Found a huge difference in YouTube thumbnails from 2016 versus now

I was scrolling through old videos from a tech reviewer I've watched for years. The thumbnails back then were just boring screenshots with maybe some text on them. Now every single video has this over-the-top face with arrows and red circles everywhere. It's like two different channels entirely, even though it's the same guy. What changed in that 7 year span to make everyone go so extreme with the clickbait style? I get that it helps with views, but does anyone else miss the simpler look? Or am I just yelling at clouds here?

3 comments

3 Comments

morganmartinez8d ago

Do you think the algorithm literally forces them to do it now?

henry_ross8d ago

Oh man, @morganmartinez it's wild. Honestly I think the algorithm does force them now. Like, if they stop chasing the trending stuff their engagement tanks overnight, so they're stuck in a loop of copying whatever worked last week. Ngl, it's made everything feel so fake and samey.

wells.christopher6d ago

Saw a study once that said the human brain reacts to faces faster than text or objects. So thumbnails with big shocked expressions basically hack your attention before you even decide to click. Combine that with the algorithm rewarding high click-through rates and you end up with nothing but screaming faces everywhere.