Does the number of subscribers, views, likes under science videos on YouTube affect the behavior of the average user these days

Have you ever noticed that popular content only ever seems to get more popular? Just why is it that the rich get richer? It turns out that view counts, likes, comments, and other forms of engagement all come together to impact how, when, where, and by whom your content is seen.

Videos with the appearance of popularity are rewarded, both by YouTube itself and by the millions of people who use this global streaming service daily. In this article, we take a look at how video engagement impacts viewer behavior and what this means for your YouTube account. 

They Impact What Viewers See

One of the most obvious ways that your view count influences user behavior is by impacting when and where they see your content. Keep in mind that there are 500 hours worth of content loaded up onto YouTube every minute. That means that there are literally thousands of people uploading videos at the same second you are. And the next second. And the second after that one. 

Needless to say, the platform can’t actively monitor what people are uploading. To sort content, it uses an algorithm. While YouTube (like pretty much every social media platform) declines to share their algorithm—and in fact likely tweaks it with great frequency—we do know that view count is one of their sorting criteria.

Because the platform can’t know what content people are responding well to on an individual basis, they rely instead on data. Content with lots of views and engagements is deemed more desirable and therefore comes up earlier on the search engine. Extremely popular content might even find its way onto the home page, at which point exposure levels skyrocket. 

Unfortunately, however, it takes views to get more views. How can a YoutTube user view content that they never even come across? 

To that end, one of the best ways to influence viewer behavior is to buy cheap YouTube bulk views. While there is a regrettable stigma concerning the purchase of views, the fact remains that it is a very common practice that helps you get your content in front of potential viewers’ eyes. 

They Influence What Viewers Drift To

Some people get onto YouTube with the express purpose of sifting through the vast waves of content, hoping to stumble across something they will enjoy. But, as they navigate through the platform, they’ll exercise a number of different mental filters to weed out content. 

For example, they might try to select videos with an apparent aesthetic value. Or, they might distinguish by genre. Whatever the case, as they surf, they’re most likely also sifting by way of apparent popularity. 

They don’t just want a video that’s funny. They want the best video that’s funny. And since they can’t watch the billions of videos that are currently on the platform to find which is the best of the best, they judge based on likes and views. They gravitate towards the content that has the appearance of being superior and then form their own opinions after watching it. 

They Distinguish Similar Videos

Ok, let’s say you want to learn how to make chocolate chip cookies. Type that into YouTube and you are going to get literally thousands of hits. As mentioned above, the videos that already have the most engagements are probably going to show up on your first page of search results. 

Great right? But that still leaves you with twenty options to choose from. Now what? Granted, there are a number of variables that come into play. You might select a video because you like the thumbnail, or you recognize the content creator. However, for the sake of this example, let’s neutralize these factors. 

When all other factors are equal, potential viewers naturally gravitate towards the content that has the most engagements. Fair? Maybe not, but certainly it’s an efficient way of navigating through YouTube’s vast ocean of content. You aren’t going to watch twenty videos on how to bake cookies. You’ll scan your search page, pick the one with the most views and likes, and then move on with your life. 

They Inspire Viewer Actions

High view, like, and comment numbers do more than simply suggest that the content you create is good. They also establish an energy around your videos that potential viewers will want to be a part of. Whether you call it the community effect, or simply just the fear of being left out, people tend to naturally gravitate towards things that have the appearance of popularity. 

By creating the appearance of high engagement on your content, you establish a culture of activity on your upload. For example, someone who might not want to be the first person to leave a comment on a video may feel much more comfortable writing in if they see that thirty others have already done so. 

Social media is ultimately quite like real life. People take their cues from one another. This is one of the reasons that buying engagements often create a snowball effect. By artificially injecting momentum into your content, you make it easier for other people to engage with your posts.

Views: A vanity project?

While having more views is nice, it’s also worth mentioning that they (along with comments and likes) are just a small fraction of the analytics that determine the success of your account. Other, invisible factors, such as how long people spend watching your videos are what really counts. 

Watch times, unfortunately, have no quantifiable impact on account engagements. Potential audience members have no idea how long other viewers have spent watching your content, and so can’t gravitate towards it based on that criteria. 

Nevertheless, there is an undeniable relationship between views, and the other, more meaningful analytics that they lead to. As said, you need views, to get views. The visible, cosmetic suggestions of success that are your likes, comments and watch counts give way to much more fruitful forms of fan engagement. 

It’s true that views can influence user behavior, but truly great content creators understand how to use that influence, and to what end. You don’t want a base of fans who put your videos on in the background as they work on something else. You want a gripped, engaged audience who will support not just the content in front of them at the moment, but whatever else you produce as well. 

With a little bit of strategy, you can use your view, comment, and like counts to find the audience that will allow your account not just to survive, but also to thrive.

Conclusion

A high view count may not catapult a mediocre video into permanent, long-term success. However, your engagement rate can be viewed as one part of a sweeping marketing strategy to get the right people in front of your content. 

By riding the waves of the search engine algorithm and creating a sense of momentum around your posts, you make it easier for people to hit the view button on your content. In a supersaturated marketplace, it’s small advantages like this that can make all the difference.