shareyouryoutubehistory.org

How the world views the world.

A project, one person, and curiosity.

We all know that everyone views the world a little differently from everyone else. I want to try to help us understand what each other is "seeing" from their point of view.

I plan to use YouTube histories as a proxy for a person's point of view. Granted it is not perfect, but it does give a glimpse into what interested someone. I hope to be able to use the histories of many people to try to approximate the view from another's perspective.

The project is to build a knowledge graph from the histories.

The goal is to make it possible to see the world the way someone else has been seeing it.

Drop your file below and help build something that doesn't exist yet.

The initial version will be English specific. I hope to add German and Spanish next, since they are the most relevant to myself. Additional languages will be considered based on the histories received and the technology available to add the language to the project.

Step 1 — Get your file from Google

Go to takeout.google.com
Click Deselect all, then check only YouTube and YouTube Music
As of the posting of this web page, YouTube and YouTube Music is the very last check box at the bottom of the page.
Click Next step → Create export.
Google will email you a download link (usually within the hour).
Unzip the file. Inside you'll find:
YouTube and YouTube Music / history / watch-history.html
Please only include that file. There are other files that include your comments, playlists, etc. Inclusion of that information could result in being able to identify you. I don't want that. I just want to know what people around the world are watching.
Come back here and drop that file below.
You can also drop the whole .zip if you prefer, but this may expose personal information.

Step 2 — Drop your file

About privacy: Your watch history is more identifying than it looks. Even without your name, the combination of videos you've watched can say a lot about you. Please only share it if you're comfortable with that.

Your file will be stored and processed by me, one person. If you leave an email I'll store it separately and use it only to let you know when I have something to show you.

I am asking for your geographic location and self identification to enable a point of view to be established. For example a French man living in America is going to view the world differently than a Chinese woman living in Germany.

I will not sell it or share it.

Your history file (.html or .zip):

The file stays on your computer until you hit submit.

Email address (optional): Leave this if you want a notification when something is ready.

The fields below help establish a point of view. All are optional, but the more you share the more useful your contribution is.

Country you currently live in (optional): Country you were born in (optional): Nationality or nationalities (optional): List all that apply, separated by commas. Languages you watch YouTube in (optional): List all that apply, separated by commas. Gender (optional): Age range (optional): General occupation or field (optional): Anything else you want to add (optional): Context that might help explain your point of view.

Thank you. Seriously.

Your file is in. You just helped build something real.
If you left an email, I'll be in touch when something is ready.

Questions? Something feel off? Email me: ShareYourYouTubeHistory@drodel.com