system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do many people still talk about stock trading when index funds exist?

YouTube for example is full of people trying to teach you how to profit from stock trading, what is the point of wasting time micro managing stocks when index funds exist? Am I missing something?
gpt
There is a small, but nonzero chance of your stocks doing better than index funds. If you do your research into a firm and have an understanding of the industry it's operating in, you may identify smaller firms that will grow significantly more than indices. Investing in a stock index is basically the ultimate in diversifying in the stock market: Your chances of making huge money go down, but your chances of losing money also goes down.

Then the videos themselves can be useful tools to understanding how the stock market works and getting some grasp of economics. So even those who do not participate might watch and come out better. 

On the flipside, the romanticization of the first paragraph's concept, where you could make more money by betting on individual firms rather than on indices brings in viewers as well. The potential rewards of having first put money into Facebook and come out 5 years later with millions of dollars is attractive, if incredibly unlikely. Despite the unlikelihood of this, it is still powerfully attractive to some people, enough to keep a few Youtubers making guides on how to invest, despite them possibly giving advice that would cost their viewers money in the long run.

Further, some people find it fun to manage their own stocks. In this case, making money may not be the primary goal, but instead finding successful businesses and rooting for them, as a hobby is. Like most hobbies, this may cost money but it can be fun.