I’ve Perfected My YouTube Algorithm

Let’s journey into the depths of my subconscious together

From Tumblr, artist unknown, circa 1923.

At heart, I’m a curator. If nothing else, I have vision, a strong sense of what I like. I’m like a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out exactly what I’m after. Only the best of the best. The keen discernment of a woman with taste. 

Some (my wife) call me pathologically picky. There may even be a touch of the ‘tism at play here. I, for one, resist the urge to pathologize all my little idiosyncrasies. Just know, I care a lot about every single thing in my life, including the carefully pruned little bonsai tree that is my corner of the internet.

If I’m going to “consume content” (I cannot think of a more disgusting alliteration), it must engage, intrigue, educate, fascinate. It must please me aesthetically. It must tantalize all the senses. 

And so, I bring you a list of the YouTube channels I am subscribed to. As I’ve weaned myself off of TikTok and Instagram, I’ve turned to longer form, less stimulating forms of content to keep me company. 

As an overgrown iPad kid, I’ve found that being more intentional about the kinds of “content” I expose myself to greatly improves my attention span and lessens my anxiety. Groundbreaking, I know!

I’m not here to tell you what to do. If you’ve already accepted full brain rot, I’m not sure a few YouTube videos are going to unfuck your shit. But if you are finding yourself teetering on the edge, maybe replace a few hours of doomscrolling with something a little more…wholesome? It’s working for me.

Without further ado.

It all started with this specific video and this specific channel. It was October of 2023, and we were stationed in coastal North Carolina for the month. I was searching for Halloween themed ambient music to play in the background as I worked, and came across Lepreezy’s channel. I’m absolutely obsessed with the sound design of his videos, this “oldies in the background” sound often overlaid with rain or crackling fires. This is my go-to for creating cozy, relaxing vibes while I work or write.

I am a dedicated Heaven Sent Honey subscriber. I tune into her weekly videos with a religious type of observance. I believe this is the first video I stumbled across of hers, but I’ve pretty much watched everything she’s made at this point. I’m just so fascinated by her mind and her perspective. Celine’s channel has made me smarter, more well-read and more in touch with the feminine than ever before. So much to explore here.

I grew up watching Antiques Roadshow, and when I discovered they posted hours-long episodes on YouTube, I was like a kid in a candy store. I love this show for so many reasons. It’s kind of like grownup show and tell, everyone bringing their cool special items in to share with the class. I think my favorite bit is when someone brings an absolutely valueless piece of sentimental garbage to Antiques Roadshow, and the appraiser gets to absolutely eviscerate them with a “this is worth about ten bucks.” I also learn a lot about history and antiques, two areas of interest for me, from the brilliant appraisers. I take a lot of this knowledge with me to estate sales and garage sales. Because of this show I can spot valuable federal furniture and stoneware a mile away. 

Apparently Mina Le used to be a fashion influencer, maybe she still is, but I discovered her highly researched, well-produced video essays and fell in love. It’s just a treat watching how she puts together these fascinating takes on culture, beauty, fashion and media. I’m really inspired by her style of videos and one of these days, when I experiment with YouTube videos, I hope to use her formatting and style as inspiration.

Nothing gets my rocks off like popping a little 2mg edible and locking the fuck in to an hour plus long BBC Earth video in gleaming 4K. Y’all I swear to god, I get so moved by these. And I don’t even think it’s the weed. Stunning visuals, the soothing narration, tons of interesting tidbits and factoids to collect. There are literally so many crazy looking types of frogs! Who knew!

I’m sorry, I love Ayanda. I see what she’s doing (amazing SEO strategy babe), and sometimes it’s a bit too woo woo for even me, but when I need a pep talk or some tough pills to swallow or even words of encouragement, I turn to her. I like the way she thinks.

The way I am addicted to watching Country Life Vlog is not even funny. I have no idea who these people are. I’m not even sure where they’re located. I’m sure it’s written in a description somewhere, but it doesn’t even matter because these videos are just such a sumptuous feast of sights and sounds. I like to put these on as background as I clean or work or cook, and my dogs seem to love the relaxing vibes as well.

Last but not least, there’s my lil Dianna Lopez. This is the first video of hers I came across, and it’s still my favorite. Her guitar playing, her little hums, her absolutely vibing in the back of a pickup truck driving through the woods? It’s so soothing. I like to watch just as much as I enjoy listening.

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Is it obvious I’m a sensitive soul? Can you tell I put a lot of effort into curating a restful, relaxing home environment? Do I seem like a woman on the absolute BRINK? Good.

If you have any YouTube channels to recommend that have this sort of vibe, please drop them in the comments. I wish to continue to prune my YouTube algo like the miniature tree it is.

<3 Syd