Social Media, Algorithms, and Youtube
Algorithms are a core part of modern social media and the internet. They influence what we see, when we see it, and have the potential to influence our opinions on a variety of topics.
Algorithms are controlling your life - Vox features an interview of Hanna Fry, a mathematician at University College London, where she discusses how algorithms are becoming a defining feature of everyday life. Algorithms are not just present in social media. Hannah Fry in the article points out an example where an algorithm was used to predict if someone would commit a crime. Overall, Hannah Fry’s primary argument is that “we shouldn’t think of algorithms themselves as either good or bad, but that we should be paying much more attention to the people programming them” (Illing, 2018).Algorithms are made by humans and therefore are only as malicious as whoever is designing them. Regardless, the technology to make algorithms work is here, and we the public need to scrutinize it and hold it to a higher standard.
Source: Youtube Terms of Service
YouTube has been my primary social media for many years. It is no secret that the site relies on algorithms to manage and recommend content. YouTube will actively recommend content not only based on your previous history, but also what the algorithm thinks is popular or trending. As a result, it is not uncommon for content creators to change their content to gain more views. For example, the most viewed video on my channel was a cover of a popular video game soundtrack. I suspect that a more mainstream genre like video games music is more likely to be picked up by the algorithm than classical music. In that way, I can see how creators could be incentivized to prioritize specific topics over others
Algorithms can be exploited by malicious parties to spread misinformation or other malicious goals. Manipulating the Youtube Algorithm the host investigates how groups will try to game YouTube’s system by churning out large amounts of low effort content containing false information. YouTube has systems in place to weed out malicious content, but as the video points out, those security measures have flaws. These flaws can be exploited by malicious parties to further spread misinformation. Social media moderators are involved in an endless war against misinformation. As the video points out, there is an entire industry centered around artificially producing views and subscribers on YouTube.
Source: How YouTube's Algorithm Can Fool You
How YouTube's Algorithm Can Fool You is another YouTube video that expands on how the algorithm can be exploited and offers advice on how to not be manipulated by the algorithm. Malicious actors can exploit data voids to monopolize the narrative on a specific topic. The less information on a topic, the more vulnerable that topic is to being hijacked. A lot of the advice the video offers centers around one specific theme: be self-critical of the content you consume. Make the algorithm work for you so that it recommends content that you want to see as opposed to what the algorithm you want to see. Finally, the video reminds the viewer to not just rely on YouTube for information. There are dozens of social media platforms out there, and it is important to have a diverse collection of information sources.
Overall, the sources I found helped reaffirm a lot of my opinions on algorithms and social media. Algorithms are as flawed as the people who make them. We must remain vigilant about the content we consume and what the algorithm recommends, and continue to fight against misinformation.
References
1. Illing, S. 2018. 'Algorithms Are Controlling Your Life.' Vox. https://www.vox.com/technology/2018/10/1/17882340/how-algorithms-control-your-life-hannah-fry
2. SmarterEveryDay. 'Manipulating the YouTube Algorithm.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PGm8LslEb4
3. Above the Noise. 'How YouTube's Algorithm Can Fool You.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFKYSSZtpo
4. Youtube Terms of Service. https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms
The more we learn about how algorithms work, the easier it becomes to make them work for us. I do hate that sometimes I'll scroll past content that I'm curious about intentionally so my algorithm doesn't change. It's exhausting, but the price we pay for "free" access.
ReplyDeleteHi Evan, thanks for breaking down these resources. You mention that “algorithms are as flawed as the people who make them,” and I certainly agree that any flaws in algorithms originate with the developers. But I do think developers' flaws or unconscious biases can be magnified (often unintentionally) in algorithms, especially the more they are "trained" with new data. So eventually, algorithms can end up more flawed than their developers.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting how the YouTube algorithm contributed to more views on your cover of a video game soundtrack than your classical music videos. Did that spike in views have any lasting effect on your channel? (I enjoyed your Bach partita, by the way! I have a classical music background, and both of my kids are string players.)
Wonderful ideas Evan, You had a fantastic blog. I enjoyed reading the content you post. I agree that social media moderators do produce misinformation. Even though, YouTube can help to weed out malicious content while we must be careful how we view and use information from trusted and fiction sources. We don't know who is watching from overseas, etc. Less information on certain topic can be grounds for highjack. Even social media cant always predict and dictate healthy living outcomes as we progress through society.
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