this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2025
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Frustrated YouTube viewers seek explanation for hour-long unskippable ads (Update: Statement) (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 10 months ago by moe90@feddit.nl to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] Nelots@lemm.ee 27 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I haven't read the article, but surely this is an accident? I have almost no faith left in our capitalistic society, but surely even Youtube understands that nobody is going to watch an hour long ad, right?

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The most mysterious one to me happened in 2015 or so. I was watching Zero Punctuation, and it served me an hour long computer networking lecture as an ad. Like, some Indian guy delivering a power point presentation. I was like, what's the monetization strategy here, guys? Did this dude pay you to serve his lectures as ads? What?

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

At one point there was a period of time where YouTube was consistently serving me ads in Arabic, a language that I don't speak and from a country I have never been to.

Their algorithm just breaks sometimes.

Edit: not sure why that was in capitals.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

There was awhile there where my parents were getting ads for Pull-Ups Toddler diapers in Spanish.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I know there was that story about Google knowing about some guy's daughter being pregnant before she'd actually told him.

So maybe I'm just really Arabic and haven't noticed yet.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago

That wasn't Google, it was Target. Based on the teen's buying habits, that she suddenly started buying certain vitamins, unscented lotion, that sort of stuff with her loyalty card, their system put two and two together and sent her coupons for maternity and baby products, which is how her father learned he was gonna be a grandpa.

Google has similar power to know more about you than your friends and family, though.

[–] AJ1@lemmy.ca 0 points 10 months ago

"THEY ARE ALGORITHM JUST BREAKS SOMETIME"

is what you just said

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

A lot of people leave YouTube running in the background, so they might listen to it.