Re:On YouTube’s recommendation system
by LordDragonfang on Friday September 17, 2021 @11:35PM
(#28573417)
I know for a fact that a sizable portion (if not a majority) of far-right content gets heavily downranked (and in many cases filtered completely from) in the algorithm as "low quality content".
The problem is that the right is much better at producing flashy, low-attention/low-commitment content - the kinds of things that excel in the metrics the algorithm would naively optimize for. Case in point, the lectures you watch are nearly the exact opposite of that popular, easily-digestible content.
Hmm, that makes sense. I actually watch plenty of non-leftist lectures and speeches too (keeping my mind open, you know), and neither those start flooding my feed x) I guess the problem lies in the metrics the algorithm is optimising for.
I watched "Triumph of will" once. The youtube started to push on me nazi apologists, holocaust did not happen conspiracy theorists and what not. And for some reason, gaming videos. It was seriously disturbing. I watched that movie because I read about it in a book.
Now they removed movie and left there only very bad unwatchable commentary of it. Let's pretend it solves the problem.
Anecdotally (n=1, I know), I watch/listen to a lot of leftist lectures and speeches and my feed does not get inundated with them nearly as much... Really makes you think.