The Google-owned video platform is testing its own notes system
June 19, 2024, 8:30 p.m.
Updated June 19, 2024, 8:31 p.m.
YouTube has begun testing a new feature that allows the community add context to videos in certain scenarios. Let’s imagine that someone’s content talks about “15 extinct animals we should know about,” but some users discover that some of the species that were thought to be extinct have not actually disappeared.
In response to the aforementioned example, the video could display contextual information in the form of a note. It could point out the most recent findings accompanied by a link that supports the information. If this sounds familiar to you, it is because it is a novelty that is essentially identical to the one that X (formerly Twitter) began implementing at the end of 2022.
YouTube now has an X-like notes feature
X’s “Community Notes” were introduced by Elon Musk as a tool that would help the social network become “the greatest source of truth on earth.” This led the businessman to boast of a open and transparent mechanics with its algorithm publicly available on GitHub, although it has recently noted that the feature had been causing problems.
On both X and YouTube, notes can be added by collaborators who meet certain requirements, including having an active account with a certain age. The notes, however, do not appear directly next to the publication in question. Also in both cases an algorithm comes into play that promises to identify which notes are really useful.
Both platforms indicate that collaborators will also be able to rate the notes. The algorithm will analyze the amount of qualifications and perspective of collaborators to show the notes. It should be noted that we are basing this on what the companies have stated in general terms. These functionalities may present differences at a technical level that are not being addressed.
YouTube notes, for now, are being deployed experimentally on mobile devices in the United States. “We anticipate that there will be errors,” say the company, which intends to use this testing phase to improve functionality. The X Community Notes, for its part, have been available for some time in several countries around the world, including Spain.
As we have seen, notes appear to have the potential to detect inadvertent errors, such as outdated data, or intentionally created content. to spread misinformation. In both proposals, the notes have been designed to include sources that complement their content, something that can be very useful so that viewers have a more complete context.
Images | YouTube | x
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