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  • Over the eons, lots of very different kinds of crustaceans have evolved flatter, shorter

  • shells.

  • Their bellies have gotten wider.

  • Their tails have gotten tucked up under their bodies.

  • In other words, all these different animals have become remarkably similarthey've

  • all become crabs.

  • And in a way, that very same process is happening on YouTube.

  • Hi, I'm David, and this is MinuteMetaphor.

  • Ok, it's not like YouTubers are becoming crabs (at least not that we know about).

  • But like all those very different crustaceans, many YouTube videos ARE becoming more and

  • more similar to one another, with lookalike titles and thumbs, and more or less the same

  • run-times.

  • What we're looking at here is basically convergent evolution.

  • In the natural world, convergent evolution happens when species independently evolve

  • similar traits.

  • It often happens when different species face the same ecological problem; like, certain

  • crustaceans known as decapods are great at defending themselves from frontal attacks,

  • but they're prone to getting snatched by clever predators that grab them from behind.

  • And they only have certain tools at their disposal to deal with this problem; crustaceans

  • can't just evolve tail chainsaws, after all.

  • But they can undergo small, incremental changes in their body shape; a smaller, tucked-under

  • tail presents fewer vulnerable areas for predators to grab.

  • And a flatter, wider shell frees their legs to move side to side giving them more ways

  • to escape.

  • Over the last 200 million years, more than 50% of decapod species have ended up stumbling

  • onto the same kinds of adaptationsthose that make them crabs.

  • In the digital world, YouTubers, too, are all trying to solve the same problem: they

  • need to get a ton of eyeballs on their content to survive.

  • And they, too, have only so many tools at their disposal – – it's not like they

  • can suddenly pivot and start making Pixar Marvel films.

  • But creators can focus on attracting the favor of YouTube's algorithmic recommendation

  • system; many are giving their videos attention-grabbing titles and, well, you know the thumb.

  • And this stuff works; studies have shown that higher numbers of people click onthe thumb”,

  • which causes the algorithm to recommend the video to even more people.

  • Lots of creators have also converged on 20-minute run-times, which might sound random, but according

  • to research, it's the algorithm's favorite length.

  • Even the most stubborn of channels are occasionally displaying these traitsalthough we'll

  • likely evolve claws before we make a 20-minute video.

  • Of course, there are differences between the convergence going on in YouTube videos and

  • that in crustaceans.

  • Unlike crustaceans, which mutate randomly and independently from one another, many YouTubers

  • are undertaking this process consciously; they're seeing what success looks like in

  • other channels and are pivoting to give themselves the best opportunity to survive.

  • But some creaturesand creatorshave found success zigging when everyone else has

  • zagged.

  • Take the frog crab, which used to look like, well, every other crab.

  • But more recently, it has evolved to hide from predators by burying itself in the sand;

  • it's actually lost its crab shapeand has flourished anyway.

  • And some YouTubers who used to regularly make somewhat clickbait-y 20-minute videos, presumably

  • to appease the algorithm, now make just a few multi-hour long videos a year that feature

  • thumbs and titles like this.

  • And viewers flock to them anyway.

  • So yeah, despite all the convergence going on out there, there are lots of ways to be

  • a successful YouTuber, and lots of ways to be a successful crustacean.

  • And as the YouTube environment and the natural environment continue to change with more threats

  • and opportunities, we'll likely see all sorts of new adaptations, too.

  • Not every YouTuber has to turn into Mr. Beast, and not every mystery beast has to turn into

  • a crab.

  • We're more interested in telling stories about beasts than becoming Mr Beast.

  • But that means that we only occasionally stumble into that YouTube algorithmic fairy dust.

  • So the best way to make sure we're able to keep making our brand of videos is through

  • the help of our supporters over at Patreon.

  • And now is the best time to join, since we've cooked up a bunch of awesome perks to get

  • you to make the leap.

  • If you become a patron at any levelfrom $3 a month on upyou'll get a monthly

  • 4k downloadable featuring one of our favorite nerdy charts or images.

  • If you become a patron at $6 a month or higher, we will stick-figurize you and send it to

  • you as a high-res download.

  • We may even include your stick figure in a future video!.

  • And if you become a super supporteran annual member at $30 a month or higher

  • in addition to all that other stuff, you'll also become a founding member of the first

  • MinuteEarth T-shirt club.

  • Every quarter, we'll send out a new high-quality original MinuteEarth T-shirt designed just

  • for you.

  • Here's a sneak peek at the first one.

  • They're going to be awesome - and your support will allow us to keep making weird wonderful

  • science videos.

  • So don't make us crabbycome join the Patreon party at patreon.com/minuteearth.

  • That's patreon.com/minuteearth.

Over the eons, lots of very different kinds of crustaceans have evolved flatter, shorter

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