I recently came across a video on the LMG Clips (Linus Media Group) YouTube channel titled, "Y'all Don't Want Actual Tech Tips?". In this video Linus, founder of Linus Tech Tips (LTT) and LMG, posed the question to the livestream audience of his recent WAN show, a technology and news podcast, asking what the audience actually wanted to see content-wise going forward. This question came after a recent YouTube video posted to the main LTT channel was met with a lower than expected view count, and the video received mixed-to-negative feedback from the audience. The video in question was about how to build out a home theater setup using second hand equipment, for the same price as one of the most popular soundbars cost new. In the clip from the podcast stream, Linus wrestle with the question of if people even want "tech tips" anymore, or if people just want to be entertained and told their opinion on technology is correct.
Yes Linus, most people do not want tech tips in the way they used to anymore. I remember growing up in the big explosion of technological advancement from 2011 - 2018. In this time there were tons of videos about how to build the best gaming pc on a budget that's better than a PS4. Or videos about how to create intricate smart living room setups. And sometimes even ways to make Android phones even more nerdy, powerful, and customized. But we aren't in that era anymore. While I won't call that time period the "wild west" it certainly was a time where people's lives were in a lot of flux from a technology perspective. The tech you had in 2011, from your phone, PC, TV, ect is unlikely the same you had by 2018. Things changed a lot, even for everyday people who are not the most technology savvy. So for those were were, they were willing to go the extra mile, put up with technical oddities, all in the aim of having the best possible in their own nerdy way.
This included me, for as much as my young teenager, zero money, lifestyle would allow. And I attempted to carry that attitude with my going to college in 2019. But nowadays people, including myself, just want things to work and be easy, when it comes to the things we use everyday. I remember having a pretty "hacky" audio setup in my college bedroom, and I put up with it not working from time to time. Until one day I didn't. I reached the point that I just wanted to turn my TV on, and every time the audio would work as expected. I went from having custom software and things running on my phone, picking phones with cool and interesting gimmicks, to just using a Samsung phone nearly stock, because I want my phone to work all the time without tons of tinkering.
If people who work in technology forward fields like myself, who understand that part of my job is problem solving and working around flaws and issues, aren't willing to put that kind of effort in at home, you can't expect the average person to either. Things have changed, and if I remember correctly Linus has thought the same himself before. Again, if I remember correctly Linus has not really wanted to cover newer releases of graphics cards and the like, because there just isn't much new or exciting outside of some "AI" features. Maybe one day that 2011 - 2018 energy will return to the consumer technology space... but it's likely going to be a while, and so the "tech tips" need to change too.
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