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'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
21–30 of 43 posts
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#22I don't know, guys. The world before complex algorithms generating clicks on the Internet was pretty biased and stupid. I don't think autoplay is going to be the thing that destroys our collective intelligence for us. If we want our society to be less prone to fictitious nonsense, education that encourages critical thinking and a rudimentary of statistics should be encouraged, but that's often not interesting enough…
> The world before complex algorithms generating clicks on the Internet was pretty biased and stupid
The way the news has been ranting about social media, you'd think it was responsible for all the world's ill. The hyperbole and just pathetic nonsense from the media the past few years has been ridiculous. From the pewdiepie nonsense to the insane coverage of trump to the current hysteria over facebook. I wish we could go back to a time when the news media didn't have such obvious agenda. It would be nice if the news industry pushed out news instead of their agenda.
> but that's often not interesting enough to write about for many journalists
If everyone was educated, thought critically and understood stats, where would news companies get their journalists from?
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#23The fact that we’re all so easily influenced in ways we don’t even realize makes me believe AI deities are only a matter of time. I’m legit terrified of a future where some programmer creates a cult AI figure that will direct people to either harm themselves or others.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#24The fact that we’re all so easily influenced in ways we don’t even realize makes me believe AI deities are only a matter of time. I’m legit terrified of a future where some programmer creates a cult AI figure that will direct people to either harm themselves or others.
People have been harming themselves and others in the name of religion for millennia. You could argue that it’s easier to destroy or modify an actual AI than an imaginary god.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#25This whole "fake news" and "big tech is horrible" trope is tiresome.
That being said there is a bunch of nonsense on YouTube and it is annoying when trying to find legitimate information. Watch an informative video on history or archeology or something and two seconds later they are pushing a video about aliens creating the pyramids and the worst part is, because it's a video, you might have to watch it for a few minutes to find out it's utter rubbish unlike text where you can scan quickly and determine.
I don't really expect (nor want) YouTube to curate though, the moral hazard in that seems even more undesirable. Some kind of an expert rating layer would be cool though for objective topics (lets leave politics out, I'm not interested in that kind of a rating layer and don't watch those kind of videos). I can't follow every legit poster on every topic I might become passingly interested in and it's troubling to see nonsense presented right alongside informed commentary.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#26Interesting results. Though I wonder to what extent some of them reflect the outside world. (Not reality. Just what people outside youtube focus on.) The Clintons have been the subject of conspiracy theories since the 90s at least. So, it's not surprising that this would extend on to Youtube. (I haven't made an extensive study of this, but my impression is that the American right wing is prone to conspiracies about p…
> (I haven't made an extensive study of this, but my impression is that the American right wing is prone to conspiracies about people or events, whereas the left wing is prone to conspiracies about institutions.)
No. Both the right wing and left wing are prone to conspiracies about people, events and institutions. The right wing sees conspiracies in institutions like the UN, EU, etc. The left wing sees conspiracies in people like Trump.
They are both the same. 10 years ago, it was the right wing claiming the saudis got obama elected. Now, it's the left wing claiming the russians got trump elected. 10 years ago, the right wingers claimed obama was born in kenya and serving the saudis. Now, the left wingers are claiming trump is working for putin and the russians.
> The article also mentions Trump speeches were more recommended. There's an innocent recommendation: people find Trump more engaging.
This is so funny. 10 years ago, mccain supporters were claiming that youtube was biased towards obama. And the media mocked mccain, palin and their supporters for being paranoid. Now it's the left wing media claiming youtube was biased towards trump. The hypocrisy of the media.
It's amazing how things flipped in a matter of a few years. 10 years ago, it was foxnews and the tea party ranting and raving about obama. Now it's the left leaning media ranting and raving about trump and social media.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#27I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. People raising concerns about superhuman AI grey-gooing the planet have their priorities wrong. Incompetent narrow AI will happily navigate man kind into a wall when the pattern of bricks by chance happens to look like a tunnel. Don't be evil... we have automation for that…
> I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff.
That's the point of youtube autoplay. You leave it running long enough it'll go through all the videos. That's what makes youtube interesting. At least that's what made youtube deep diving interesting before all the censorship.
You go through enough books in the library and you will eventually find books on alchemy.
Also, you could turn off autoplay with a click of a button...
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#28I put on some science video and walked away recently... came back latter and the autoplay had navigated itself deep into k00ky flat earther stuff. People raising concerns about superhuman AI grey-gooing the planet have their priorities wrong. Incompetent narrow AI will happily navigate man kind into a wall when the pattern of bricks by chance happens to look like a tunnel. Don't be evil... we have automation for that…
pro tip: never fall asleep to youtube without disabling autoplay. conspiracy nut vids make for some interesting dreams.
Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
the stereotypical grey goo is usually an example of the kind of narrow AI you are talking about
Grey goo doesn’t require intelligence of any sort tho just the ability to consume resources and replicate. And it doesn’t even have to be nano machines, HzD is effectively a grey goo scenario with drones that can replicate and can produce essentially biodiesel.
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Re: 'Fiction is outperforming reality': how YouTube's algorithm distorts truth
#30The Guardian calling YouTube out for distorting truth? This is the pot calling the kettle black.
The guardian certainly has a strong editorial position, but I've never found its' reporting to be anything other than honest, well researched, and written with integrity. I think that they believe what they write with a high level of conviction, which is more than you can say for some of the more egregious videos floating around on YouTube.
> The guardian certainly has a strong editorial position, but I've never found its' reporting to be anything other than honest, well researched, and written with integrity.
You got to be kidding me. If you think the guardian has integrity then it's because you agree with their viewpoints.
They have no more integrity than foxnews does.
It's ridiculous how much certain news organizations get on a "hacker" forum.