Thumbnails aren't a bad thing, it's normally when people use it to make it not look like the actual video it is, that's when problems happen.
Peertube
A free software to take back control of your videos
Peertube is an open, federated alternative to Youtube without advertising or tracking. On this site, you can find a good Peertube instance, with good rules, good moderation and most importantly a friendly community.
Kinda like dearrow? They are great. Reduces clickbait
In Peertube, creators have the option of using either a screenshot from the video as a video thumbnail, or they may upload a custom image to represent the video. This feature can be abused I agree, which is what dearrow fixes, but do you believe custom thumbnails can be used to enhance a video/viewers experience instead?
The video creator selecting a relevant thumbnail is great.
Giving users agency so that they can use an alternative video thumbnail, especially when creators succumb to clickbait, is also good.
I like them and use them all the time!
They're basically a must have for any video platform
I hate them, because it's just clickbait, and misinformation bullshit