YouTube Should REMOVE Views and Subscribers. Here’s Why

2025-10-28 14:418 min read

In this episode of Fid IQ Hot Take, the host argues that YouTube should eliminate visible view and subscriber counts to better highlight the quality of content, especially from smaller creators. The discussion highlights the disparity in perceived value versus actual content quality, suggesting that too much emphasis on metrics compromises creativity and discovery. The conversation dives into the potential backlash from users if such changes were made, while also noting that the current viewing habits are heavily influenced by social proof, which leads to a questionable cycle of content validation based on numbers. The host invites the audience to weigh in on whether they support the removal of view counts or prefer to keep the current system.

Key Information

  • The host of Fid IQ Hot Take believes YouTube should eliminate view and subscriber counts to promote fair content evaluation.
  • The discussion emphasizes that small creators often produce high-quality content that is overlooked due to low view counts.
  • The idea of removing metrics aims to level the playing field, allowing content to be judged solely on its merit instead of popularity.
  • There is concern that removing view counts could lead to backlash from users who are conditioned to rely on these metrics as indicators of content quality.
  • The conversation explores potential implications for content discovery and advertising revenue on YouTube if these metrics were removed.

Timeline Analysis

Content Keywords

YouTube Viewer Numbers

The discussion centers around the idea that YouTube should eliminate view counts and subscriber numbers. The argument suggests that content should be evaluated based solely on its quality rather than metrics, which can mislead viewers about the actual value of a video.

Impact on Small Creators

It highlights the challenges faced by small creators on YouTube, particularly how their subscriber counts can limit their visibility and opportunities. A proposal is made to level the playing field by hiding viewer metrics to allow lesser-known creators to compete more effectively.

Public Dislike Counts

The conversation touches on the controversial idea of reinstating public dislike counts on YouTube videos, which could provide audience feedback without solely relying on view counts as a metric of quality.

Recommendation Systems

The participants also critique YouTube's recommendation algorithms, which tend to favor popular content, potentially leading to a cycle where low-quality videos gain more attention simply due to their existing popularity.

Viewer Conditioning

Discussion points towards how viewers have been conditioned over time to associate higher view and subscriber counts with better quality content, which can distort their perception of smaller creators and their outputs.

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