Ever spend too much time on YouTube? Don't worry, it's only partially your fault. YouTube's design encourages you to watch as many videos as possible - for example, by enabling Autoplay by default, and by filling your screen with recommended content in the Up Next sidebar and Related Videos post-view gallery.
The Freedom experiment tests two hypotheses about browsing behavior.
The Reasons hypothesis: After clicking through to related videos, users forget the reason why they came to YouTube in the first place. Users will consume less if they have to enter a reason before beginning a YouTube session, and if the reason comes up later in their session.
The Metrics hypothesis: It is easier to binge-watch videos when you have no idea how long you've spent or how many videos you've watched. Displaying these metrics within the YouTube UI will help users calibrate their viewing habits to their own liking.
Currently, this Chrome extension disables the content feed and search results, puts this functionality behind a toggle, and lets me input reasons on the YouTube front page, saving these reasons to a database.
Upcoming high-level features include browsing metrics.