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Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by PittleyDunkin on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @10:14AM (#42711758)
This is honestly kind of shocking. Do you just avoid looking up any kind of political video?
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by robertlagrant on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @10:55AM (#42712432)
No, I watch political videos, but nothing as far to the right as the alt right, I don't think. Maybe once?
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by myko on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @12:23PM (#42713940)
I'm surprised. I've been blocking Jordan Peterson videos for years from YouTube, and I still get recommended something with him in it weekly. I also don't watch political videos generally on the platform.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by Sohcahtoa82 on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @02:44PM (#42715940)
I wonder what you're watching to make YouTube think you want to see it.

I don't see Jordan Peterson or any of those right-wing videos in my suggestions at all.

I just went to my front page, and everything there is stuff I'm interested in. There's the latest clip from a Hell's Kitchen episode, a Gamers Nexus video, an aviation incident with ATC recordings, a video from Fully Ramblomatic (game reviewer), a video on how to to use a cable comb and why you'd want to, a LockPickingLawyer video, videos related to MS Flight Simulator, mountain biking, Factorio, Technology Connections, Adam Savage's Tested...

There is literally not a single suggested video that I wouldn't be interested in in the first 3 pages of my YouTube front page.

So when people complain that YouTube is constantly suggesting right-wing content, brainrot, and MrBeast, I don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Heck, I watch Legal Eagle, which gets pretty political, and yet I don't get basically any political content suggestions.

Are you guys not logged in or something? Constantly browsing from incognito windows?

Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by myko on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @04:12PM (#42717080)
I'm logged in.

I let YouTube remember my history indefinitely. I've never been recommended MrBeast (and only recently-ish heard of him, the last year or so). Maybe years ago, I watched some clips of Joe Rogan if they popped up, but I've never been a regular listener.

My earlier comment shouldn't have been so down on YouTube - overall, my recommendations are good. But it does concern me that the algorithm consistently tries to push Peterson on me.

I do watch a lot of sports commentary and breakdowns, maybe that leads down the path to Peterson?

Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by swatcoder on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @04:55PM (#42717662)
Just from your summary, your viewing habits put out vivid, clear signals that you like commercialized hobbies like gaming and mountain biking.

Not everybody telegraphs how to get into their wallet as well as you do!

Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by spogbiper on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @01:56PM (#42715351)
youtube is utterly convinced i want to see videos of people using vintage synthesizers to recreate modern songs. i have been telling it i'm not interested in this for months, like actively trying to correct whatever is happening there. they always come back.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by robertlagrant on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @04:46PM (#42717555)
Jordan Peterson isn't the alt right, though. Why would he be relevant?
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by myko on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @04:51PM (#42717626)
Giving you the benefit of the doubt with this comment, I recommend googling their relationship with the alt right
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by robertlagrant on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @06:54PM (#42718983)
Sorry - I might not be following, but I don't know who they are. No worries either way, but if you're able to provide something to read I'd be happy to. Googling something, especially with modern Google, doesn't guarantee I'll get to the article you're thinking of.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by Dylan16807 on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @10:35PM (#42720813)
> I don't know who they are.

"they" in that sentence was Jordan Peterson.

> the article you're thinking of

There's plenty of articles to find.

Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by robertlagrant on Thursday January 16, 2025 @04:20AM (#42723196)
I agree there are articles, but that's tricky, I think. E.g. this article[0] says "...having amassed a substantial alt-right following...", but it's unsubstantiated.

I can't tell if it's just placed in articles to get people to believe it or if it's true. How big is the alt-right? Is 100 people on the alt-right a substantial alt-right following? How big is that following compared to his overall following size? Is this just the same logic as "You think snow is white? Did you know Adolf Hitler thought snow was white?"?

As a meta-point, I understand that uninquiring minds don't want to know, and you can get a long way by defining yourself by people you don't like. But I genuinely do want to know, or at least ask the question, and if Bernie Sanders were constantly tarred with "Has a substantial following in the KKK community" I'd be asking the same thing: how many people is that, and how many is it of the total people who like him?

[0] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/...

Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by Dylan16807 on Thursday January 16, 2025 @12:15PM (#42728055)
Glancing at the top results I think this one has a solid view on how the connection gets close, even if I think it's too nice to him. https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/social-science-jordan-pete...
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by infecto on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @10:21AM (#42711857)
If you look at his most recent comment history you can see a trend of either being a troll or an unaware/aware jerk. Not entirely surprising.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by PittleyDunkin on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @11:24AM (#42712956)
Yea, this definitely explains the comment.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by HeyLaughingBoy on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @01:24PM (#42714911)
I found your comment surprising. I have literally never even considered looking for political videos online. They're enough of them shoved in my face everywhere I turn without me needing to seek them out.
Re:TikTok preparing for U.S. shut-off on Sunday by mh- on Wednesday January 15, 2025 @02:49PM (#42716015)
I've also never gotten those sort of YT recommendations, and that is exactly what I do. I never click links to political videos. My entire recommended section is full of stuff from channels I've watched before, or very close to it.