Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

arxiv.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 125 posts

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#71

Post by dathinab »

dfabulich wrote: post #2

For the convenience of those who can't conveniently read a PDF on their current device: > The role that YouTube and its behind-the-scenes recommendation algorithm plays in encouraging online radicalization has been suggested by both journalists and academics alike. This study directly quantifies these claims by examining the role that YouTubes algorithm plays in suggesting radicalized content. After categorizing near…

> over independent YouTube channels with slant towards left-leaning or politically neutral channels.

Why were they explicitly listing this channel types not including right-leaning? From what I heard there indeed is no problem with left radicalization but with right radicalization and mind fuckery through conspiracie channels and similar.

I guess I have to read that article

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#72

Post by Kiro »

cirno wrote: post #67

This applies every bit as much to Google's web search as it does YouTube search. I know of many marginalized people targeted by online hate groups that have been smeared with proven-false allegations and doxxed online, and these stalking websites are consistently ranked as the top results in Google search and Google Images search results for their names. Google's AI is clearly trained to recognize and promote controv…

What applies? The submission concludes the opposite of what you're describing.

> To the contrary, these data suggest that YouTubes recommendation algorithm actively discourages viewers from visiting radicalizing or extremist content.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#73

Post by chrisco255 »

thinkingemote wrote: post #70
Thorentis wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CNN is very pro-democrat, as clearly shown in all their election coverage. This makes them partisan left. From what I've seen, CNN tends to support the favoured democrat candidate/front-runner, and TYT lean further left and often show support for somebody like Sanders, but show general support across the board. > You also don't address their main evidence What main evidence? Their main programming? The main programmi…

To most Europeans the US Democrats are center / right wing. There are no major left wing political parties in the US and no major left wing media outlets.

The left-right paradigm is obviously limited in its scope for explaining the nuanced differences between parties and political movements and especially across international and cultural boundaries.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#74

Post by chrisco255 »

motohagiography wrote: post #12

Does Youtube radicalize? Edward Snowden made an observation during his Joe Rogan interview that compartmentalization within the CIA is necessary so that no person can see all the bad stuff at once and freak out at its total enormity. As a sysadmin, he was in effect radicalized by seeing the bigger picture at NSA that wasn't visible to other analysts. I think Youtube shows you an analogous bigger picture that makes th…

Great comment, but media narratives are a thing. The senior executives at mainstream networks set and reinforce narrative on a daily basis.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#75

Post by EETruth »

Internet is way way too cheap. There's no reason why the working class should have access to it, their brains are not advanced enough to handle it...maybe run a government service for bureaucracy stuff + buying tickets, etc for free then have the full WWW accessible only for the high-middle class/rich/institutions.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#77

Post by testaccount21 »

dathinab wrote: post #71
dfabulich wrote: post #2

For the convenience of those who can't conveniently read a PDF on their current device: > The role that YouTube and its behind-the-scenes recommendation algorithm plays in encouraging online radicalization has been suggested by both journalists and academics alike. This study directly quantifies these claims by examining the role that YouTubes algorithm plays in suggesting radicalized content. After categorizing near…

> over independent YouTube channels with slant towards left-leaning or politically neutral channels. Why were they explicitly listing this channel types not including right-leaning? From what I heard there indeed is no problem with left radicalization but with right radicalization and mind fuckery through conspiracie channels and similar. I guess I have to read that article

I think you've mis-parsed.

The algorithm itself (as opposed to the independent channels) is "with [a] slant towards left-leaning or politically neutral channels." i.e, it recommends channels which are slightly left-of-center.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#78

Post by jdjdjjsjs »

dfabulich wrote: post #2

For the convenience of those who can't conveniently read a PDF on their current device: > The role that YouTube and its behind-the-scenes recommendation algorithm plays in encouraging online radicalization has been suggested by both journalists and academics alike. This study directly quantifies these claims by examining the role that YouTubes algorithm plays in suggesting radicalized content. After categorizing near…

I don't entirely understand the linked chart here.

But best I can make of it, has 1/4 the # of impressions as MSM and almost half the impressions for either partisan left or right.

This is a minor issue that is showing impression numbers the equivalent of entire media organizations. How is this evidence that Youtube's algorithm does not promote radicalized content?

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#79

Post by pharke »

baking wrote: post #34
dfabulich wrote: post #2

For the convenience of those who can't conveniently read a PDF on their current device: > The role that YouTube and its behind-the-scenes recommendation algorithm plays in encouraging online radicalization has been suggested by both journalists and academics alike. This study directly quantifies these claims by examining the role that YouTubes algorithm plays in suggesting radicalized content. After categorizing near…

Anyone who regularly browses their Youtube recommendations knows that the algorithm changed dramatically a few months ago.

They pretty much nerfed it entirely. At least to my eyes, it seems to only "recommend" more videos of exactly the same topic from the same channels more often than not. It used to show videos that were along the same lines as the ones I watched but not necessarily exactly the same topic. It seemed to be better about following somewhat tenuous links between videos that ofter turned up new and interesting channels and related information.

It seems they're trying to play it safe by strictly showing the same thing you just watched. The bias seems to be heavily towards your recent watch history. You can actually see this in action if you go through your subscribed channels and watch a few videos from channels that you haven't visited recently. The change to your feed is immediately apparent.

I've also noticed that they seem to have blacklisted or at least severely downranked some channels even when you are subscribed so they rarely show up in recommendations. These aren't even controversial channels but they don't squarely fit into a category either. Overall it feels like they've shackled a previously good recommendation engine in order to appease their loud critics. I'm really hoping someone can create a viable competitor soon, I'll abandon YouTube in a heartbeat once there's another option.

Re: YouTube’s Rabbit Hole of Radicalization [pdf]

#80

Post by hooande »

I think this study is testing the wrong hypothesis.

Their idea is that people get "radicalized" by being recommended extremist content after watching mainstream news videos. ie, fox news -> 911 conspiracy videos. They demonstrate that this doesn't happen often.

But the real problem wirh youtube is intracategory recommendations. If someone watches one conspiracy video, then their recommendations become all conspiracy videos which inevitably leads to them consuming more and more far right content.

This seems like good science and well conducted research. I just don't know if they had the correct view of the problem

Post reply on HN