I've been seeing discussions lately around the YouTube fascism algorithm [not directed at me] implying that if you get those suggestions it's because that's material you have sought out.
Not true.
It's been studied and repeatedly shown--like a vehicle w/poor alignment--suggestions will drift to the right pretty quickly.
To "never" get them, you must
a) be outside targeted demographics AND
b) not look at DIY, repair, survivalism, building, cooking, sewing, politics, animal husbandry, automotive
@bluGill@_L1vY_ I remember once years ago I accidentally clicked on a video featuring a cute chinchilla being petted, for years after, just nothing but fucking chinchillas – everywhere I turn, fucking chinchillas, wall to wall, chinchillas, fucking nothing but chincillas
@u0421793@_L1vY_@bluGill this is the magic of clearing your site cookies on yt, then picking a few vids you like, playing them in the background to seed a new cookies, and everything is great after that.
@atlefren Yes! I strongly suspect it's the non-US part.
Also I have heard a similar experience to yours (not being targeted) from folks in the British area.
Americans on the internet are the big market for whoever is paying for this push!
@CatDragon Yes, that's the big problem with it.
But what I'm saying is I see people criticizing other adults for simply getting those recommendations, as though they "asked for it," when it's a platform issue.
The place you will get ADS targeted to things you have sought out, is in the ADS you get in social media, news articles, even YouTube etc.
That's why it is considered "telling on themself" when someone complains they get porn ads all the time.
But it's the ADS.
Meanwhile most people who go on YouTube DO end up getting things like Shapiro videos suggested.
(AND some unblockable RW political ADS that are mass-pushed to EVERYONE since it's an election year.)
@_L1vY_
Or video games! If you look up ONE video game video, regardless of its content (it could literally be an anti-fascism video), you immediately start getting suggestions for the white supremacist type shit (and if you're not active in video game spaces would not necessarily recognize the names of those channels).
Also comic books and anything related (including MCU) and anything where the fandom has even a small fascism problem, like Star Wars.
Algorithm is like "oh, I see you're interested in the troubled bond market, would you like to see a grotesquely misogynistic film review or perhaps three animate thumbs with microphones explaining how Western Civilization is being destroyed by a "mind virus"?"
@_L1vY_ Also, if I recall correctly, the algo doesn't distinguish between "Pro-" and "anti-" content. So if you do look mainly for social justice creators, the algo will every now and then push an anti-woke creator at you.
@NilaJones@quietmarc@_L1vY_ Yeah, I run youtube in a firefox container with no account and have it set to delete all the cookies every time I close the tab. Youtube recommendations are very generic but also not very useful. As I dont really like the recommendations either way, this is fine, but it sucks that going this far out of your way is the only way to get it to not propagandize you
@_L1vY_ I get these recs from the YouTube algorithm constantly due to my work as a handyman and my interest in martial arts, despite my CONSTANT leftist youtube searches and overall antifascist movements on the platform. It is literally always one step away, even for serious antifas like me.
@_L1vY_ I had to stop using Twitter. You interact with some #HamRadio content, write some tricks and facts about antenna making - and the whole TRUMP MAGA content makes 95% of proposed content after one day.
And taking my last Ham radio licensing exam made me feel bad. Only MAGAts there and the tester, too. The whole time awful lies about Biden etc.
It's like AM radio. Also taken over by MAGA. CBS news on 880kc as exception.
A known Ham Radio YTber has Newsmax and OAN on his desktop shown...
@toor@_L1vY_ I mean, one chap was spouting antisemitic shit on the PZK (our version of ARRL, basically) board meeting. It's not just MAGA, it's bigotry in general :<
And to be clear this is by NO means an exhaustive list, I just ran out of space to post. There are MANY other interests that the algo sniffs out. Particularly if you are in the US.
But all the comments about people's specific interests are reminding me of the old quote I can't find, something about crocheting but really about how every hobby you chase on the internet eventually leads to a nest of neo-Nazis.
@_L1vY_ my worst youtube fash recommendation spree was after I looked up masonry videos.
Watching woodworking videos just gets you more woodworking videos, watching metalworking videos gets you electronics and gadgets videos, watching masonry videos gets you a hideous torrent of hateful brainrotting garbage
@_L1vY_ I watched a few EDC (Everyday Carry) videos and noticed recommendations for survivalists and right-wing conspiracy talk shows showed up in my recommendations.
@astroPug@_L1vY_ it seems especially shitty that the same billionaires who jack up prices and depress wages to the extent that we can’t afford restaurants or professional home repairs also pushed to defund teaching home economics and shop in schools and are now pushing their fash content while we try to educate ourselves to DIY the stuff we can’t afford
@_L1vY_ History. I'm big into historical documentaries and some light archeology and it's only a matter of time before YouTube tries to sell me "Why the Crusades were GREAT actually" or "the REAL story of the SS." It also seems to have some kind of reverse topic-based mirror, so if I'm watching say Tom Nichols talk about the demonization of trans people in the UK, I will also get "Ben Shapiro DESTROYS Trans freak." I use "do not show me this channel again" a lot.
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@_L1vY_ no, I mean it's a total reverse mirror. It doesn't HAVE to be someone debunking a fascist. If you search up good left wing topics and watch them, they will eventually present you with "both sides" - which is often fascists. Also there's at least 50 different channels that exist entirely to "share and monetize Joe Rogan clips."
@GhostOnTheHalfShell@_L1vY_ In other words, if you watch a show about SUPPORTING trans rights, eventually YouTube will recommend a show about why trans people shouldn't have any rights. If you watch a show about climate crisis, eventually YouTube will share a show about why global warming is fake, and so forth.
I have long since come to the conclusion that this is on purpose; if not by original design, they at least KNOW and LIKE it that way.
@AnarchoNinaWrites@GhostOnTheHalfShell@_L1vY_ I watched a PBS documentary about intersex and my feed suggested “trans people regretting their transition” videos for weeks. It went away pretty quickly though.
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