[TheGoddessLuna]

... I was wondering. I've never really looked into this, but do introverts like youtube? I personally love YouTube itself, but I can't handle much of it. It's not like most social media, I actually have to hear people's voices. I used to watch so much of it, but nowadays I can only watch a few videos a day or else it drains me hearing the constant voices, and me being the type of person to write comments as the video is playing and by the end of it have like 6 comments doesn't help either.

What are your thoughts? Is YouTube an extraverted, introverted or ambiverted activity? I swear no one else is talking about this.

 

[Silent Theory]

Personally, I'm not really into it. I find it overly stimulating, frustrating, and irritating.

 

[compulsiverambler]

Constant voices? These days it's got to be what, 90% cat videos, 8% ASMR, 2% everything else. I would have thought that's an introvert's idea of heaven.

 

[Aelthwyn]

I'm really not into watching videos. I'd much rather read something than listen to someone talk about it, yes voices are draining, and with video on top of it it's adding even more sensory stimulation rather than letting me focus into my thoughts themselves. Plus I'm not an auditory learner so it takes more concentration to take in something I'm hearing than something I'm reading about. A lot of times video just feels more awkward to me, like I don't even really like video chatting with people I know, let alone watching someone I don't know awkwardly ramble at their camera.

I also really have no interest in watching random videos of people's pets, people's mishaps, wierd stuff someone else saw, etc. I have no interest in music videos either, if I listen to any music on youtube the tab it's in goes to the background while I do something else. Things that are more like an actual TV show I will sometimes watch on there - like my husband likes these 'slwo-mo' guys videos, but it's a once in a while sort of thing for me. I wouldn't spend time on there every day browsing and watching all kinds of random stuff. I don't actively follow any channels or whatever.

 

[compulsiverambler]

This is really fascinating. I had no idea voices are what overstimulate introverts. If I ever needed final confirmation that I was laughably wrong when I identified as an introvert, this thread is it.

I watch Youtube videos of people talking whenever I have to get dressed, get ready in the bathroom, do any kind of boring chore in the kitchen, or walk from one place to another alone. Even sometimes when walking the dog in the fields and footpaths where I live. I'm one of those people walking around the street with my earphones in and face fixed on my phone's screen, relying on peripheral vision to not bump or fall into things. I can't help it, I get bored.

I interpreted all that as introversion because I thought screen addiction must be an introvert thing, and that an extravert would make phone calls when bored rather than watch videos. Now I think about it, the difference is that phone calls require an attention span, because you can't keep pausing and rewinding when your mind wanders every five seconds, plus they're actually LESS stimulating because you don't get any visual information to go with the voices. I think having to concentrate on anything when not Ritalinated is what's draining for me, not external stimulation per se.

 

[Chantel]

I interpreted all that as introversion because I thought screen addiction must be an introvert thing, and that an extravert would make phone calls when bored rather than watch videos.

I've always thought the same thing.

Also I have realized before that I'll often scroll down to read comments or unintentionally get distracted with something else while a video is playing. For me I think this has much to do with the type of video and how long. If the video is of someone doing a sit-down, talking video and it's as if they're talking to me, I tend to zone out if it's more than probably five minutes long. But if the video is like watching an show, I don't do it as often - especially if it's very entertaining.

YouTube is one of my favorite places on the internet and gets a daily visit for me. Whether it's a specific introverted spot or not, not very sure anymore haha. This thread really makes me wonder!

 

[Peter]

... I was wondering. I've never really looked into this, but do introverts like youtube? I personally love YouTube itself, but I can't handle much of it. It's not like most social media, I actually have to hear people's voices. I used to watch so much of it, but nowadays I can only watch a few videos a day or else it drains me hearing the constant voices, and me being the type of person to write comments as the video is playing and by the end of it have like 6 comments doesn't help either.

What are your thoughts? Is YouTube an extraverted, introverted or ambiverted activity? I swear no one else is talking about this.

Depends on the videos you´re watching. But I doubt it's channels like vsause, veritasium, 60 symbols, etc.

 

[The Dude]

I love Youtube. I can't get enough of it. It doesn't matter if I am listening to music, watching a lecture, listening to a podcast, or watching a movie it is usually active for me. In the case of listening to something I usually watch TV while doing this.

 

[Too Weird Too Normal]

Whether or not it drains me depends on what type of videos I watch. There's a big difference between a vlog from a rockstar vs a paradox riddle. Whether or not the video is accompanied by a voice and face makes very little difference to me, it's more about the kind of thought the video provokes.

As for whether or not Youtube is introverted or extroverted (or ambiverted)... I'm not sure. Firstly, what do you mean by "introverted, extroverted, or ambiverted"? Unfortunately, those are ambiguous terms of ambiguous concepts, if I'm to be of any help, I'll need you to be more specific

I mean, my first thought is to be a smart aleck and take the terms too literally as it relates to "energy" and "Youtube", in which case I'd say something like "Youtube is not a human personality" The next thought to cross my mind is that the act of indulging in Youtube videos is usually introverted, regardless of the content, considering my understanding of the term suggest that "introversion" is a matter of stimulation from within oneself. In which case, Youtube is more often an activity done alone for the stimulation that is your personal impression of the work on Youtube, much like reading a book, listening to music, or viewing art. The fact that some of the videos have social themes makes it no less introverted, much like a book on social affairs isn't all of a sudden more extroverted than other books. I think most entertainment is mostly an introverted process, despite being significantly extroverted as well, but the way in which extroverts use the entertainment might be different, buuuuttt....

I don't know what I'm talking about and I'm getting bored

 

[wickedly]

SimplyAria is a youtuber, has his own channel, and he has a video about MBTI. i think he is introvert from what i remember

 

[charlie.elliot]

I like watching brain surgeries! That's about it. I get bored with most videos, I'd rather read.

This is really fascinating. I had no idea voices are what overstimulate introverts. If I ever needed final confirmation that I was laughably wrong when I identified as an introvert, this thread is it.

Er... I really don't agree that introverts would get overstimulated just from watching videos... Being bothered by "hearing constant voices" is quite understandable and could be caused by a lot of things, but I don't think it's caused by being an introvert. Otherwise, why would introverts binge watch entire seasons of tv shows?!

 

[compulsiverambler]

Er... I really don't agree that introverts would get overstimulated just from watching videos... Being bothered by "hearing constant voices" is quite understandable and could be caused by a lot of things, but I don't think it's caused by being an introvert. Otherwise, why would introverts binge watch entire seasons of tv shows?!

I don't know - maybe the introverts who do that aren't as strongly introverted as the ones who find constant voices draining? I can't think of any other explanations for why someone would find constant voices draining though, all the time they're in control of and can change whenever they want the subject matter they're hearing them talk about, as you are on Youtube.

 

[Lunaena]

I use YouTube mostly for music. I do get overstimulated from hearing too many voices and being surrounded by too many people at once, but on YouTube I can watch as I please and turn it off whenever I wish to.

Music can overstimulate me and I will need time for myself in complete silence every day, but music also brings a lot to me. So does poetry and listening to audio books sometimes - although I prefer to read by myself in place of audiobooks.

 

[jcal]

I don't have much interest in YouTube, but it's not because the voices bother or drain me or anything like that. It's because 95% of it is useless, uninteresting drivel. Yes, I will look at a cute dog video on occasion if someone alerts me to it, but I don't go looking for them just to entertain myself. For me, YouTube is most useful for locating hands-on product reviews when I'm in the market for something, but not for much else in my case.

One thing I have an especially strong dislike for on YouTube are "news stories", especially when they are from links that don't indicate that they are videos rather than written articles. This isn't because the "voices" bother me, but because narrated video is a horribly inefficient method of obtaining information. It takes so much longer to watch a narrated video than it would to read an article on a similar topic/event, and you are deprived of the opportunity to give it a quick skim beforehand to see if you are even interested. If I click on a news link and it turns out to be a video (YouTube or otherwise), 9/10 times I will immediately click away from it.

 

[leictreon]

I like watching Let's Plays

But I don't really watch the "mainstream" ones, I even find PewDiePie kind of irritating.

 

[Ixim]

Depends on the channel and, of course, the way you watch it. Those that watch closely and can't be bothered while watching(even with no headphones etc) are Extraverts-the link between them and the object they are currently watching is SACRED-to the point that they often "give into it". The other group are Introverts-people who often pause, notice mistakes, correct them(either in comments or in their head) etc etc. In other words, they are dissociated from the activity and they wish to change it and oftentimes to enhance it according to their ideals.

...it can really be both, depending mostly upon the viewer.

edit: cancel that, I misread it. nevermind

 

[charlie.elliot]

Introverts are more easily over-stimulated (at least many of them) by sensory input. So insofar as the voices are simply noise, they are over-stimulating. But, music and random noise would have the same effect. It would not make sense that just listening to voices would be over-stimulating in a social way (which I think is what the OP was saying?)

 

[outofplace]

I have a few vloggers on YouTube that I enjoy watching as they do their reviews on tv shows. Also I like to watch tutorials on makeups, hairdo's, etc.

So as an introvert I do not find YouTube overstimulating because I can control how much information that I choose to watch.

 

[compulsiverambler]

Introverts are more easily over-stimulated (at least many of them) by sensory input. So insofar as the voices are simply noise, they are over-stimulating. But, music and random noise would have the same effect. It would not make sense that just listening to voices would be over-stimulating in a social way (which I think is what the OP was saying?)

I imagine that what introverts find draining in any situation is a high flow of data that requires conscious attention and/or high-level cognitive processing, e.g. language, because they prefer having more time to reflect on each unit of data than extraverts do. Does that sound about right?

 

[TheGoddessLuna]

That's so bizarre to think about! I write comments as the video goes on correcting or saying my opinion constantly.