Finding a YouTube video that really suits your interests can sometimes be a challenge. The video-sharing platform appears to have recognized this problem and is taking steps to address it with an experimental new feature “Your custom feed”
The new test aims to address the frustration that users often encounter when using algorithm-based recommendations that sometimes miss the mark. Historically, YouTube's algorithm has been like this reported often misjudge user intentions. For example, watching a few Disney movies may lead the platform to assume you're a loyal fan, resulting in an overwhelming amount of similar content – even if that's not what you actually want.
For people participating in the experiment, “Your custom feed” will appear next to the standard “Home” button on the home page. Clicking on it allows you to enter suggestions tailored to your interests.
Instead of passively scrolling through a stream of content that may not match your interests, this feature allows you to actively shape your feed by entering specific suggestions. For example, if you want more cooking videos, simply entering them in your custom feed will encourage YouTube to prioritize similar content in the future.
While time will tell how popular “Your Custom Channel” will be, the ability to customize your YouTube channel could be a game changer. This can be a more effective alternative to clicking videos one by one and using the “Not interested” or “Don't recommend channel” options.
YouTube isn't the only platform that provides a personalized feed. Threads was recently seen testing the Algorithm Configuration feature. X is also working on a feature that would allow users to tag its AI chatbot, Grok, to customize their feed.
