The Problem with Linus Tech Tips: Accuracy, Ethics, and Responsibility
The Problem with Linus Tech Tips: Accuracy, Ethics, and Responsibility
I originally posted this on lemmy.world, but then the instance went down again so fuck it, moving my c/videos subscription to here and restarting this post
Maybe just me but I've been really tired of Linus for like... years now. Typical youtuber clickbait thumbnail open mouth faced bullshit.
Jesus Christ
https://i.imgur.com/nKxiZh4.png
I need to gag.
No idea how they expect to be taken seriously with these thumbnails and titles.
It's been that way for years. I had to stop watching shortly after they moved out of that first house when they stopped putting product names into video titles.
Is this really any better? Or this? Or this?
Put face on thumbnail, big text to sell subject, have some goofy reaction shot. It's not really an exception here.
The title of the IPhone video just sounds very opinion based instead of a professional video talking about it. But maybe it still shows how limited the IPhone is and still talks about the technically aspect.
(While I mentioned "professional", they have a professional setup, but a hobby channel that has no money could be seen as professional while a professional cut video is not.)
I haven't watch the vid btw.
I don't really care about the thumbnails but the video titles are awful. I'm not going to click on a video if I don't actually know what it's about. What am I supposed to expect when I start watching just about any of these?
Every popular tech guru does this to be popular. Same with that Indian dude I forget the name.
It's hard to trust a face with a mouth agape.
While I agree he's just satisting the needs of the algorithm. You don't get millions of views otherwise. I don't see any of the people I sub on the main page because they don't use those tactics. Until parents keep their kids off the internet it will be shaped by their short attention span immature tastes
Yeah I heard so many good things about Linus and it seems like everyone in the tech community loved him but I just couldn't get passed the thumbnails and clickbait. Really turns me off to a YouTuber when I see that
There are some fantastic gems of videos that still get released, but they're really hard to find amongst the YouTube crap videos.
Watched the whole thing. Many of the criticisms are valid and rightfully called out. However some of them really feel like it’s stretching and reaching beyond that. Of course they’re competitors now so it could be hard to truly remain objective.
Curious what other people thought of it.
On the one hand, I think it's a bit ridiculous to hold LTT's feet to the fire over ShortCircuit/Unboxing/Tech Preview type content, and Steve Burke takes himself a little too seriously sometimes.
On the other hand, LTT set themselves up for that criticism by making explicit product recommendations in those unboxing videos, and invoking claims based on "lab testing". LTT needs to draw a bright line between unboxing content and reviews, and make it super clear that unboxing content is not a review. "I wouldn't recommend" is not the right language for a tech preview.
And really -- letting one of your employees smack-talk the competition in a lab walkthrough? Just cut that part of the video out. LTT waltzed into this with sloppy editing.
How is it ridiculous because like you yourself said they are offering an opinion on the products? And that wasn't the only point they had, it was just one of many and valid criticism.
And it's dumb to call that sloppy editing when the narrative they were trying to build was that they're more trustworthy than other outlets providing same kind of reviews. And that doesn't seem to be the case.
I unsubed from shortcircuit for this and the general low effort low quality of the content.
I would also add that while the whole situation about billet labs is highly deplorable and a huge fuck up by LMG. You should never EVER leave a valuable prototype unnatended into someone else hands unless you're prepared to lose it. That's like R&D 101.
As big of a fuck up and deplorable action it was by LMG to sell that prototype, there's no reason any sensible business would send out their most advanced prototype to youtube click merchants. massive mistake from them
Linus LOVES corporate buzzwords. He certainly never fails to remind critics that he's just running a business.
