Tommyinnit slams YouTube’s “lame” TikTok-inspired algorithm

TommyInnit has grown to become one of the most popular content creators on YouTube, but the current algorithm doesn’t sit right with him, as he claims the platform’s current state sucks during Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast.

YouTube’s algorithm is the literal heart and brain of the entire platform, and many will be surprised to learn that there’s an actual formula behind making a YouTube video go viral.

At only 17-years-old, TommyInnit has amassed over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, and he’s just one of many to crack the code, but he isn’t too fond of the current algorithm that favors the fast-paced TikTok style videos.

The young YouTube superstar revealed on Logan Paul’s podcast ‘Impaulsive’ that he’s not a fan of the current system, as it forces creators to stop trying to make art, lowering the quality of content on YouTube across the board.

The algorithm’s requirements for making a viral video has changed drastically over the years, but the most recent changes are much more favored towards videos that have high retention rates, meaning the longer a user watches the video, the more likely it’ll be pushed to recommended.

• Read More: TommyInnit reveals how YouTube fame became “overwhelming”

On episode 292 of the Impaulsive podcast with TommyInnit, Logan Paul alongside Mike Majlak got on the topic of the YouTube algorithm, with Logan saying “I believe YouTube will once again reach a place of authenticity, I think people will be feening for that because right now content is weird.”

The conversation got TommyInnit going off on a rant about the current state of the platform. “The problem with YouTube, and it’s not a problem, I feel like it’s a video game. No matter what the subject, whether you’re talking about some human rights issues, you’ll have dubstep over it to increase retention, or it’s the lightning in the first frame and it’s about the metrics being higher, it’s not about the art and the content being better.

(Topic begins at 18:01)

“I think especially with the rise of TikTok, it’s let’s have everything fast-paced and subtitles everywhere possible. My stuff at the moment, there’s sort of an element of that so it performs good, but I don’t want it to be this sh*t where it’s like here’s the retention, here’s how fast-paced it is. My thing at the moment is I’m focusing much more over the is it retention? Is the thumbnail good? It’s got to be funny first and a good thing, then start thinking about the YouTube stuff.”

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The young YouTuber continued: “YouTube at the moment is so weirdly paced, and it’s like a meta, and it’s cool and it’s fine, but when it goes on for a year, everyone stops trying to make art, it’s about making that, and that’s why it’s lame at the moment.”

YouTube’s take on short-form media, YouTube Shorts, has recently taken over the platform, with the algorithm heavily prioritizing for that content being pushed to everybody’s recommended feeds, forcing creators to shift to that content to stay relevant.

TommyInnit clearly isn’t a fan of the short-form content, as he’s also revealed he’s not a fan of the clip and short channels that almost every content creator is making.