I agree if we’re talking about YouTubers who are already making millions, but if you’re a smaller channel making high-quality videos, I would imagine that view bump is the difference between being able to work on producing videos full time, and having to work multiple jobs.
At that point then, maybe the thumbnails do make the world a worse place, but I believe that’s offset by having more of the good-quality videos produced (since more time can be spent on them if you don’t have to work 2 jobs).
I’d be interested to hear your perspective on this. Obviously the same utilitarian calculus doesn’t apply if the content a channel is producing is crappy alongside the obnoxious thumbnails.
The ends justify the means? I'm not convinced that's a good rationale. For one, everyone thinks their ends are the important ones so of course they justify the means, even though no one else necessarily sees it that way. Again, I point at the thread with the discussion of gym membership cancelation practices. Of course the gym can justify that to themselves: it's better for the customer because as long as they're paying anyway they're probably going to use the service and become healthier people! Or even just: I like money!
There is an argument to be made that engaging in this metric-chasing behavior will invariably lead to worse content anyway. After all, if there was a lot of demand for the content being produced then such tactics shouldn't be necessary in the first place. Over time, the kind of content they produce could continue to regress towards the mean, which is garbage.
At that point then, maybe the thumbnails do make the world a worse place, but I believe that’s offset by having more of the good-quality videos produced (since more time can be spent on them if you don’t have to work 2 jobs).
I’d be interested to hear your perspective on this. Obviously the same utilitarian calculus doesn’t apply if the content a channel is producing is crappy alongside the obnoxious thumbnails.