want to visit is to see that time capsule; how all the parts of such a building encapsulated a period of time in France and Europe's history, and the relationship the Catholic Church had with art, architecture, and civil engineering. When you randomly change bits of it to have modern art, you lose part of the spirit of the cathedral, what makes it what it is.

Thanks for making this video Destin!

As a photographer and HUGE fan of your content, this is the most insightful video I’ve watched in a long time. As a photographer, I’m not happy with the shift from photography to video shorts on Instagram. I think you have a very important perspective on mental health and the positive data in respect to the RU-vid platform. I hope RU-vid is listening….listening to you. This was a great video, recreating old photos and especially capturing a moment in time at the cathedral. What a great 24 minutes!

“Gly”: Absolutely brilliant video! As a creator myself I’ve struggled with this very same issue. Thanks for bringing it to light. Take care.

I'm a huge fan of doing these then and now photo projects. It's a great way to connect with history. Appreciate your voice!

Destin: "Don't lose your voice" Me: "Oh man, I totally agree with everything Destin says."

I love your format and content. I have shared it with all four of my grandchildren. They love watching Smarter Every Day with Opa.

Thank you for this! I totally agree: we have something magical here on RU-vid right now, and I enjoy it everyday. Things are always changing, but I really hope we can hold onto this as long as possible

I also don't like how they removed the dislike button. It's going down the path of the other platforms that also don't have dislikes. It really provides a good measure of whether a video is actually good or bad. It is supposed to be a useful tool, but some people just use it as a weapon and now we all have to suffer without one of RU-vid's greatest tools.

Shorts are fast food but long form is a home cooked meal. Yes fast food is popular, but it cannot beat moms cooking. It doesn't make you feel good in the long term, that's why I think there will always be a spot for long form videos here on RU-vid. Shorts is just an answer to where the attention market is moving towards, and I am not immune to this. Destin you said you are resisting but are not closed to shorts. I am a noob but I can personally vouch that there is value in converting a long form video into a short. It is like distilling an idea to its purest form, it shows whats important, and is just another tool in content creation.

I’m so grateful for your channel and work. Love the material, perspective and heart and soul of your work.

Awesome Job to Matthew for recreating the exact angle and everything. Truly has an artistic eye! Thats amazing

Algorithms from a handful of companies are altering our culture in small increments but not insignificant amounts. It’s important for creators to remember their values. Thank you Destin for keeping them.

OUTSTANDING VIDEO! My favorite part of SmarterEveryDay is the reaction of those involved. When the baseball broke Mach 1, the weedwacker line wrapped and unwrapped, the submariners proudly discussed their craft, the snatch blocks lifted an incredible mass, etc, etc.... Each of the moments included the unfiltered responses of those involved. Sheer exaltation, shock, and dismay are all at play here. KEEP SHARING THESE MOMENTS! And keep including your friends throughout the world. Well done Destin.

Thank you Dustin. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us have felt in this weird age of mis/disinformation competing with real facts. I appreciate your voice, your opinion, and your insight on the matter. Keep doing what you do, because you truly do make the world smarter every day :)

This is just the coolest thing in every way! Thank you and your team for providing such amazing content!

You're running one of the best educational outlets in the world Destin. Forget shorts, forget pandering to the algorithm, you are doing everything right. Thank you sincerely for everything this channel has done, and thank you on behalf of my kids too.

I agree with you. Don't sell out! Make videos for you and if viewers don't appreciate it, that's their problem. When the viewers pay you directly a substantial amount, then they can complain. As long as the content is free, viewers should take it or leave it, and since you did not make the content for any specific viewer, the criticism of some random stranger on the internet with entitlement is a serious mental disability. Not all viewers are reasonable and respectful no matter what you do. Make the videos you want to see and nurture the viewers who appreciate your hard work. Everyone else is an unnecessary distraction and their delusional self-entitled and self-important opinions are of no value to you.

Thanks for your efforts to highlight the positive aspects of RU-vid, over the race to the bottom. As you have so clearly explained.

Absolutely nailed it! RU-vid is a publishing platform. You are a content creator. You earn/"perform" for both yourself and RU-vid. RU-vid exists to profit from your work. It's options are to do so either parasitically (by consuming value from you) or symbiotically (by creating value for you). In reality, this is a spectrum. But the fact remains, the content creator is the host. No content creator should ever change for their publishing platform, in the same way that no person should ever change for their mosquito. Smarter Every Day is my doorway to the thinky place.

Destin is, without a doubt, one of the very best content creators on RU-vid. I can't think of anyone that communicates as clearly, effectively, and thoughtfully as he does.

I love how educational RU-vid

Destin...man don't change anything. I like watch your videos due to how you do things, the enjoyment you get from it (Evident in each video) and yeah...your voice in every applicable meaning of that phrase. Love this project you did and had no idea about your other channel which I will certainly check out. Cheers mate!

Man, You definitely are on the right track. I'm happy to support your channel to stay the same. I love learning and I don't really like the way things are going.

I love this video. You are so right about everything. That’s exactly what my thought were about these changes within all these social media platforms. I feel like they want us to be a sheep and jump from one place to another for their own benefits.

I've never had an Instagram account, I've tried TikTok for a few minutes and hated it, and my Facebook account, which I've had for about 10 years, I rarely use. What I've noticed is that all these platforms want you to do is consume and keep them on their platforms as long as they can. But what's worse is the algorithms they use to impose an opinion on you, whether you realise it, or not. The reason I rarely use Facebook is because I did notice what was trying to be pushed down my throat and I don't like it. These types of platforms are dangerous and really set up echo chambers that take people down negative rabbit holes that turns them antisocial and as Destin says, it changes their voice. RU-vid still has an element of that as well, but there is so much content like what Destin provides to learn and enjoy. His channel is varied, educational and, I believe, comes from a great heart without being hyperbolic or trying to assert an opinion, rather he encourages you to think for yourself, and that's what I like.

LOVED the stereo audio/video of Notre Dame... Dustin, you are one of the best and smartest on RU-vid. Thanks for what you share! ❤👍😎

Thanks Destin I need that occasion enlightening ideas throughout the year! Merry Christmas from Hong Kong

Just two days before Notre-Dame burned, I was in Paris on a school trip in Europe where we explored different important places from WW2. I was standing in front of the Notre-Dame but decided not to go in due to long lines and time constraints (this was a school trip after all). I remember after we’d moved on from Paris and were in Belgium, watching on TV as the spire of the cathedral fell, engulfed by the flames. My biggest regret then and now was not taking the time to go inside and see it with my own eyes. It was right there, and though it’ll be rebuilt, I would never be able to see and feel how it once was myself. This video allowed me to at least get some feel for what it was like, and for that I thank you, Destin.

Thank you Destin for this video. You just don't know the impact it had on me: I'm French, I live in Paris, and when Notre Dame went down in flames I had the privilege as a police officer to enter the still smoking cathedral the morning after. Since that day I haven't been back there and avoided watching images of it cause it hurts so much. Therefore, thank you so much for taking me back inside before the disaster ! And yes, your voice counts ! It really does. Thanks for all the learning and discovery on your awesome channel !!!!!!!

Aaand this is the point where I'm not just subscribed but also enabled all notifications. I like when a content creator stops/reduces clickbait and focuses on doing quality content without really caring about playing the algorithm.

And that's a main reason why I subscribed to you. I love how you investigate something. So far, my favorite is the supersonic canon.

This is so insightful. Owning your voice is important on youtube. Thanks for making this video!

There’s two things I found interesting about this. Firstly, cathedrals like Notre Dame are extraordinarily vast given their age. The people who planned it and laid the foundation stones would never have lived long enough to see it completed. The scale of such buildings is such that there’s constant building maintenance going on. You could say that, from the first stone to this day, builders have never really left. The second point is that those glass negatives are almost certainly 5 x 4 inches, a format that is still in use today. 5 x 4 and 10 x 8 large format cameras are still used for architectural and studio photography, especially where poster-sized images are required. Even in this digital age, larger formats provide for incredible detail and detect a range of colours that normal cameras can’t.

I adore the "Think!" advice of yours, Destin. Thanks a lot.

With those acoustics in Notre Dame, imagine how absolutely crazy the fire might have sounded before it destroyed the ceiling.

This was enjoyable to watch. I've thought about it often when I chat to full time YT friends who I can see are chasing what brings in the clicks, and thus revenue. And it's their livelihood, so I never judge but I can tell they don't always enjoy it as much. I have also not been able to engage with shorts, which tbh I've considered almost a failing on my part as a 'creator'. But I am privileged to have an outside job, and a small enough RU-vid channel to not really feel those pressures in a meaningful way. I can't imagine what it's like to run a channel with millions of subs and several employees. The other reason I liked it was that I've spent a great deal of time in Paris and love it dearly - it's an interesting choice for then & now photos as it's had strict building restrictions in the centre since even before the Belle Époque. A thoughful introspective vid :)

Destin... When you pulled put the slides I got a bit emotional. My mom and dad took MAANY slides (and photos and stuff) and they've passed away in the last 10 years. But this year I was told I'm in the late stages of Esophageal Cancer. I won't be alive long and my sister came to stay with me a bit. We were going through slides and pics from mom and dad. I can't imagine being without those physical ties to the past, our childhood, and even further back. They didn't lie and didn't stage things to get more views. It meant a lot to see our true past. So glad to see you are being strong on being a true and unrelenting 'you', in the face of a world desperate to 'remake'. God bless. J

Thank you. Physical artifacts that preserve and promote memory are so key to our rituals of remembrance. Preserving our memories is key to preserving our voice.

Destin. This has hit me hard. Thank you, my life was turned upside down because I lived to what I thought people wanted to hear. I am getting better now but hearing you speak in such an inspiring way about what you love has mad eme get up and be productive again. Much love from the UK

I have been hitting that same wall on whether to follow my own voice or chase what the platforms want. RU-vid should be fun and I want to keep it that way. Thank you for putting this out as I felt it was less a choice and more a necessity. Make what you love!

Very well said Destin, Stay Original as you always do. Thank you for making us aware about these things!

What a wonderful video, full of enthusiasm and thought provoking discussion. Plus, it was so much fun to pause it and look closely at how the locations have changed and remained the same through the decades. While doing this I noticed that the modern picture of the Arc de Triomphe is taken from the opposite side from the old picture. The bas relief sculture didn't look the same so I virtually walked around the Arc using Google Street View (we truly do live in the future!) and discovered this. It's amazing how much deep information and data is at everybody's fingertips. Smarter Every Day and Mathieu Stern are adding to that depth of easily accessible knowledge. Thank you!

As a content creator myself, I agree, we are loosing who we are, trying to please and compete with an algorithm, leading the next generations to something that doesn’t look good…

I agree to the sentiments of not losing your voice. My content is very specific and has its niche, and I up right refuse to change the format based on the algorithm. I'd rather remain true to myself and continue to make content exactly as I intended with no tweaks to appease the neon god 😁. If it gets views, it gets views. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Ultimately it goes back to "How much can a person be paid to work to someone else's time or constraints?"

Wow! I am glad I watched that whole thing. Your message near the end there is what we all need to hear! My channel is extremely tiny compared to yours, but this helps me. I just got an Insta360 Go2 so I can do shorts easier than I can with a GoPro. But after this I do think I am going to make sure and not, as you say, lose my voice. My shorts will be mainly to promote my main channel content or channel in general, not a replacement for it. Thanks for this and I do hope RU-vid listens and makes sure they keep true to the platform and don't evolve to another TikTok.

I remembered this video, and here it is five months later, and I do believe you are doing a phenomenal job of being aware of your voice, I see the improvement in the videos and live it!!! Keep it up, there are not many who do! "Be the change you want to see in the world"

The internet: “let’s get people hyped about digital NFTs!!” Dustin: “So I bought a bunch of physical slides from the 1960s”

I'm behind anything you do Bud, just don't lose the Blue and White Hat!!☺

Destin, what I like about your voice, that seems to be consistent in my eyes is that you enjoy to meet new fascinating and diverse people, people that come from all sorts of backgrounds. I absolutely love how your curiosity gets you excited to meet them and to pick their brains for the expertise they have...from engineers to inventors, to artists and musicians and so on. In my opinion you kept your voice and you are still using it. All that changed is the increased number of friends you make and keep in touch with. Every episode someone new shows up to share their knowledge with your viewers. Thank you for creating new experiences for us, the viewers.

Absolute right Boss even some famous RU-vidrs made this mistakes people used to here your voice and then sudden voice change strange experience

I really love how you applied the "don't lose your voice" to yourself at first, then circled back with tying the message to Big RU-vid. Your video really drove that point home. I recently visited Paris and when near Notre Dame, I couldn't help but be moved to tears with the detailed photo gallery of the damage that they had on display. It really is beyond belief that the cathedral is still standing at all. The photos available on the internet don't really do the damage justice. The team working on the cathedral are heroes in every sense of the word. I know we apply that label to a lot of things these days, however, it takes people of heroic courage to have entered and worked on that structure after the amount of damage done. I personally hope they make it as it was, recognizing that it will be impossible to recreate everything, but as you said, it's really not my say and others get to make that decision.

As a traditional blacksmith when I first uploaded to RU-vid, one of my first comments was from a professor who said " this is a great example. It's not not the strongest or the smartest that survive but the ones that are most adaptable". I've never forgot what he said. I've since moved from being traditionalist and embraced all technology no matter how modern and ever changing in order to not just survive but to thrive. I'll never forget the journey and I'll always love and appreciate the traditional skills but I think change is not only good but necessary. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Cheers J

This is why my family loves you! You are true to who you are. We love watching you learn and learn with you. Stay true to you.

I love how genuine this channel is.

One of the reasons why I have primarily turned to RU-vid over cable television is of channels like yours where I feel like I can be entertained, but also walk away having really learned something new. Every 6 months or so I do a youtube cleanse and look through my subscriptions and remove subscriptions that interested me in the moment, but are just filler content in the now. Your channel never gets removed. Its very refreshing that you are being blatantly introspective of your content creation. Just do you! That's what your viewers are here for.

Love your voice Destin! On top of this, I want to add the recent move by RU-vid in making the like/dislike buttons irrelevant. This has been a terrible move, which will open the doors to click bait videos, bad content overall which we could just skip looking at the like/dislike ration. As I'm pretty sure RU-vid uses the likes as a key element for their "algorithm", I'm now protesting to make it irrelevant for them as well by not liking or disliking anything anymore. Unfortunately this might hurt some of the creators I follow in the short term, but hopefully if more people do it, we might get our voice back as a viewer.

As someone who has used most social media platforms, I couldn’t agree more that RU-vid is net positive. I often feel I need to take a break from Instagram and facebook for mental health. RU-vid on the other hand helps me expand my world view and learn. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows here, but it’s the best we got! Thanks for encouraging the company to keep it that way!

Your statement about slides reminds me of something a friend said about why he collects photo negatives “An image can be made at any time pretty much anywhere, but the negative was physically there, it was in the camera and for a brief instant was a witness to the world that we can only see secondhand”

I appreciate you not catering to an algorithm and actually creating authentic content. Don't ever change. We need more content creators (and people) like you. Your videos on social media disinformation ... your science videos... all of them. Phenomenal.

" I want you to think when you watch a SmarterEveryDay Episode" That is exactly why I watch your videos, be it Carburators, Laminar Flow or even Baseball Vs Mayo, I end up being intrigued by every video I watch. Thank You so much Destin! Your ideas are beautiful and so is your channel.

I'll be greatly thankful for you and anyone that resists the short video format! I agree with your take wholeheartedly, thank you very much for standing your ground.

Thank-you. For going against the flow. For staying human. For being real. I appreciate your channel for what it is, not for what YT wants it to become.

To be fair, the length and depth of the Smarter Every Day videos is one of the reasons I love watching them. I'll always choose a thorough explanation of a subject over a quick snippet of information a la TikTok. Keep doing great work, Destin.

As soon as you started talking about images and how they affect our perception, I perked up. I'm a photographer, majored in photography some 30 years ago, and studied the history of photography then. Its interesting once you note how our perception of events is activated by photography, and yeah, its even more fascinating when you realize how much 'data' was captured in those early glass plates. (Only to be partially lost by the ravages of time) Just as important is the fact that how we capture images changes what we decide to shoot. 150 years ago, you didn't shoot images of your lunch, because it took too long to set up the shot, you had to coat a plate in order to shoot it, and you had to prioritize what you shoot. On the other hand, *everyone* is a much better photographer than people were 150 years ago. Not just because of the tools we have, but because we can constantly shoot images and get better. We also shoot more images of each other when we're happy, which affects not only how we see ourselves as a people, but how we feel worse when we're sad... because everyone else 'seems happy'. Right? Again, talking about images and perception is my thing. Thanks, Destin.

Thank you Destin for being honest and open with your thoughts

Its been a month since i have seen your video. During this month I have seen alot of creators referring to your message! You are doing the right thing Destin.

I couldn't agree more. And I'm sure it hurts me in the algorithm, but I only make videos the correct length for the story I'm telling, and not to please an AI. Thanks for fighting the good fight 🙂

I have always loved learning on “Smarter Every Day “. Do Not do short mindless videos. You have covered some of the miracles of life. Keep it up Justin.

Amazing. I had this preconception of what I thought the message of the video would be based on the title and thumbnail and even hesitated to watch for a moment… but then totally blown away. Now deep in thought thinking about the topics wishing I had someone here now to talk about it with!

Destin, I am probably starting a RU-vid channel about my life in China very soon. I think getting the opportunity to watch this video today was providential. Thank you for sharing your voice honestly and with transparency. I appreciate your life and love! I also want to ask how you find time to balance your content creation with the rest of your life!

You won my subscription when you said you aren’t going to just do what the algorithm wants. Well done sir, well done.

Much respect. You're one of the few with integrity.

I think you've got it right. Your voice feels... consistent in tone throughout all the videos I've seen of you, and I definitely appreciate that about you.

Dustin, great subject. The way I see it, RU-vid is today the best Tv content channel, anywhere in the Globe. Everyone can choose what to watch and at what time. With Smarter Every Day and some other youtube channels, I learn and have fun, leaving my Tv… for movie purposes only. Keep your voice please… we just love it!

I was part of a choir that sang the Ave Maria in that cathedral and the acoustics and experience were amazing. No mics, no speakers, just the reverberation of our voices into an otherwise fairly dark space. The walkthrough brought me right back to walking into that cathedral and the shift into a darker, hushed yet cavernous space.

*You are so right about this, thank you for taking a step to make a video about it... I feel that youtube following pursuit to make its platform more about entertainment is making it lose its educational value, RU-vid got to do something about it...*

Hi Destin. I'm late to this video but just wanted to say thank you. You've always made interesting and valuable content and I'm glad you are resisting the 'trends' and trying to stay true to 'your voice'. Great video, love the old photos and your insightful messages, keep up the great work.

I am Greek and I've noticed the chanting at 19:15 starts with "Kyrie eleison" which means "lord have mercy" but its Greek (Κύριε Ελέησον)...since Greeks are orthodox christians - Eastern Orthodox Church (also Russians - Serbs etc.) i didnt expect to hear that in a Catholic cathedral .. well i learned something today for sure.

whoa. I was sitting here like “wow these comparisons of modern Paris and past Paris are super cool!” And then as you were transitioning from that, the entire weight of the message around maintaining identity hit and I just started sobbing (I am emotional but not much of a crier). I haven’t started watching the rest yet but thank you for sending such a compelling and important message 🥲