While exploring the Technical Marketing Handbook by Simmer—particularly the chapter about Web Browsers—I recalled an important concept. Web browsers act as a canvas for HTML code, painting the digital picture a website wants to display. This revelation sparked an idea. Just as ad-blockers manipulate this HTML canvas to filter content, could I tailor my digital environment to suit my needs better?
In my daily routine, YouTube serves as both a treasure trove of information and a potential distraction. To mitigate the latter, I once tweaked my Google Account settings to disable YouTube’s watch history and recommendations.
This change effectively cleared my homepage from distractions, but YouTube’s Shorts remained an unyielding presence, especially in the “Subscription” tab. Given their popularity and YouTube’s emphasis on them, escaping Shorts seemed like an impossible feat. However, I wondered, could custom code be the key to this problem?
With only a basic understanding of coding, I was unsure about the feasibility of my idea. Rather than searching for existing solutions, I turned to ChatGPT, hoping it could help me navigate this challenge. By providing it with snippets of YouTube’s page code—courtesy of the browser’s “inspect element” feature—I outlined my goal: to hide every instance of YouTube Shorts from my view.
The journey to the solution was iterative. An initial attempt using the “Stylus” browser extension and custom code fell short. Unperturbed, I returned to ChatGPT, which suggested “Tampermonkey” as an alternative. With revised code and clear instructions, I ventured again. This time, success! ChatGPT guided me through the process, requiring only the right piece of code to hide Shorts from both the menu and the Subscription tab.
This experiment, from inception to execution, took just half an hour. It was more than a mere project; it was a testament to the democratizing power of Generative AI. Non-technical individuals like myself can now bring ideas to life, turning them into minimum viable products (MVPs) with ease. Imagine validating a product through an MVP, a landing page, and a targeted advertising campaign. This process could not only gauge market interest but also collect invaluable early feedback.
The potential here is vast. Generative AI tools empower us to test our creative limits, encouraging the birth of numerous pet projects. I want to encourage everyone to try using them. Test out your ideas and see what you can make, even if they’re just small projects for fun. We’re in a time where making things is easier than ever, and it’s exciting to see what everyone can come up with.
And if you’d also like to remove Shorts from your YouTube experience, shoot me a DM on LinkedIn and I’ll send you the instructions!