[XUX-6] Encountering the Invisible: A Tale of Cookies and Videos

A Few days back, I attended a webinar organized by a student union team. Kudos for the support and insights! After a few days, I tried to re-watch that recorded webinar shared by the student union team. Instead, a mysterious black screen greeted me. This was the first minor issue in what would become a series of troubleshooting steps to uncover the root of the problem.

The Initial Confusion

The black screen (Figure 1) offered no clues—no error messages, no pointers to what might have gone wrong. It seemed straightforward at first; perhaps the video hadn't been uploaded yet. However, the solution wasn't quite so simple, and my curiosity wouldn’t let me just wait it out.

Turning to Incognito Mode

Next morning, after a fresh cup of coffee, I decided to try accessing the link in Chrome’s incognito mode. This often helps bypass user or browser-specific settings that could be hiding content. It was a logical first step, but the screen remained black.

"Incognito Mode is designed to provide a browsing experience that's separate from your regular session. It doesn't use your existing browser cookies, site data, or history."

Cookie Settings to the Rescue

Next, I thought about cookies. I tweaked the cookie settings to allow only the necessary ones (Figure 2). Still, there was no change. Then, feeling a bit adventurous, I allowed all the cookies. Voilà! The video appeared, framed beautifully, from YouTube on their site.

The Underlying Issue

It turns out, the issue was all about third-party cookies. YouTube needed permission to set these cookies to show videos on the website. The cookie consent dialog (Figure 2) mentions that cookies are used for social media services, yet it fails to clarify the direct impact this could have on your experience—such as affecting the display of a video.

From a technical standpoint, this makes sense; when a website includes embedded content from social media platforms, like a YouTube video, these platforms may require certain cookies to be accepted to display their content on third-party sites. However, this experience highlighted a couple of significant user concerns.

1. Lack of Clear Guidance

The cookie management dialogue box was a pointer, but not specific about such features. It failed to inform me what exactly would happen if I didn’t allow all cookies. Like many concerned about privacy, I opted to enable only the necessary cookies. This decision, made from a place of caution, led to an unintended consequence—no video.

2. The Trade-Off: Privacy for Access

The experience made me reflect on the trade-offs we make online. By limiting cookies, I aimed to protect/restrict my data use, a reasonable stance in our digital age. Yet, this stance blocked me from accessing content directly on their site, content that was freely available on YouTube under different cookie settings. It felt like a bit high price for what should have been straightforward access to information.

A Human Perspective on Technical Rationales

From a user’s perspective, the journey through settings and adjustments to access a simple webinar video was more involved than expected. It highlighted the often overlooked aspect of web design—user guidance. Users need clear, accessible information about the implications of their choices, especially regarding privacy.

This lack of specificity can lead to frustration and confusion, as it did in my case, where the video remained invisible until I decided to 'Allow all cookies'. Only then did the content appear, indicating that among the 'non-essential' cookies, there were indeed some that were quite essential for the task at hand—watching the webinar video.

This incident isn’t just about a missing video; it’s a reminder of the delicate balance between functionality and user privacy. As we navigate the web, we must continuously make decisions about how much of our digital life we are willing to trade for convenience.

I hope sharing this story highlights the importance of improved user experiences.

How do you balance privacy with accessibility—have you ever encountered a similar situation? Share your thoughts with us!

Disclamier: Please note that the insights and scenarios discussed here are based solely on my personal experience and observations. A detailed, technical examination of the specific functionalities and privacy implications has not been conducted. This is a sharing of experiences meant to foster discussion and is not an exhaustive analysis. Reader discretion is advised, and I welcome diverse perspectives and additional information that may shed more light on this topic.