I think the problem is not precisely in the salesman but in that in a free world, the only way to get people to listen is to be appealing and what appeals to us is often not that healthy. Terms like "engagement machine" makes it sound like it's the algorithms which are unhealthy, but the problem begins with the audience. If everyone wanted to watch math content all the time then we'd have math celebrities over YouTube.
> Terms like "engagement machine" makes it sound like it's the algorithms which are unhealthy
I stand by this term for various reasons. I think it's accurate and summarizes the current day social media status quo.
> but the problem begins with the audience
Yes, but humans are non-linear. Porn, for instance, is extremely powerful for attracting clicks, and we've figured out that we need to keep it separate. Even if people want some amount of porn, they want other things too and the best way is to not mix. Now say hate, or cheap entertainment, is not porn but not super far off. Similarly, that type of content tends to win the attention-game against math lectures, if presented side-by-side to the average amygdala. If we mix it all together, it's hard to focus. So.. I'm pretty skeptical to leave education to Youtube. Not only do they have all the cheap content, they're incentived to bombard you with it.
