Why is youtube recommending conservative "talking points" to me?

Hi, I am a guy in early thirties with a wife and two kids and whenever I go on youtube it always suggests conservative things like guys dunking on women, ben shapiro reacting to some bullshit, joe rogan, all the works. I almost never allow it to go to that type of video and when I do it is either by accident or by curiosity. My interest are gaming, standup comedy, memes, react videos, metalurgy, machining, blacksmithing, with occasional songs and videos about funny bullshit and I am not from america and I consider myself pretty liberal if I had to put it into terms used in america. But european liberal, so by american standards a socialist. Why does it recommend this shit to me, is this some kind of vector for radicalization of guys in my category? Do you have similar experience?

maniajack,

I’ll see major swings in the algorithm from time to time (a week of bass guitar video recommendations for some reason), but I can usually trace back a video or two that I watched that it just decided to try and cram the topic down my throat. I would just say make sure you keep avoiding the conservative vids to try and get the recommendations to stop. I wonder if maybe one of your kids is watching videos on your account and skewing it?

harmonea,
@harmonea@kbin.social avatar

(a week of bass guitar video recommendations for some reason)

Sometimes I wish youtube's algorithm were sentient so I could shake it and ask why the fuck--

For me it was a week of growing your own backyard basil. Not herb gardens, not vegetables, not self-sufficiency in general. Literally just basil. I don't even own a single plant.

NightOwl,

It can also be linked based where it recommends videos that conservatives have enjoyed that seem unrelated. Like maybe watching home improvement videos and historical war videos then the algorithm feeding new content that seems unrelated but actually is according to it, since it’s trying to expose you to new interests to expand the time you spend there.

Best I found is just not using YouTube with an account and having cookies cleared on exit, or using newpipe (Android) and freetube (desktop) which let’s you have an accountless subscription feed with Adblock and sponsorblock support.

jballs,
@jballs@sh.itjust.works avatar

You can see what Google (thinks it) knows about you.

  • Go to your Google Account (myaccount.google.com)
  • Manage your Google Account
  • Select Privacy and personalisation.
  • Under this Data & privacy page you’ll find History Settings, Ad Settings, and more.
  • For example, go to Ad Settings and click on Ad Personalization.
  • Now you’ll see How your ads are personalized.

I think you can even remove stuff if you want.

josephsh98,

You most probably viewed these types of videos a few times and the algorithm started recommending them to you. It only takes a couple of videos for the algorithm to start recommending video of the same topic. You could easily solve this by clicking on the 3 dots next to the video and then selecting “Not interested”, do it enough times and they’ll be gone from your feed.

phorq, (edited )

Yeah, I get those too. Am always a little surprised, but I’ll be honest I’m interested in knowing what the other bubble is telling themselves… If it gets to be too much I’ll click not interested, but right now it’s just a bizarre break in my feed.

Edit: Just remembered this quote that fits “I’m fascinated by trash TV. The poet must not avert his eyes” - Werner Herzog

FiftyShadesOfMyCow,

This is the way

Lemmylefty, (edited )
@Lemmylefty@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t know how much a Not Interested designation does. I’ve done that for channels where I don’t want to see THAT video, but still like the channel in general.

What I do is just block the channel: if this is what the channel wants to espouse then I’ll do better by eliminating it entirely.

Hnazant,

My shorts is the worst. Regular seems fine. Especially the pods dunking on women. “So who should pay on the first date?”…

Viper_NZ,

I am constantly bombarded with Jordan Peterson videos despite disliking them and telling the algorithm to show less like this.

I’m not sure how it profiles people, but it sucks.

BarrelAgedBoredom,

Go into your watch history and remove them after disliking it. I find removing stuff from my watch history to have a bigger impact over disliking stuff. You can also have YouTube stop recommending specific channels to you. Odds are if they’re posting Jordan Peterson content, you’re not missing anything of value by blocking them

Viper_NZ,

The thing is I’m not sure what I’ve watched that’s triggering the JP spam.

Maybe I need to just nuke my entire history and start again.

med,

If you leave youtube/close the app everytime Jordan Peterson opens his big mouth, the algorithm will get the idea quick enough

can,

Disliking is engagement. Instead tap the three dots and select “not interested”

Viper_NZ,

I’ve been doing that too

Max_P,
@Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me avatar

This, the algorithm doesn’t care whether you like enjoy it or not, it cares whether you engage with it or not. Even dislikes are engagement.

Eldritch,

You don’t even have to watch those types of videos. I got watching Star Trek lore videos etc. And got off on to one channel in particular. Whose videos always ended up devolving into rants against SJW and leftists. This from someone who posts lore videos on a show about luxury gay space communism. But simply because of apparently a large portion of his viewership also engages with the bigotry and hatred. I started getting tons of recommendations for shit that I have never watched and would never watch.

But yes Mark not interested and delete from history was the best way to get it out.

NightOwl,

Algorithms. It’s why I use newpipe on mobile and freetube on desktop. Both allow me to import and export my subscription list, and block ads and have sponsorblock support.

But, most importantly it doesn’t make use of the Google algorithm to try and recommend me videos that might be of the radical nature on misinterpretation of past viewing history.

ImplyingImplications,

metalurgy, machining, blacksmithing

That could be it. I don’t know YouTube’s algorithm, but typically they work by finding what other users watch the videos you watch and recommending you other videos those people also watched. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys watching blacksmithing videos also tend to watch Joe Rogan and the like.

Lemmylefty,
@Lemmylefty@lemmy.world avatar

I’d argue that gaming and memes are much bigger contributors.

wtvr,

It’s because you are a guy in your 30s. You (and me) are in a shitty demographic so the algorithm peddles us shit. It doesn’t matter how many times I list shitheel vids by the ppl you me mentioned as “do not recommend channel”, I will always have Rogan or Peterson popping up in my feed to ruin my day. It drives me crazy

Robertej92,

It can’t just be that though, I’m a guy in my 30s and I never get any of these channels recommended to me, just videos by channels I’ve subscribed to or similar to what I’ve been watching, even after watching political videos I don’t get those shysters recommended to me.

stealth_cookies,

Agreed, I’m in the demographic as well and mostly get science education and cooking videos recommended to me. I’ll get the occasional political video but they are definitely more left wing channels.

Obi,
@Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

There’s a difference between the recommendations for normal videos and shorts, I’d bet OP is looking at shorts.

In the normal feed YouTube knows about my hobbies, interests and serves decent recommendations that usually interest me.

The rare times I look at shorts it starts with comedians, goes to ass&tits, and then out come the crazy right-wingers.

stappern,

fucking same and im also dude in my 30s, i stopped using it. no way to not get that garbage.

NAS89,

Follow up question: why won’t YouTube Shorts trust me when I say I don’t want to be recommended channels.

So…many…dancing…trends. And they keep sending more.

NightOwl,

YouTube algorithm only cares about engagement not likes or dislikes. It has a neutral impression of likes and dislikes and only cares if people are actively leaving impressions. Whether it’s from liking with joy or disliking with anger engagement is a sign to show more. I’ve heard contrary to logic it’s better to just skip immediately and not press anything signifying reception to the content shown, since it’ll perceive it as recommendation to show more.

NAS89,

Yeah I can understand that for likes/dislikes or comments of “this is dumb”, but after hundreds of “do not recommend this channel”, the algorithm should be able to tell a lack of interest in a particular content.

buckykat,

three dots -> don’t recommend channel

use it on anything even a little sus

stappern,

does not work. i made a point to click it everytime and i still get the same right wing shit

primalmotion,
@primalmotion@lemmy.antisocial.ly avatar

My account -> delete

buckykat,

The no account suggestions are even worse

Kushia,
@Kushia@lemmy.ml avatar

I’d suggest to stop using the platform entirely.

Monkeyhog,

You need to learn how to properly prune your feed. I got some of that stuff briefly, but I kept blocking it and choosing not interested and eventually it stops. My feed shows me nothing I dont want now. Its just a matter of shaping it into what you want.

skullgiver,
@skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

Both left wing and right wing people are vulnerable to bullshit and fake news, but extreme right wing media is easier according to troll farm content producers themselves. It’s easy to fall for hateful outrage, especially if you can find an “us versus them” narrative to build your hate upon. Whether it’s “capitalists versus socialists” or “gay people versus Christians”, if you can create the illusion of two (and only two) positions, you can easily attract attention.

The “I just want everyone to be happy together” crowd is a bit harder to put into two opposing camps, but as you can clearly see on Reddit, blaming “capitalists” or “employers” or “landlords” or billionaires or any other group that has shit you want to have is an easy way to build outrage for the “enlightened” mind. Neither “side” is immune to this crap, but conservative ideas just seem to catch more people. It’s quite sad, really, I would love people being converted into egalitarian progressives through algorithmic bullshit much more, even if it’s still unethical of course.

As for why Youtube would do this: if you can get dragged into an hour long Joe Rogan podcast, you make Youtube money. Attention = ads = advertiser income if you apply this at a scale large enough. Right wing outrage media just manages to trick more people into watching more stuff, and that’s why the algorithm defaults to it even on new, fresh IP addresses. Even Youtube’s own people don’t know entirely for sure why some topics or videos are featured, it’s all left to an automated AI that optimizes for certain tasks (watch time etc.) through any means it can.

If you don’t want this, you have options. If you have a Google account, either opt out of personal ads (yes you can actually do that) so you only get generic recommendations based on your IP address, or manually select your preferences in your account so you get ads and content that work for you. The stuff your partner or kids watch will influence the ads you see.

You can also try poisoning the algorithm. You have kids, so getting your account recommendations to focus on kid content shouldn’t be too hard. Two or three hours of skibidi toilet mashups in the background (mute the volume, but not through the browser, and make sure Youtube thinks it’s playing in the foreground) should mess up their recommendations. There are also websites and tools that will open up a ton of videos of certain stereotypical characters from time to time.

As a final note: I don’t know how old your kids are, but if they’re old enough it’s possible that someone in your household has fallen for the Tate bullshit. The “alpha male” bullshit is frighteningly common among teenage boys who are trying to figure out who they are/want to be/what they want to do with their life, and the struggles of wanting to fit in. It’s far from the only reason (I live alone and I get that crap in my feed sometimes) but it’s better to be on the lookout for this crap.

Rooty,

Two or three hours of skibidi toilet mashups

I hate the fact that I know exactly what you’re talking about.

The_Picard_Maneuver,
@The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world avatar

My YouTube recommendations are usually spot on, but I do get Joe Rogan videos sometimes. I could see people sliding into radicalizing garbage easily from there. Rogan’s so big that he gets cool guests, but they’re wasted on him as a host.

Contramuffin,

I would wager a guess that it’s your regular interests. YouTube sees that people who like machining, blacksmithing, etc. have a good chance of also being conservative. You probably are just part of the odd cases where you like those hobbies but aren’t conservative.

Your post raises an interesting point, though: even if YouTube didn’t intend for their algorithm to be a pipeline for radicalism, simply by encouraging engagement and viewership, their algorithm ends up becoming a radicalization pipeline anyways.

eric5949,

Even if you watch leftwing videos sometimes YouTube just goes “oh you’re a young-ish male who’s into politics? Here’s som nazi vids you’ll like.” ESPECIALLY if the leftwing videos talk about righty’s.

notenoughbutter,

you can try getting another advertisement I’d

search on duckduckgo how to

nekat_emanresu,

Conseratives and fascists are the same group, so I’ll refer to them as fascists.

You are talking about one of the core criticisms of corporate secret algorithms to determine what to influence you with. Fascism is forced to creep into everyones world view when you use standard social media, and the average person wouldn’t have the slightest idea. Certain key things will be more related to fascist content, like philosophy, psychology, guns, comedy. If you think about what fascists enjoy, or what they need to slander then it makes what I said make more sense.

Jordan Peterson does a lot of vids around psych/philosophy to redirect curious people to false answers that are close to true but more agreeable for fascists. An example of a psychological cooption is “mass psychosis” being coopted into “mass formation psychosis” by fascists. Mass psychosis explains too many true things, where mass formation psychosis redirects people towards a more palletable direction for them.

This is why I want to be nowhere near corporate media if possible. If you delete your cookies(or private browse for the same effect) then youtube will promote the most adjacent things to what you watch like old youtube used to do, although it’ll still promote fascism when directly adjacent. With cookies though they have an excuse to have questionable content linger statistically too often.

HappyHam,

You actually believe that every single conservative is a fascist? Jesus Christ political literacy is dead

angstylittlecatboy,

Not necessarily in all countries, but in the USA I’d say all Republicans are fascist, or at least complicit in the spread of fascism. The conservative wing of the Dems, nah.

nekat_emanresu,

Maybe you need to go have a read about fascism, then tell me, are the points presented becoming more or less similar to current conservative views?

PowerCrazy,

I just use the term capitalism since there is no difference in the goals of either.

HappyHam,

Oh, I don’t deny that a lot of Republicans are becoming fascists, but that is far from “all conservatives are fascists”.

nekat_emanresu,

Nooo, i finished my comment to you and then upvoted you while proof reading >_> turns out that kills the comment… ugh…

If i could rewrite my first comment to just talk about conservatives then i would have. I’d rather focus on active threats of evil corp shenanigans.

I agree that republicans are becoming fascists in the overt sense. My views are based more on that they are unknowingly fascist by actions, not awareness. Conservative policy in a nutshell is really just “We good, You bad” and power plays without any rational explanation. Can you really name any decent policies conservatives have? All i hear is hate, scapegoating, intensification of totalitarian power structures, increasing control for corporations, war and guns. Those things were key in Nazi Germany too.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • asklemmy@lemmy.ml
  • localhost
  • All magazines
    •
    Loading…
    Loading the web debug toolbar…
    Attempt #