I remember watching those Portuguese comedy videos back in the 2010s that had me laughing my ass off, like the ones from Miséria or random sketches. Now when I watch channels that still do that kind of content, it feels like it's lost all its spark. Is it just nostalgia on my part or has it really changed?
I think part of it is just nostalgia, but it's real that the humor has changed a lot - not just Portuguese stuff, but generally on the platform. The old videos had that improvised vibe, without so much worry about monetization or the algorithm, and now creators think way more about metrics and audience. That said, Portuguese wit still exists, it's just sometimes scattered across different formats (shorts, lives, even TikTok) and not concentrated in channels doing that long-form content like before.
You're right that humor has changed, but I don't think it's just a matter of improvisation or monetization. YouTube's algorithms literally favor content that grabs attention quickly, so comic timing has become more rushed and less developed - that long setup that used to build the joke disappeared because it doesn't "hook" people in the first few seconds. Plus, what worked in 2010 was more niche, there was less competition, so it could be really specific. Today any Portuguese video that wants to go viral has to appeal to a much more generic audience, and that's where it loses that local flavor you used to like.
The thing is, it really did change, but it's not just nostalgia. The old videos worked because people were making comedy without thinking much about algorithms or monetization - it was more experimental, with jokes that had time to land, weird pauses, absurd humor that nobody touches nowadays because "it doesn't convert." YouTube literally penalized videos that didn't keep people's attention in the first few seconds, so comedians had to adapt to a much faster and more predictable format.
What also changed was the whole culture around comments and sharing. Back then jokes spread more organically among friends, there was less pressure to make content that would "go viral" immediately. Now everything's optimized, titles are clickbait, thumbnails scream for attention. It's not the creators' fault - it's the system forcing them into it. Kids who grew up with that rougher, more improvised humor have memories of something that was made with fewer restrictions, and it's hard to replicate that when the platform punishes exactly that kind of creative risk-taking.
Log into answer.
