20 seconds cat videos or two minute talk video are vastly different to 10mins to 4 hours youtube videos. The time “lost” by wathcing the wrong thing is just very different. I think it isn’t uncommon for users to spend multiple hours per day watching those short clips only to realize most of it was mildly interesting at best and it’s less likely someone sits through a 4h video they dont care about than someone watching 4h worth of a variety of short clips they don’t really care for. Either way I think taking transparency/agency away from the user is terrible.

The goal is to make you click and anything that could stop you is considered a problem. I’d say it’s a short term strategy that will lead to long term failure but I’m not sure anymore. Tiktok and Instagram are feeding their users a bunch of trash too and it still works.