macOS vs Windows: Did I Add Fuel to the Fire?

This is clickbait

Nestled within the comments area of YouTube Studio is the ‘Held for review’ section. I’ve been aware of this for some time, and it’s where I’ll occasionally find either a spicy comment or one which YouTube has incorrectly flagged as spam.

However, there’s also a link on this page called ‘Show hidden comments’. I had no idea this existed until a couple of days ago.

YouTube has added a warning to this link. “Comments that may be offensive have been hidden,” it says. After 60 days, they’ll be deleted, we’re informed.

Scary stuff, right?

To show them, one must click the aforementioned link. If you do so, you’re presented with another warning that the language contained within these hidden comments might be best avoided.

Obviously, I clicked ‘Show’.

There were plenty of comments in the resulting list that are unrepeatable on this blog, but one, in particular, stood out. It was, presumably, from a Windows user who had decided to comment on my Windows 11 Preview reaction video.

“Go f*ck yourself,” he said.

That was it. No explanation as to why I should do as he says or why he was so angry about my video.

There were a lot of similar comments from Windows people.

I know not all Windows fans are like this

They’re not. And I can say that because I’ve also received some wonderful, thought-provoking comments from that crowd. They’ve provided suggestions for the type of laptop I should buy in order to try out Windows 11 and some even offered detailed explanations as to what they’d like to see Microsoft do next.

And, yeah, a few pointed out that Windows Hello ain’t Microsoft’s take on Siri.

Oops.

Crucially, the more reasonable, open-minded viewers from the Windows crowd watched and listened to my video. They recognised that I’m actually on their side.

So, why didn’t the rest?

More importantly, did my video simply add fuel to the fire?

The problem with clickbait

I’ve got thick skin. But there’s one type of comment I receive on YouTube (and, indeed, on Medium; trolls on this platform are usually a little more intelligent than their YouTube counterparts, and there’s nothing worse than an intelligent troll), which I always struggle to let slip.

“This is clickbait.”

It’s rarely as succinct, grammatically correct or expletive-free as that, but you get the idea.

The war on clickbait is as ill-informed as it is teeth-itchingly irritating. The people who condemn it fail to realise that they’ve been subjected to clickbait for most of their lives and regularly ‘fall victim’ to it.

Brands, newspapers, charities and governments create headlines with one goal in mind: they want your attention. If the content that follows delivers on the promise of the headline, they’ve done their job and everyone wins. This is what I try to do with every piece of content I create. I want your attention, and, let’s not beat around the bush — if you’re reading this, I’ve gained it.

That’s right — you’ve fallen victim to clickbait.

My Windows 11 video was laced with clickbait. The title, for instance — ‘Windows 11 disaster — a Mac guy’s perspective’ — suggests that Microsoft has done something dreadful and I’m jolly upset about it. That’s probably enough on its own to get people clicking, but by throwing in the words ‘a Mac guy’s perspective’, I strategically aimed the title of this video squarely at the Windows crowd. This was laser-focused clickbait, aimed with the steadiest of hands and the most accurate of sights.

But why stop there?

Look at my thumbnail. A recent comment called it ‘obnoxious’. It’s me, sitting in front of an iMac displaying a screenshot of the Windows 11 desktop. Head in hands, I’ve clearly got a lot to say about Windows 11.

At this point, the fire is pretty much out of control. So, why not squirt some more petrol over it in the form of a label on the thumbnail which reads, ‘MAC GUY MEETS WINDOWS 11’?

It worked. It drew in a big audience. To date, that video is approaching 30,000 views, 2,000 hours of watch time and has brought in 173 new subscribers. According to YouTube, it’s also appearing more often in search results (102,564 times, to be exact) compared to my other videos.

The problem? That clickbait was too much for some people. It drew them in but completely clouded their view of the entire video. They didn’t listen to a word I said. Most of the people who took offence mistakenly suggested that I should wait until Windows 11 is fully released to cast judgement on the operating system.

That’s true. But at no point during the entire video did I cast judgement on Windows itself; my grumbles were aimed squarely at Microsoft and their dreadful PR effort.

Did I get it wrong?

If you’re a reasonable, grown-up adult who can offer their opinion without suggesting that I should go you-know-what myself, I’d love to know what you think about this.

Did I stoke the fire too much? Was this clickbait overload?

Clearly, there’s a subsection of the Windows user base that is extremely sensitive. They’re vehemently opposed to anything Mac-related and actively despite Apple’s users. It doesn’t take much to trigger their Apple Sheeple Alert System.

What’s more depressing is the fact they seem incapable of having a laugh with someone who is clearly approaching a piece of content with his tongue wedged firmly in his cheek. There is zero sense of humour on display from these people.

Just to reiterate, I think Windows 11 looks great. I want to try it out. I also wanted to enter some good-natured debate about Microsoft’s approach with its most ardent fans.

Curiously, the like to dislike ratio of my video sits at 683/466, which I’m actually pretty pleased with; more people appear to like it than dislike it. But, as always, the loudest responses come from the dregs of the YouTube community, and it’s those people who prey on my mind.

Did I go about it the wrong way? Let me know what you think in the comments.

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on July 27, 2021.