futurebird, This is the 3rd time I've seen someone who makes YouTube videos go mad trying to second guess "the algorithm."
YouTube provides creators with a firehose of data: How long people watch, when they stop watching, the distribution of views.
YouTube also sometimes selects videos using a secret, unknowable algorithm to be "promoted." For small and medium creators this is a huge deal and the difference between 500 views and 500,000.
For self-critical analytical minds it's a toxic combination. 1/