Are you tired of being distracted by English-language recommendations while trying to immerse yourself in your target language on YouTube? If so, you’re not alone. (I feel the same). For many language learners achieving language immersion can be difficult when we are constantly bombarded with distractions in our native tongue (Youtube shows us videos in our mother tongue). In this post, we’ll share a simple but effective tip for improving your language immersion experience on YouTube: creating a new account exclusively for immersion purposes (immerse yourself and achieve your goal)!
The problem with YouTube recommendations
When you watch videos on YouTube, the platform’s recommendation algorithm tries to anticipate what other videos you might be interested in based on your viewing history. While this can be a helpful feature, it can also be a distraction for language learners who are trying to immerse themselves in their target language. If you’re an English speaker watching a video in your target language, for example, you’re likely to receive recommendations for English-language videos that may be entertaining, educational, or enriching, but that don’t necessarily help you achieve your language learning goals.
The solution: create a new YouTube account for immersion
To avoid this problem, one solution is to create a new YouTube account specifically for language immersion. On this account, only subscribe to channels that speak your target language and only watch videos in your target language. By doing this, you create an environment where you don’t have to worry about willpower at all. You can click on whatever you want, you can be tempted as much as you want by the side videos, and you’ll never leave your immersion bubble, so it’ll all be fine and help you achieve your language learning goals.
Bonus tip: adjust your language settings
In addition to creating a new YouTube account for immersion, you can also adjust your language settings to prioritize your target language. To do this, go to your account settings and select your target language as the preferred language. This will help the recommendation algorithm understand that you only want to see videos in your target language and will further improve your immersion experience. Makes sense, right?
Conclusion (feels more like a repetition, if you ask me):
Creating a new YouTube account specifically for language immersion is easy to improve your immersion experience and stay focused on your language learning goals. By subscribing only to channels that speak your target language and only watching videos in your target language, you can create an environment where you’re not tempted by English-language recommendations and can fully immerse yourself in your target language.
I got my inspiration from Matt. Thank you so much!
If you liked this blog post, you might also like this post The Truth About Learning English on YouTube but be warned, it contradicts a little bit the current post. Frankly, in language learning there is no black and white. Enjoy your language journey!
