YouTube is copying one of X's best features
You'll soon be able to add context to videos, similar to X's Community Notes
👀 YouTube is taking a leaf out of X’s playbook
✍️ It’s introducing a Community Notes-style feature
👍 Select users and creators will be available to leave notes, which can then be rated
🤖 A bridging-based algorithm will then ultimately decide what gets published
YouTube has begun testing an experimental feature that allows people to add notes to provide “relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context” on videos. The feature is similar to Community Notes on X, which allows users to tackle misinformation and provide additional context where necessary.
YouTube provided some examples of how its notes feature will work on its official blog. A video could include a note that clarifies when a song is meant to be a parody or points out when a new version of a product being reviewed is available.
A limited number of eligible contributors in the US will be invited via email or Creator Studio to write notes so that YouTube can test the feature before it rolls it out officially. Mobile viewers in the US will start to see notes on videos in the coming weeks and months.
One key difference to how Community Notes work on X is that the helpfulness of a note will be rated by third-party evaluators to begin with. Later, contributors will be able to rate the notes as well. YouTube will then use a “bridging-based algorithm” to consider whether users think a note is “helpful”, “somewhat helpful” or “unhelpful” and why, and YouTube tools will ultimately determine whether a note should be published.
Community Notes is a fantastic feature on X that has become a powerful tool in combating misinformation and bias and stopping people from expressing opinions as fact. While not always perfect, the open-source nature of Community Notes means they’re usually effective.
YouTube’s version of Community Notes builds on some of the helpful context tools it already has in place. Information panels have been present for a while, and the company recently implemented a disclosure requirement for users to flag when content is altered or synthetic.
We’ll have to wait and see how effective YouTube’s Notes are compared to X’s, particularly as YouTube will be relying on an algorithm to determine what should be published.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.