If YouTube’s algorithms radicalize people, it’s hard to tell from the data

Re:If YouTube’s algorithms radicalize people, it’s hard to t... by m-watson on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @04:17PM (#28053620)

There is absolutely evidence supporting the idea that YouTube and social media sites are contributing to the radicalization of people. This is not saying there is not evidence, it is reporting one one specific study that used a very specific method. It is worth reporting on specific studies/methods as well as doing over arching journalism on a topic. One piece does not discount another.

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Re:If YouTube’s algorithms radicalize people, it’s hard to t... by ctoth on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @06:32PM (#28055045)

I'd appreciate any links you have to this evidence. I also found this:

> After conducting a detailed analysis of recommendations received by each channel type, we refute the popular radicalization claims. To the contrary, these data suggest that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm actively discourages viewers from visiting radicalizing or extremist content. Instead, the algorithm is shown to favor mainstream media and cable news content over independent YouTube channels with slant towards left-leaning or politically neutral channels. Our study thus suggests that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm fails to promote inflammatory or radicalized content, as previously claimed by several outlets.

Here's a more accessible writeup[1].

[0]: View of Algorithmic extremism: Examining YouTube's rabbit hole of radicalization https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.11211

[1]: https://mark-ledwich.medium.com/youtube-radicalization-an-au...

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Re:If YouTube’s algorithms radicalize people, it’s hard to t... by m-watson on Wednesday August 04, 2021 @07:56AM (#28059929)

One source is: https://www.rand.org/randeurope/research/projects/internet-a...

Here is a shorter blog post that references the above research: https://www.rand.org/blog/2014/03/the-internets-role-in-radi...

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