The future of video is short. Look no further than the explosive growth of short-form video platforms like TikTok, which boasts 1.6 billion users worldwide and is expected to grow from 113.2 million users in the U.S. in 2023 to 121.1 million in 2027. It’s no surprise that other video apps are following suit, just like Netflix and its streaming competitors. Many of TikTok’s rivals are thriving. YouTube, for example, continues to grow thanks to its open adoption of TikTok’s features.

Shorter is better. YouTube Shorts, the platform’s short video section (no more than 60 seconds, later extended to three minutes, in vertical format), has reached a new high of 200 billion daily views, according to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s speech at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. That represents growth of 186% over the previous year. In March 2024, the platform reported 70 billion daily views since Shorts launched in 2021.

Now, with AI boost. In this growth backdrop, Mohan announced that Veo 3 will arrive on YouTube Shorts this summer, which could significantly differentiate YouTube from TikTok. Google’s video generation model will enable users to create backgrounds and clips. The previous version, Dream Screen, could do this too. Still, Veo 3 surpasses it in many ways, from technical quality to the implementation of AI-generated audio.

It’s devouring YouTube as you know it. For years, the rise of YouTube Shorts has fueled debate about the possible “cannibalization” of traditional, long-form YouTube content. Like TikTok, Shorts favors content discovery and quick consumption, capturing the attention of younger audiences who primarily use mobile devices. In 2025, the maximum length of Shorts extended to three minutes, narrowing the gap between the two formats. This allows content creators to develop more complex ideas, bridging the gap between traditional YouTube and Shorts—and between Shorts and TikTok. TikTok has been experimenting with videos that last up to 30 minutes.

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It’s not quite there yet. Although YouTube Shorts’ growth is unstoppable, TikTok still has an unmatched ability to discover new videos for users. That’s thanks to a much more refined algorithm. Anyone who spends time on both platforms knows this, as TikTok provides not an avalanche of videos for everyone, but content tailored more specifically to each user.

For now, trends, musical discoveries and memes continue to originate on TikTok. Shorts follows in its wake, even without an algorithm. There are multiple reasons for this. TikTok’s algorithm analyzes thousands of user behavior signals (likes, comments, viewing time, repeats, etc.) to personalize the content on the “For You” page.

The possibility that any creator can go viral, no matter how unknown, encourages experimentation and creativity. Similarly, TikTok has revolutionized how songs are discovered and popularized. The platform is now the primary way for new songs and artists to gain recognition, thanks to its reuse of music and encouragement of challenges, memes and choreography.

It’s a toss-up. However, YouTube holds some structural and business-related advantages over TikTok. First, there’s the constant worry that countries like the U.S. could ban TikTok. That would allow Shorts (and Instagram) to fill the void. Second, monetization is much more developed on YouTube, where money reaches creators more robustly and predictably. This is no small detail. It has led influencers and streamers to return to YouTube after trying other platforms, thanks to YouTube’s advantages—and despite the inevitable ups and downs.

Image | Szabo Viktor (Unsplash)

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Until now, those who wanted to avoid ads on YouTube had two options. The first was to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription, which costs $13.99 per month. The second option was to use tools like ad blockers to prevent these ads from appearing. However, Google has taken measures to eliminate this second option.

Black screens and interruptions. Users on Reddit and the Brave forum have reported issues when using the Brave browser, which includes an ad blocker, and similar tools while visiting YouTube. Posters noted that videos often display a completely black screen during the pre-roll ads (the ads that appear before the video starts) when the page is first loaded. Additionally, YouTube shows a warning message that reads, “Experiencing interruptions?” along with a link to its support site.

Disable ad blockers. On the support page, the company advises that users affected by these problems should “check whether [their] browser extensions that block ads are affecting video playback.”

Browse in incognito mode. Another recommendation is to “try opening YouTube in an incognito window with all extensions disabled and check if the issue continues.” In my tests with the Brave browser, I didn’t encounter these messages or see them while using Firefox with the uBlock Origin extension.

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Cat and mouse. YouTube has been working to combat the use of ad blockers for some time, but developers of these tools tend to respond quickly to Google’s measures. Some suggest that these issues may be limited to user accounts that have previously been detected using ad blockers. In my tests, I wasn’t logged in, which supports this theory.

Netflix comparisons. Comparisons with other streaming platforms are inevitable, though the differences are clear. Netflix has achieved significant success with its ad-supported plan, while Prime Video has struggled. A few months ago, Prime Video indicated plans to increase advertising, and it has now confirmed it’ll double it.

Ads are the future. YouTube provides free content supported by ads, and its business model is similar to that of other Google services. However, the key difference is that users generate the content. YouTube is merely the platform connecting creators with viewers.

Advertising benefits both parties, given that the ads help compensate creators. Still, the increasing intensity of advertising on YouTube is making the viewing experience more frustrating. The alternative is to pay $13.99 per month for YouTube Premium.

YouTube Premium Lite. Google’s strategy has become clearer with the introduction of YouTube Premium Lite. The main advantage is that most videos won’t have ads. However, it lacks features such as downloading videos for offline viewing and background playback. This new subscription option represents a middle ground but also raises concerns about the likelihood of more ads in the future.

Images | Christian Wiediger | Google

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Despite its immense popularity, true crime is an increasingly controversial genre due to the creation of content based on real events using AI models. Some even fabricate crimes entirely.

Tremendous AI. Some titles of True Crime Case Files videos include “Husband’s Secret Gay Love Affair with Step Son Ends in Grisly Murder” and “Wife’s Secret Affair with Neighbor’s Teenage Daughter Ends in Grisly Murder.” This now-defunct channel recounted crimes that could pass for real, usually with static images generated by artificial intelligence. The creator intentionally hid the images’ artificial origin and generated the stories through ChatGPT.

It’s a whole subgenre. According to 404 Media, these stories soon caught the attention of journalists who were surprised they hadn’t heard of such striking cases, mainly because of the locations mentioned in the videos. YouTube canceled this and other channels for breaching the platform’s terms and conditions, including child safety policies that prohibit the sexualization of minors, after it became public that the content was AI-generated. However, this wasn’t mentioned anywhere. The content remains accessible in audio format through platforms such as Spotify.

The cartoon isn’t enough. The person responsible for True Crime Case Files was an AI programmer who had previously created short parodies of Hallmark-style romantic comedies on YouTube and filler content for social media platforms like Facebook. He told 404 Media that he exaggerated the details of the cases to make them seem fake. However, as with the AI-generated Facebook and Instagram videos, dozens of people still believe them.

Other true crime cases using AI models. The case of True Crime Case Files isn’t isolated, although it’s perhaps the only one that has tried to pass off its stories as real crimes. CEN Stories uses the same visual style in its images and headlines and includes a disclaimer warning of AI-generated content. However, the warning appears only in the description, buried among summaries and hashtags—not within the video itself. TikTok is also full of similar content, although those accounts typically specify their artificial origins. There are countless variants.

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In Detective Challenge, the cases are false. In TrueCrimeAIMedia, they mix real and invented facts. Spanish-language channels introduce morbid trivia about historical cases, such as Nero’s castrated lover, and make popular movies and TV shows like Freddy Krueger seem real. There’s a whole catalog of channels—some closer to the moral limit than others—all using AI to generate three or four videos a week that attract thousands of views.

More garbage. While these cases may be legally protected, they share traits with what’s known as “slop”: low-quality, AI-generated content flooding social media platforms. The key issue isn’t whether the material is artificial, but how platforms favor this kind of content with their algorithms, prioritizing quantity over quality.

What good is true crime? This leads to the genre’s inherent contradictions. Since its beginnings in novels like In Cold Blood, true crime has blurred the line between reality and fiction. Crime and suspense films have long drawn inspiration from real cases, often manipulating them to serve dramatic purposes without crediting their roots. This tradition has always occupied a moral gray area.

True crime documentaries often face criticism for exploiting the trauma of victims and their families, turning suffering into spectacle. The use of AI models adds a new dimension. AI tools draw from both real and fictional cases, generating an amalgam that can appear indistinguishable from reality—potentially even more harmful. Sensationalism distorts facts, and AI intensifies that distortion.

The ethics of crime are blurred. The ethical standards that traditional media should uphold are muddied in these cases. These stories dwell in a space where reality and fiction are confused, with little regard for ethical limits. What’s worse—a fabricated story that mirrors real crimes or actual true crime content rushed and underfunded, designed to feed morbid curiosity without legal oversight? True crime continues to evolve—but not necessarily toward a more responsible direction.

Image | CEN Stories

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“So here we are, in front of the elephants.” With that simple and somewhat clumsy phrase, the history of YouTube began. It was April 24, 2005, when co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded a 19-second video from the San Diego Zoo. There were no tripods, no handheld microphones, and no editing plan–just one person talking about animals with long trunks on a cool spring afternoon.

No one realized then that those 19 seconds would mark the beginning of a revolution.

In January 2005, PayPal employees Chad Hurley and Steve Chen attended a dinner party. People there were taking photos and recording videos. However, sharing those videos was a nightmare due to incompatible codecs, formats, and software. “We tried to simplify this process and make it as easy as possible to share these videos online,” Chen explained in a television interview a year later.

With that frustration in mind, Hurley, Chen, and Karim began developing a site that would allow users to upload and share videos without hassle. The first prototype was inspired by a dating site called HotOrNot. It soon evolved into a broader platform where anyone could showcase anything.

YouTube found a significant ally in MySpace. Young people filled their profiles on the most popular social media platform of the moment with videos. The big push came in December 2005 when a Saturday Night Live sketch circulated like wildfire, boosting YouTube’s traffic by 83%. Online videos suddenly became a part of popular culture.

Viral Explosion and Leap to Google

In October 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, making co-founders Hurley and Chen overnight millionaires. However, they faced several challenges ahead. The platform needed to navigate copyright lawsuits, maintain a sense of community, and transform attention into revenue.

YouTube originated as a platform for spontaneous content. There were no film sets or meticulous post-production–just people recording in their rooms and others uploading commercials, music videos, and TV clips. With the introduction of the Partner Program in 2007, creators began to professionalize. Videos evolved into a thriving industry of vlogs, sketches, tutorials, and gameplay videos, many of which now boast television-quality production.

YouTube’s homepage in January 2006.

In the early years, homemade videos featured handcrafted miniatures, focusing more on fun than pleasing algorithms. Over time, however, the platform shifted, leaving behind its spontaneous spirit as it became more professionalized and adapted to new dynamics.

In 2012, Vine introduced six-second clips to the scene. Although it shut down in 2017 due to issues with its parent company, Twitter, it planted the seed for the short clips that TikTok would later embrace. Despite its origins in spontaneous home videos, YouTube also needed to adapt. In 2021, it officially launched Shorts.

The distinction between YouTube and traditional television is becoming increasingly blurred. Every day, more than a billion hours of content are consumed on smart TVs. “YouTube is the new television,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan recently said in a blog.

This statement rings true because people now watch YouTube on TVs, while traditional TV networks upload their shows to the platform. The landscape is rapidly changing. For instance, Disney+ has released the first episodes of Andor on YouTube. Meanwhile, other networks are fully committed to sharing their content there.

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Is YouTube the New Television?

The evolution of YouTube has shattered several barriers. MrBeast, with more than 388 million subscribers, leads a generation of creators who no longer film home videos. They produce elaborate projects with movie-like budgets. Alongside him, creators such as the Sidemen, Mark Rober, and Dude Perfect exemplify how professionalized the platform has become.

While traditional television still exists, content access is no longer exclusive. By simply opening YouTube, you can watch live news, sports events, entertainment programs, and debates in real time, on any device, and without fixed schedules.

Major streaming platforms have also embraced this transformation. Services such as Netflix and Max now offer live broadcasts, sporting events, and news channels. Streaming, which initially emerged as an alternative to linear TV, increasingly resembles traditional television offerings.

In recent years, the number of ads on YouTube has increased significantly, with many users noticing more frequent and longer commercial breaks. Meanwhile, Max has adopted the usual dynamics of cable TV: content packages, scheduled broadcasts, and quality limitations based on the subscribed plan. The initial promise of absolute freedom is fading amid more conventional market strategies.

To celebrate its first two decades, YouTube released statistics that highlight its colossal growth. More than 20 million videos are uploaded every day, more than 100 million comments are posted, and users give more than 3.5 billion “likes” daily. More than 300 video clips have surpassed 1 billion views, a number that continues to grow.

According to SimilarWeb, YouTube is the world’s second most visited website, only behind Google. Users spend an average of more than 20 minutes per visit and view more than 13 pages per session. Two decades after that first video at the San Diego Zoo, YouTube isn’t only still thriving. It dominates a significant portion of global Internet traffic.

20 years later, YouTube, now part of Google’s ecosystem, remains stronger than ever. However, in the world of technology, nothing lasts forever. While Microsoft celebrates its 50 years of history, other giants such as Nokia and BlackBerry have risen, shone, and ultimately faded.

Will YouTube still be around in the next two decades? Or will people consume content in ways we can’t even imagine today?

Images | Christian Wiediger | YouTube

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Artificial intelligence continues to make significant advancements in sectors that were previously unimaginable. What started with a revolution in software development is now impacting several other fields.

For instance, the emergence of “vibe coding” is transforming the rules of programming. It refers to a new method of programming that relies on natural language prompts, eliminating the need for traditional coding. Additionally, tools such as OpenAI’s DALL-E and Adobe Firefly are redefining visual creation by enabling the generation of images and videos from text descriptions.

AI is impacting voice professionals. For the past few months, YouTube has allowed some creators to use automatic dubbing powered by AI, although it’s now available to all members of the YouTube Partner Program. With the auto dubbing tool, videos can more easily reach global audiences, offering an alternative to traditional dubbing and post-production methods.

Enabled by default. One notable aspect of this feature is that it’s activated by default. If a video is uploaded in English, YouTube will automatically dub it into several languages, including Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. If the video is in one of these languages, the platform will generate an English version. YouTube’s goal is to “break down language barriers.”

Creators who prefer not to use the automatic dubbing feature can easily deactivate it. They must log into YouTube Studio on a computer and navigate to Settings > Upload defaults > Advanced settings. There, they should uncheck the Allow automatic dubbing box and click Save. Creators can also manually review the dubbing before publishing if they wish to maintain more control over the final result.

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Room for improvement. Translations may not always be accurate, and the generated voice may not truly represent the original creation. YouTube admits that factors such as intonation, emotional tone, and cultural nuances aren’t always effectively translated. The auto dubbing feature relies on Google DeepMind and Google Translate technology, but even with this infrastructure, not all videos can be successfully dubbed. Aspects such as the original accent, background noise, the use of slang, and even specific proper names can impact the quality of the dubbing.

To determine if a video has been auto-dubbed, look for the “Auto-dubbed” tag. You can also switch audio tracks from the player menu by clicking on the gear icon in the lower right corner. The audio language will adapt to the user’s preferred setting, making the experience, in many cases, more seamless.

You can see the feature’s functionality in the video below:

Context. YouTube had previously taken steps toward real dubbing with professional actors. The Multi-language audio feature allowed creators like MrBeast to offer multilingual versions of their videos using professional voice actors. MrBeast even featured the voice actress of Naruto in his Japanese-dubbed videos. This strategy aimed to expand content reach without sacrificing quality, allowing these videos to connect with new audiences.

MrBeast wasn’t the only one. According to YouTube, multi-language videos received more than 15% of their viewing time from audiences watching in a language other than the original. By January 2023, users were consuming more than 2 million hours of dubbed content daily.

The expansion of this feature to all Partner Program members is contributing to the increased use of AI-generated voices on the platform. This raises questions about how technology will integrate into the professional dubbing ecosystem.

Some creators may choose the automatic alternative for certain types of content, especially informative or structured pieces. However, in formats where vocal interpretation adds key nuances, the role of dubbing professionals remains difficult to replace. Development is ongoing, and the balance between technology and creativity continues to evolve.

Image | NordWood Themes

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YouTube celebrates its 20th birthday with data confirming its dominance in the audiovisual landscape. While it is not the world’s most-watched or most-followed social media platform, the Google-owned site is on the verge of overtaking giants such as Disney, according to forecasts from market research firm MoffettNathanson.

A lucrative year. In 2024, YouTube became the second-largest company specializing in audiovisual content, with revenues surpassing $54 billion. The only company ahead is Disney, which YouTube is projected to overtake in 2025—assuming its revenue growth continues and only Disney’s audiovisual segment is considered. Disney will remain the undisputed leader in overall media revenue, including its theme parks and consumer products.

YouTube, the new no. 1. Though YouTube ranks second in profits, it leads in other areas. In February 2025, Nielsen reported that YouTube had become the largest aggregate source of television content in the U.S., surpassing giants like Disney, Netflix, Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Universal. This was achieved without becoming a Netflix-style platform, as its content is primarily licensed from other channels or generated by creators. For Google, YouTube is indispensable. MoffettNathanson estimates its value between $475 billion and $550 billion, accounting for 30% of Alphabet’s total worth.

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YouTube TV. Although available only in the U.S., YouTube TV has become the leading live TV streaming service, with 8 million subscribers. It also offers on-demand content and includes programming from ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox, making Google’s offering particularly strong in sports and news.

YouTube’s paid services. YouTube also generates revenue through its subscription services, including YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, which allows ad-free viewing. This month, YouTube reported 125 million subscribers across both services, a significant increase from 100 million in April 2024. MoffettNathanson suggests YouTube’s revenue potential remains strong as it expands further into the on-demand streaming market.

The advertising business. YouTube has confirmed that TV consumption has overtaken mobile viewing, a shift that underscores two key points. First, advertising remains a crucial part of its business, generating $36 billion in profits in 2024. Second, YouTube’s next major competitors are clear: Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. This signals a shift away from its previous efforts to compete as a short-video social network in the style of Instagram or TikTok.

Image | YouTube

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Thanks to his YouTube videos and challenges, MrBeast has become a global Internet superstar. However, he’s successfully expanded beyond content creation, turning his fame into a diversified business empire valued at billions of dollars.

Interestingly, the driving force behind this empire is no longer MrBeast’s impressive following of more than 377 million or his unique challenges. Instead, selling chocolate has proven to be much more profitable.

A teenage gamer turned a millionaire. Jimmy Donaldson, the man behind MrBeast, began his YouTube journey in 2012 at the age of 11. Like most kids, his early videos featured him playing popular video games such as Call of Duty and Minecraft.

For years, he studied which types of content resonated best on the platform, mastering the algorithm’s intricacies and learning how to capture the audience’s attention.

Outgrowing YouTube. MrBeast clearly struck the right chord, transforming what started as a hobby into a lucrative business. This ultimately led him to drop out of college and fully commit to his YouTube career.

In recent years, his videos have reached blockbuster status. He’s garnered hundreds of millions of views worldwide for popular challenges such as recreating Squid Game in real life and engaging in extreme survival experiences. He’s even hosted his own show on Amazon Prime Video.

Business expansion. While his YouTube channel remains a cornerstone of the Beast Industries holding company, it’s not Donaldson’s most profitable venture. MrBeast’s conglomerate includes snack brand Lunchly and Viewstats, a software company for content creators. However, the true standout is Feastables, his chocolate bar brand.

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Feastables. MrBeast’s venture into the world of chocolate began in 2021 with the launch of Feastables. The brand quickly gained popularity. He often featured the chocolates in his videos, even making them central to some of his content.

To promote his chocolates, MrBeast went into full Willy Wonka mode. In one of his videos, he challenged his followers to find a golden ticket hidden in some of the chocolate bars and invited the winners to compete for a $500,000 cash jackpot. This promotional strategy, combined with the quality of the chocolate, propelled Feastables to remarkable sales success.

When the chocolate empire surpasses the media empire. According to Bloomberg, Feastables made $250 million in sales in 2024, with profits exceeding $20 million. In contrast, MrBeast’s media business, including his YouTube channel and Prime Video reality show, also saw similar sales volumes but reported losses nearing $80 million. “I lost tens of millions of dollars on [Beast Games],” Donaldson recently said on The Diary of a CEO podcast.

The snack business outperformed YouTube. The Bloomberg figures reveal that MrBeast’s chocolate business is currently more profitable than his video content. In fact, forecasts from Beast Industries suggest that Feastables will triple in size over the next two years.

According to this data, UAE-based investor Alpha Wave led an investment round for Beast Industries in 2024. Alpha Wave also valued Donaldson’s holding company at around $5 billion, a significant increase from its valuation of $1.5 billion in 2023. By 2026, MrBeast’s company estimates that revenue from video creation will account for only one-fifth of its total revenue.

Images | Feastables

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Amazon’s high-stakes bet on MrBeast is paying off as Beast Games becomes a global sensation in less than a month. In just 25 days, the reality competition show—described by MrBeast himself as inspired by The Squid Game—has amassed an audience of 50 million viewers. This milestone crowns it as the most-watched unscripted program in Prime Video history.

What are Beast Games? The show features 1,000 participants competing in grueling challenges designed to test the limits of their physical and mental endurance. The prize? A staggering $5 million. This premise hasn’t only drawn the largest influx of new subscribers since Fallout but also captivated a global audience. According to Amazon, half of the show’s viewers come from international markets, including India, the UK, Australia, and Mexico. It has climbed to the top of the most-watched lists in 82 countries and is available in 240 territories worldwide.

A blockbuster production. With a reported budget of $100 million, Beast Games is one of the most ambitious reality shows ever produced. Highlights include $15 million spent constructing Beast City, a sprawling walled complex in Toronto where contestants live and compete, and $20 million allocated for various prizes.

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The production hasn’t been a bed of roses. However, the production hasn’t been without controversy. Several participants filed lawsuits against MrBeast and Amazon, alleging harsh conditions, negligence, sexual harassment, and emotional distress. Despite the legal challenges, the show’s overwhelming success has largely overshadowed the complaints. MrBeast has defended himself by stating he possesses footage disproving the allegations, though he refrains from releasing it to avoid spoiling the show’s outcome.

Navigating “influencer fatigue.” “Influencer fatigue” describes the growing audience weariness with content creators whose output has become overly commercialized and formulaic. Gen Z is increasingly disillusioned with repetitive, cloned content, yet streaming platforms continue to lean heavily on influencers to drive engagement. Prime Video has been one of the most active players in this trend, while Netflix has also embraced influencer-driven productions, such as I Am Georgina. These shows follow the blueprint established by the mother of all reality franchises, The Kardashians, now streaming on Hulu.

MrBeast defies trend. Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has remained immune to this fatigue. Last year, he became the most-subscribed YouTuber in the world, surpassing Indian music giant T-Series and amassing a staggering 346 million subscribers. MrBeast’s influence extends far beyond YouTube. With over 65 million Instagram followers and nearly 111 million fans on TikTok, he remains a dominant figure in the digital landscape. Named one of the top content creators by Forbes in 2022, his earnings that year were estimated at an impressive $82 million—a testament to his ability to captivate audiences and innovate in an ever-evolving media space.

Image | Prime Video

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Click. A video of a river in a snowy forest fills the screen. Click. Now, a moving camera captures footage from the back of a car. Click. A baby nibbles on a muffin. These videos are often poor in quality and content, but they share a curious detail: their names.

Between 2009 and 2012, Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch included a “Send to YouTube” feature, allowing users to upload videos directly from the Photos app.

According to engineer Ben Wallace’s blog, this feature significantly boosted YouTube’s growth, with video uploads increasing by 1,700% in the first half of 2009.

By 2012, the feature disappeared when Apple removed the YouTube app from its platform. However, the legacy of this option remains uniquely fascinating because all these videos were uploaded with a standard name: IMG_XXXXXX. Each began with “IMG_” followed by a number between 0000 and 9999.

Millions of these videos still exist on YouTube. A quick search for “IMG_0001” reveals countless examples. Most are mundane, poorly shot, and of terrible quality. Many have only a handful of views—some have none at all.

But Wallace’s discovery inspired an original project.

Developer Riley Walz created a website called IMG_0001, which lets users experience these forgotten videos in an engaging way. With a single click, the site shuffles through random videos named in the IMG_XXXX format, offering glimpses into the everyday lives of people worldwide.

These clips often lack clear purpose or context. They jump from one subject to another, reflecting the chaotic yet fascinating diversity of human experiences. The randomness of these videos demonstrates two things: The wonderfully chaotic diversity of human life and that the Internet is, once again, a wonderful place. 

Image | IMG_0001

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YouTube has long been plagued by clickbait. Thumbnails and titles on many large channels aim to do one thing: capture users’ attention. For years, YouTube rewarded this strategy, even penalizing videos without eye-catching captions or images.

This system has allowed some channels to exploit clickbait, gaining visibility while misleading users. In response, YouTube is taking action against such practices. The platform will begin penalizing videos with misleading headlines or thumbnails, starting with a pilot phase in India.

Google announced this initiative on its blog, calling it a step to combat “egregious clickbait on YouTube.”

“We're strengthening our efforts to tackle egregious clickbait on YouTube. This means we're planning to increase our enforcement against videos where the title or thumbnail promises viewers something that the video doesn't deliver. This is especially important when the video covers topics like breaking news or current events, ensuring viewers aren’t misled about what they watch on YouTube. We'll start by slowly rolling this out in India over the coming months.”

Google defines egregious clickbait as any headline or thumbnail that makes false promises or claims unrelated to the video’s content—particularly in the context of current events.

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For example, a video titled “President Resigns” that fails to address any resignation is a clear violation of this policy.

YouTube emphasized that it will aggressively remove videos violating these guidelines. It also plans to implement detection algorithms to block clickbait videos before they are uploaded.

This initiative marks a significant shift in how YouTube handles misleading content and sets a precedent for promoting transparency and trust on the platform.

Image | Alexander Shatov (Unsplash)

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