Re:YouTube bans coronavirus vaccine misinformation
by watwut on Thursday October 15, 2020 @06:04AM
(#24786817)
I dont think issue is uninformed people or people in general not making sensible decisions.
Large issue is euphemisms we use and collective inability to call spade a spade. Misinformation about covid does not randomly happen because uneducated Johny randomly something something. It happens, because well educated people intentionally spread it as a way to acquire or keep power. It also happens, because Youtube algorithms are easy to use by smart educated actor in order to promote whatever that person want to promote. And the people who put time and effort into this tend to be overwhelmingly bad actors.
I watched "triumph of will" once and then I was getting holocaust denial videos suggested for months. I was not getting history or lectures tho. After a while that went down. Then, I watched some gaming videos and started to get such materials again.
That is to point out that for whatever reason, youtube itself is promoting these things. It is not "people in general", I sure as hell was not seeking these materials. And maybe if we have been able to admit out loud that it is not just some teenagers cosplaying white supremacists or stupid hippy moms promoting anti-vaccins, but instead well organized political groups pressing for own agenda, we would be better off.
Because current discussion about speech is absurdely naive.
Large issue is euphemisms we use and collective inability to call spade a spade. Misinformation about covid does not randomly happen because uneducated Johny randomly something something. It happens, because well educated people intentionally spread it as a way to acquire or keep power. It also happens, because Youtube algorithms are easy to use by smart educated actor in order to promote whatever that person want to promote. And the people who put time and effort into this tend to be overwhelmingly bad actors.
I watched "triumph of will" once and then I was getting holocaust denial videos suggested for months. I was not getting history or lectures tho. After a while that went down. Then, I watched some gaming videos and started to get such materials again.
That is to point out that for whatever reason, youtube itself is promoting these things. It is not "people in general", I sure as hell was not seeking these materials. And maybe if we have been able to admit out loud that it is not just some teenagers cosplaying white supremacists or stupid hippy moms promoting anti-vaccins, but instead well organized political groups pressing for own agenda, we would be better off.
Because current discussion about speech is absurdely naive.