YouTube experiments with new comment linking system for videos

YouTube is always testing new features on its platform, and the latest ones seem to be focused on allowing links to be added in video comments. And as expected, the experience isn’t going too well.

YouTube comments tend to be a wild and unmoderated zone, filled with bots and spam to the point where even YouTube itself seems to have lost control. However, the latest rumors suggest that the video platform is now testing the ability to add links to certain terms within the platform.

These links would appear underlined in blue and would be chosen directly from highlighted terms in the comments. When a term is selected, users can click on it to quickly access other videos on the platform associated with that term. Basically, it’s a way for users to quickly search for terms that are automatically selected from the comments.

The problem is that with this functionality, users end up leaving the videos they are currently watching, which can harm content creators. Additionally, the system can be used to redirect users to spam or scam videos using the platform’s own search.

Fortunately, creators seem to have the ability to disable this option and prevent links from being created in the comments. Furthermore, this new feature seems to be available only to a small set of accounts, indicating that it is still in the early stages of testing.