Claims exist that YouTube serves as a radicalization pipeline, promoting fringe ideas via content creators and its recommendation system.
This study provides a large-scale audit of user radicalization on YouTube focusing on three communities: Alt-lite, Intellectual Dark Web (I.D.W.), and Alt-right.
Analyzes 331,849 videos from 360 channels, using 79 million comments.
Examines YouTube's recommendation system through over 2 million recommendations.
Findings suggest a trend where users migrate from milder to more extreme content.
Alt-lite content is accessible from I.D.W. channels, and Alt-right from both Alt-lite and I.D.W.
Introduction
YouTube hosts a variety of social, political, and cultural content from figures like Jordan Peterson (I.D.W.) to white nationalists like Richard Spencer (Alt-right).
Proximity creates radicalization pathways.
Skepticism towards mainstream media leads to increased consumption of fringe content on platforms like YouTube.
Three communities examined: I.D.W., Alt-lite, and Alt-right, each varying in extremity.
Research Questions
Growth of these communities on YouTube over the last decade.
User migration towards more extreme content.
Influence of YouTube's recommendation algorithms on radicalization.
Methodology
Data Collection
Collected data from 360 channels and 79 million comments.
Channels categorized into I.D.W., Alt-lite, Alt-right, and controls.
Employed a multi-step process using seed channels, keywords, and YouTube's recommendation system for data collection.
Channel Annotation
Channels were manually annotated into categories.
Two researchers with extensive community experience performed the annotations.
Findings
Growth and Engagement
I.D.W., Alt-lite, and Alt-right communities have seen exponential growth since 2015.
Engagement (likes, comments) is higher in extreme content, notably in Alt-right.
User Intersection and Migration
Increasing overlap among commenting users in I.D.W., Alt-lite, and Alt-right communities.
Significant user migration from I.D.W. and Alt-lite to Alt-right.
Control channels showed less significant user migration to Alt-right.
Recommendation System
Alt-lite and I.D.W. content is frequently recommended, with pathways leading to Alt-right channels.
Despite lack of personalization data, there's evidence of paths leading to extreme content.
Discussion
There is evidence suggesting a radicalization pipeline exists on YouTube, influenced by both content and recommendations.
Limitations include lack of personalization in recommendation analysis.
Highlights the need for transparency in recommendation systems and potential regulatory measures.
Future Work
Explore personalization in recommendations.
Analyze the evolution of content creator narratives and user comments over time.
Develop methodologies to better trace user journeys and radicalization pathways on YouTube.