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DeArrow is an open source browser extension for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails on YouTube. (dearrow.ajay.app)

submitted 2 months ago by basilisa@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

88 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19421887

DeArrow is an open source browser extension for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails on YouTube. The goal is to make titles accurate and reduce sensationalism. No more arrows, ridiculous faces, and no more clickbait.

"Clickbait" isn't the exception anymore, it's becoming the norm. Many have even started going through their entire backlog, changing old titles and thumbnails to be more attention grabbing and vague.

It's no one's fault. It's a system that creates a race to the bottom.

DeArrow hopes to stop this cycle. It's time to return to a more peaceful experience.

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[–] Kushan@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I used this within smart tube for a while, but honestly I kind of missed some of the clockbait titles. There problem I faced was that it wasn't clear when a title had been replaced or not, so when you did find a video with a relatively clockbait titles, it gave you a bit of a false sense of security. I also found that sometimes the crowd sourced titles were just boring, albeit accurate.

Maybe I'm just weird or maybe I've just been browsing YouTube for so long that I'm used to it, but for now it's an addon I'll skip, though I'm very glad it exists.

[–] Frog@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I turn it off and on to see which changed. An indicator would be nice. Maybe an icon that I can hover over to reveal the original thumbnail and title.

I get where you are coming from. If I follow a channel then I already get a feel of what the content will be even if the title or/thumbnail is clickbait. Also you lose part of the channel's charm. Exaggerations can be really funny.

It works a lot better for the trending section for unknown channels.

[–] rowdyrockets@lemm.ee 23 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The icon and hover to reveal previous title has been available in the extension for a long while.

[–] Frog@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 months ago

Sorry. I was using it with Freetube, not the extension.

Thank you for pointing that out.

[–] yamanii@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I also found that sometimes the crowd sourced titles were just boring, albeit accurate.

It's the equivalent of the comedy geniuses that remove words from comics thinking it's always better.