As for paying for the content you consume, most of the costs aren't on Google's side. I can understand paying for Youtube as a shortcut to hopefully giving some pennies to each person you watch, though, at least for those with no moral objection to making Google's/Youtube's monopoly in online video stronger
Creators can just as easily pop a Patreon or BuyMeACoffee these days in a few clicks. In fact, most creators constantly admit that Google pays them peanuts for their view counts. But support the leviathan for reasons unknown I guess.
Also, isn't patreon also a middleman by your definition?
Once someone reaches a level of individual support that’s fine.
YouTube remains a place for discovering channels and people and some people especially the majority who are not technical, can outwit a simple family fee.
I use YouTube premium more than I ever used for paying Netflix for far longer. Value (and proven convenience) is in the eyes of the user.
I got fed up and stopped paying for premium, now I get no shorts and no ads, it's a win-win.
