YouTube’s algorithm seems to be funneling people to alt-right videos

#socialmedia

How do we know that? More than 330,000 videos on nearly 350 YouTube channels were analyzed and manually classified according to a system designed by the Anti-Defamation League. They were labeled as either media (or what we think of as factual news), “alt-lite” intellectual dark web, or alt-right.

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm has been a topic of concern. A study analyzed over 330,000 videos across nearly 350 channels and classified them into three categories: media (factual news), “alt-lite” intellectual dark web, and alt-right. Here’s what they found:

1. Alt-Right: Traditionally associated with white supremacy, advocating for a white ethnostate.

2. Intellectual Dark Web: Justifying white supremacy based on eugenics and “race science.”

3. Alt-Lite: Not explicitly supporting white supremacy but believing in conspiracy theories about “replacement” by minority groups.

The study revealed that the alt-lite and intellectual dark web often serve as gateways to more extreme, far-right ideologies. Over 26% of people who commented on alt-lite videos eventually drifted to alt-right content1.

YouTube’s algorithm sometimes directs users toward increasingly violent, extreme material, and the overlap between alt-right and other related content is growing. However, it’s still unclear precisely what drives this shift, as YouTube restricts access to recommendation data.

Recently, researchers found that YouTube’s algorithm no longer inadvertently leads people to extreme political content, thanks to changes made in 20192. However, the delicate balance between free speech and addressing hate speech remains an ongoing challenge for the platform.