The big creators I followed 5 years ago all look the same now

I used to watch a dozen gaming channels back in 2018. Every one of them had a distinct style and personality. Now most of them switched to the same formula: loud intro, reaction face thumbnail, and a sponsored segment in the middle. I think the algorithm pushed them all to copy what works best instead of being themselves. Is this just a natural cycle or did the platform rewards kill creativity on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

murphy.blair19d ago

@nora_dixon nailed it with that "consistency like a measurable score" part. The algorithm just squeezed the soul out of everyone.

nora_dixon19d ago

The algorithm didn't just reward the loud intro and reaction face, it actively punished creators who didn't fit that mold by burying their videos in search results. There was a big study published on platform bias that showed YouTube's system heavily favors high-energy, short-attention-span content over slow, thoughtful videos, regardless of viewer satisfaction. Creators didn't lose their personality on purpose, they just adapted to a system that treats consistency like a measurable score, not an art form.