this is how low we've sunk, you don't even say that youtube is adequate, you say it's the most adequate

Just to add my anecdata to the mix, I'm waist deep in logging-in to gmail and workplace apps, etc, but to compensate have abandoned android for iPhone, and I never use google search, and while I watch plenty on youtube, it's never required me to log in so I've never logged in, I don't even have any idea how much it "integrates" with other google logins or not at all. Am I missing out on something, is there some benefit to logging in?

My main complaint about youtube is that it used to be fun and quirky and have lots of "raw" content, and now everything is overproduced, festooned with graphics and clickbait. So many channels I would like to blacklist but nothing like that is possible. Technologically it works well, and I know there's content out there that I'll like, but unless I have a link to it or know exactly what to search for, it's very hard to find things. If there are channels I like and watch regularly, I sure don't need the algorithm showing them to me, but any sort of "maybe you'd like this too" seems totally broken, or at least completely lowest common denominator.

YouTube has been showing me a ton of channels with low Hundreds of views recently, and they’re very to my taste. Ymmv but they’re doing well at exactly what you’re complaining about in my experience

Yeah I've noticed that YouTube almost always recommends me one or two videos with less than 100 views now. Must be a relatively recent change. The videos are often pretty relevant and pretty good, which is a bit depressing. Seeing people put a lot of work into videos that nobody watches (by YouTube standards) is sad. Though that is the reality of most channels. Maybe this change will help them.

I have a conjecture, they're using you as a barometer to see how you react to it compared to people with similar profiles I've seen a couple that go on to get decent viewcounts, but I don't care enough to keep tabs on anything in particular

Then again, I do have 10 hour a day watch time average, my data is vast, but highly skewed

I very carefully picked “most adequate.” I definitely think it could be a lot better. It’s the least bad. It’s usually fine.

It is definitely worth logging in. For each recommended video you will then have the option of selecting 'not interested' or 'don't recommend this channel'.

I would say it makes all the difference.