YouTube videos must be short or the viewers lose interest. Any intellectual point must be made in about a minute. While a minute is usually not sufficient to make an intellectual point in real life—say a class or a paper—it does seem possible on YouTube. While shortcuts such as generalization are needed to encapsulate a point in a minute, the points are still made—though in a less academic way. However, even though points can be made in these short videos, the structure of YouTube hinders the viewer's ability to find these videos.

Going to YouTube to learn is, perhaps, the most pointless idea, ever. Given the vast majority of YouTube users are there for entertainment, the top search results and the most viewed videos are purely entertainment. This makes it hard to find the already-limited amount of intellectual videos. Even if the user can find an intellectual video, they will likely be distracted by the outrageous comments left below the video.