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How to watch YouTube without doom-scrolling

Here are some concrete things you can do to limit your YouTube watching without giving up on good content.

YouTube is one of the main ways that people consume information. There is a lot of crud, but if you want to genuinely learn something, YouTube is a fantastic platform.

However, there are challenges. It’s easy to fall into an infinite pool as YouTube auto-plays another video, and another and another. The algorithm serves you what it thinks you’ll watch, not what you will learn from. And the ads are really annoying.

If you want to control your YouTube viewing without getting sucked in, here are some tips to limit your doom-scrolling:

Note the YouTube channels that you like.
Subscribe to these channel's RSS feeds.
Watch these channel's videos in an RSS app like Inoreader.
Enjoy the videos without the YouTube algorithm.
If you want more content, subscribe to Nebula.

If you might be interested in doing this yourself, read on

Follow channels, not algorithms

If you rely on the YouTube feed, suggested videos and auto-play, the app will focus on serving you click-bait. It’s better to follow specific channels because many channels have a mission and you can decide whether you want to get on board with that mission or not.

For example, if you want to learn about media criticism, you can choose to follow Lindsay Ellis. If you want to learn about about film editing, follow Folding Ideas or Patrick H Willems. If you want to learn about art history, follow Nerdwriter1.

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If you want to learn about or follow a particular topic, opt-into it deliberately. Don’t hope that the algorithm will serve it up for you.

You don’t need to follow creators just for content. You can also follow them just to zone out. What matters is that you follow them deliberately. Don't just cross your fingers and hope you're served zone out content. Curate it.

Did you know that all YouTube channels can be followed on an RSS feed? And did you know that most RSS apps let you play videos within the app? It true, and you can harness this knowledge to be served the channels you follow and only the channels you follow.

I use Inoreader to follow all my favourite YouTube channels. The app is available on smartphone and through your web browser. If you access Inoreader from Chrome, then you can cast your videos to a Smart TV/Chromecast without the need for the YouTube app. Another win!

An RSS app has many advantages. Watching on this, instead of YouTube, eliminates auto-play and suggested videos - so you will not fall into an infinite pool of constant watching. And the RSS app will screen-out most of the ads. It’s a win-win.

Uninstall the YouTube app

Watching YouTube through RSS has one downside. The channels you follow won’t get Views and Subscribes from your watching. If that's a concern for you, then you can log in to YouTube on your browser and hit Subscribe in support of your favourite channels. Then, logout from th browser and uninstall the app from your phone.

If you power through YouTube content and an RSS feed simply isn’t going to serve enough content, then a good alternative is to subscribe to Nebula. It’s an app created by YouTubers to play videos without ads, and without having to chase an algorithm. I’ve subscribed to Nebula for over a year and enjoy their original content.

Nebula doesn't auto-play videos, and its recommendations are very light touch. You won't find yourself watching Nebula until midnight. It's a platform that encourages good viewing habits.

Whatever your preference, be deliberate. Don't hope an algorithm will serve you what you want. Curate your viewing content thoughtfully.

Happy viewing