22 ms·

YouTube has been changing in weird ways in the last year or so. The amount of propaganda on the platform is ridiculous, though very frequently disguised as "ne

YouTube has been changing in weird ways in the last year or so. The amount of propaganda on the platform is ridiculous, though very frequently disguised as "news" or "educational". As someone who's been around quite a bit, I can also imagine that it doesn't look like propaganda to average Americans (I'd be glad to be wrong on this). A great deal of content is just plain sophistry too. Inspecting comments, it seems that most viewers don't pick up on this. At the same time, finding reviews or alike for products or services is near impossible -- the platform is filled with generic reviews which are indistinguishable form ads.

omgitsabird 5y ago
This seems rather vague. Can you give examples of propaganda?
- sbarre 5y ago
  Oh come on... spend 10 minutes on YouTube and you'll find tons of it. There have been countless articles and posts written about this problem over the last several years. I would challenge _you_ to go educate yourself on this rather than ask others to bring this widely available and widely accepted information to you.
- sprafa 5y ago
  The current “ivermectin is a dangerous horse dewormer” debacle has been the biggest example of a moment where I’m not sure whether everyone is lying at this point. YouTube censored a few videos with actual experts and doctors who were discussing ivm. Yes we had issues with HCQ in the beginning, but ivm is being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni/NHS in their big covid trials in the UK… it’s amazing what a hit job the media is doing on it.
  - devwastaken 5y ago
    Being studied, not accepted in use in humans for COVID. Blame the idiots injecting themselves with the actual horse versions, and the doctors/vets illigally prescribing it. IVM is as useful as eating dirt in relation to COVID, until proven otherwise with studies that aren't fabricated data or otherwise p-hacked to death - it's disinformation, and rightfully removed.
    - vorpalhex 5y ago
      Remember when posting the lab leak hypothesis on Facebook would get you banned and now it's, as best as we can figure, the most plausible theory? There is no human run group fit to decide what is or is not "disinformation".
      - slightwinder 5y ago
        To be fair, the bans usually were about china fabricating the virus on purpose and releasing it with intention, accompanied by racism against Asians. This is pretty different from the accidental leak of a research-object, which is now the accepted theory.
        vorpalhex 5y ago
        The media did themselves and the public a disservice by gluing the two theories together and blending them. Several friends - college educated, intelligent professionals - were confused enough to approach and ask me about the lab leak/release theories. The intentional lab release theory is the stuff of nonsense conspiracy theories. The accidental leak theory has always had some support but is now more widely accepted (but will likely never have hard proof). For a time, both were bannable offenses on Facebook, Youtube and others. Likely because the media glued them together and assigned them both as "disinformation".
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        slightwinder 5y ago
        It wasn't really the media doing that. It was more a combination between nut heads, meme heads with their umbrella-connection and the first panic. The media just amplified it and rode the wave, as usual. And after the message was out, it was hard to turn it around. And I guess the platforms were just unable to distinguish between them, as also had more interest to wait till the nutty wave died down.
  - onei 5y ago
    There's a difference between trials and it being suitable for public use though, right? It is undeniably a horse dewormer, and has had some use on humans, but not as a covid treatment. For me, it's about preventing people that aren't medical professionals from self-medicating with a potentially harmful substance. Plus there's been some less than stellar suggestions of covid treatments in the past ranging from dubious to lethal. If it turns out to be safe, then doctors will no doubt prescribe it as necessary.
    - sprafa 5y ago
      I would hope so. My point about “horse dewormer” is that some articles in the media list it as just that without mentioning at all that it is also human medication. Look at the recent articles about Joe Rogan, they couldn’t stop themselves. Afaik the only difference between human and animal ivm are levels of impurity.
      - sophacles 5y ago
        That's because people are literally buying and eating horse dewormer. Its in a package that says "horse dewormer" on it. It's sold at livestock stores in the "horse medicine" section. The media is 100% correct to call what people are poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer". I bet you get mad at the news for reporting rain because water exists in other forms, and has other ways of moving about besides rain right?
        pwdisswordfish8 5y ago
        Did Joe Rogan literally buy and eat something from a package that says "horse dewormer" on it? You willingly ignored the salient parts of the comment you responded to (ironically providing more evidence of the very phenomenon that they're trying to discuss).
        numeromancer 5y ago
        No, it was prescribed by his doctor. Which brings up another point: some pharmacies are refusing to fill it, even when prescribed by a doctor. If you want to place the blame for people getting "horse dewormer", such pharmacies deserve part of the blame.
  - blitzar 5y ago
    > ivm is being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni/NHS in their big covid trials in the UK So you are saying because something is being investigated it must have strong positive properties? Well - have I got something for you ... You know when you take a poo and flush it down the toilet? Did you know all this time you could be eating it, and it would have tremendous health benefits? Dont believe me? They did a study on eating shit once, so it must be true, and I must be only just touching on the health benefits of Coprophagia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168083/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168083/
    - sprafa 5y ago
      I never said anything of the sort.
      - blitzar 5y ago
        You said the proof it is a 'hit job by the media' is because the medication is 'being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni'
        concordDance 5y ago
        Which is a reasonable proof. Media shouldn't be shitting on stuff that might work.
        Reubachi 5y ago
        Weird this needs to be reiterated in Covid 2021....What do you think "media" should be doing? Remember, media =/= op-ed journalists that you want to have the same opinion as you. "media" should not have to do anything by anyone's standards. it is a omnipresent, global, ever changing opinion glued transparently to percieved values and morays of the time. If you click on a link/article that says "X will not work and we do not like it", then that media outfit is doing exactly what it needs to do as a media outfit.
        fireflash38 5y ago
  - uj8efdkjfdshf 5y ago
    I mean, it's quite likely the ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine has some effect against the virus in the early stages of infection, but their use needs to be balanced against their side effects, of which there are many. It's like how bleach kills cancer cells, but you really shouldn't be treating cancer with it...
    - sprafa 5y ago
      I believe ivermectin is a far safer drug than HCQ.
      - kieselguhr_kid 5y ago
        I mean, it's great that you personally believe something, but to make ethical medical decisions we need lots of clinical data. If your belief is well founded, which it damn well might be, the data should bear that out.
        hajile 5y ago
        The data on the safety of Ivermectin is very well established. It's well-known to be very safe with pretty minimal side effects and extremely low serious side effect rates despite the billions of doses handed out over the past decades. The real question is about its anti-viral properties. We know they exist, but don't know why or to what extent. Further, we don't know if they extend to COVID and we don't now if the effective dosage is high enough to increase the rates of side effects (especially bad ones). The result is extremists on both sides saying wild garbage. Either it's the salvation of mankind hidden from you by the grand conspiracy or it's toxic horse dewormer that will certainly kill anyone who even approaches it. This is a real problem. If I were researching Ivermectin and COVID, I'd be scared that loonies from one side or the other might attempt to hurt me or ruin my life over their delusions.
        kragen 5y ago
        We have lots of clinical data, their belief is well founded, and the data does bear that out. It's as if you commented without even skimming the Wikipedia article about ivermectin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin#Contraindications https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin#Contraindications
- z3ncyberpunk 5y ago
  The same woke, leftist marxist propaganda the as is everywhere at the moment?
- jostmey 5y ago
  It is rather vague, but I have the same impression. So N=2
- heh9001 5y ago
  Anything you see on the front page of youtube, i.e. you didn't specifically search for it, is most likely being promoted by some ad agency or think tank somewhere down the line. Meaning it's propaganda to some extent. The exceptions to this rule are, of course, independent creators that the algorithm latches onto, but the algorithm only promotes videos that people are gonna click on and generate revenue for Youtube. That is, in a way, controlled propaganda too.
  - kragen 5y ago
    I see "African grey parrot singing along to I can see clearly now", "Cucumbers are cat's enemy - Funny Pet Reaction | Purr Purr", "Cockatoo Farts and Runs Away", "House Relax: Ed Sheeran, Martin Garrix, Kygo, Dua Lipa, Avicii, The...", "Venezuela 1-3 Argentina | Eliminatorias a Qatar 2022 -...", etc. This is because yesterday I looked at videos of Alex the African grey parrot. As far as I can tell, there are no ad agencies or think tanks involved here, except I guess that Atlantic Records made Ed Sheeran more popular than he was already by promoting him. I think this is pretty much purely "videos that people are gonna click on". The propaganda is in what's missing.
    - godshatter 5y ago
      I see the "House Relax" one when I go to YouTube in a private window without signing in. It seems to be one of the "stock" links that YouTube shows complete newbies that have never been there before (as far as it knows), so I'm guessing it's pretty strongly advertised presumably at the behest of the ad agencies. I do, always, see three or four covid-19 videos when I go to the main YT page. Whatever you think about their message, they look like propaganda to me.
bilbo0s 5y ago
I can also imagine that it doesn't look like propaganda to average Americans It looks like propaganda to us too. We're not quite as dumb as the rest of the world thinks. That said, I suppose everyone's a bit dumber than they think they are, so take my statement with a grain of salt.
devwastaken 5y ago
Watch one "conservative news" video and it will do a complete 180. Ads for "rations", "preparing for the end of the world", "how to be self sustainable", tons of PragerU propaganda, and some of the most low quality l BS you'll ever see from political ads. YouTube delivers content based on what you've watched.
- wing-_-nuts 5y ago
  Yeah I watched some 'forgotten weapons' and 'demolition ranch' videos, and it was wild how quickly my feed changed from science and history stuff to conservative talking points. I spent a rather long time marking videos as 'do not recommend this channel, I dislike this video' etc, before things returned to normal.
  - vl 5y ago
    Another simple way to address this is to remove uninteresting videos from history, then recommendations go back to normal. We have to do it on our kids account periodically.
    - dvdkon 5y ago
      I just fully revoked Google from keeping any data on my viewing habits and for some time now my YouTube main page has been a rehash of popular videos from my subscribed channels (and the occasional cat video). I sure don't miss the craziness desperately trying to get me to watch as much as possible.
  - VRay 5y ago
    Man, I had a similar problem I watched something right wing, I can't remember what, and for years YouTube was bombarding me with crazy half-truths and memes. I tuned them out just like most of the other bullshit I get bombarded with all day, but I wonder how many people have been radicalized this way..
- rjbwork 5y ago
  I watch a lot of lefty "news" and infotainment. I still get ads for the conservative propaganda, survival rations, prepping, etc. I think it's because I also watch a lot of firearms hobby content. Kinda silly, but it does make me chuckle that people like Ben Shapiro, PragerU, and 4Patriots are subsidizing my lefty youtube subscriptions.
OneEyedRobot 5y ago
>The amount of propaganda on the platform is ridiculous, though very frequently disguised as "news" or "educational". I certainly don't see that on the youtube channels I frequent, but admit that the 'news' is typically op-ed disguised as news. An alternative theory is that they (youtube) pushes 'news' since it pays well and is quite popular. 'News' tends to come from official channels over time with a kind of network effect. Those channels are all Pravda. The fact that it's propaganda is not necessarily a youtube choice but a major news organization choice.
nickysielicki 5y ago
The way that they've changed search to only link to checkmarked channels is infuriating. When Kabul was falling I wanted to see older videos of the embassy, from when it was opened, to see the buildings and how extravagant they were. I couldn't find any, though, because no matter what I searched I got videos from news channels released within the past 24 hours about evacuating the embassy. The war on "misinformation" needs to stop.

omgitsabird 5y ago

This seems rather vague. Can you give examples of propaganda?

sbarre 5y ago
Oh come on... spend 10 minutes on YouTube and you'll find tons of it. There have been countless articles and posts written about this problem over the last several years. I would challenge _you_ to go educate yourself on this rather than ask others to bring this widely available and widely accepted information to you.
sprafa 5y ago
The current “ivermectin is a dangerous horse dewormer” debacle has been the biggest example of a moment where I’m not sure whether everyone is lying at this point. YouTube censored a few videos with actual experts and doctors who were discussing ivm. Yes we had issues with HCQ in the beginning, but ivm is being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni/NHS in their big covid trials in the UK… it’s amazing what a hit job the media is doing on it.
- devwastaken 5y ago
  Being studied, not accepted in use in humans for COVID. Blame the idiots injecting themselves with the actual horse versions, and the doctors/vets illigally prescribing it. IVM is as useful as eating dirt in relation to COVID, until proven otherwise with studies that aren't fabricated data or otherwise p-hacked to death - it's disinformation, and rightfully removed.
  - vorpalhex 5y ago
    Remember when posting the lab leak hypothesis on Facebook would get you banned and now it's, as best as we can figure, the most plausible theory? There is no human run group fit to decide what is or is not "disinformation".
    - slightwinder 5y ago
      To be fair, the bans usually were about china fabricating the virus on purpose and releasing it with intention, accompanied by racism against Asians. This is pretty different from the accidental leak of a research-object, which is now the accepted theory.
      - vorpalhex 5y ago
        The media did themselves and the public a disservice by gluing the two theories together and blending them. Several friends - college educated, intelligent professionals - were confused enough to approach and ask me about the lab leak/release theories. The intentional lab release theory is the stuff of nonsense conspiracy theories. The accidental leak theory has always had some support but is now more widely accepted (but will likely never have hard proof). For a time, both were bannable offenses on Facebook, Youtube and others. Likely because the media glued them together and assigned them both as "disinformation".
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        slightwinder 5y ago
        It wasn't really the media doing that. It was more a combination between nut heads, meme heads with their umbrella-connection and the first panic. The media just amplified it and rode the wave, as usual. And after the message was out, it was hard to turn it around. And I guess the platforms were just unable to distinguish between them, as also had more interest to wait till the nutty wave died down.
- onei 5y ago
  There's a difference between trials and it being suitable for public use though, right? It is undeniably a horse dewormer, and has had some use on humans, but not as a covid treatment. For me, it's about preventing people that aren't medical professionals from self-medicating with a potentially harmful substance. Plus there's been some less than stellar suggestions of covid treatments in the past ranging from dubious to lethal. If it turns out to be safe, then doctors will no doubt prescribe it as necessary.
  - sprafa 5y ago
    I would hope so. My point about “horse dewormer” is that some articles in the media list it as just that without mentioning at all that it is also human medication. Look at the recent articles about Joe Rogan, they couldn’t stop themselves. Afaik the only difference between human and animal ivm are levels of impurity.
    - sophacles 5y ago
      That's because people are literally buying and eating horse dewormer. Its in a package that says "horse dewormer" on it. It's sold at livestock stores in the "horse medicine" section. The media is 100% correct to call what people are poisoning themselves with "horse dewormer". I bet you get mad at the news for reporting rain because water exists in other forms, and has other ways of moving about besides rain right?
      - pwdisswordfish8 5y ago
        Did Joe Rogan literally buy and eat something from a package that says "horse dewormer" on it? You willingly ignored the salient parts of the comment you responded to (ironically providing more evidence of the very phenomenon that they're trying to discuss).
        numeromancer 5y ago
        No, it was prescribed by his doctor. Which brings up another point: some pharmacies are refusing to fill it, even when prescribed by a doctor. If you want to place the blame for people getting "horse dewormer", such pharmacies deserve part of the blame.
- blitzar 5y ago
  > ivm is being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni/NHS in their big covid trials in the UK So you are saying because something is being investigated it must have strong positive properties? Well - have I got something for you ... You know when you take a poo and flush it down the toilet? Did you know all this time you could be eating it, and it would have tremendous health benefits? Dont believe me? They did a study on eating shit once, so it must be true, and I must be only just touching on the health benefits of Coprophagia. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168083/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168083/
  - sprafa 5y ago
    I never said anything of the sort.
    - blitzar 5y ago
      You said the proof it is a 'hit job by the media' is because the medication is 'being actually studied right now by Oxford Uni'
      - concordDance 5y ago
        Which is a reasonable proof. Media shouldn't be shitting on stuff that might work.
        Reubachi 5y ago
        Weird this needs to be reiterated in Covid 2021....What do you think "media" should be doing? Remember, media =/= op-ed journalists that you want to have the same opinion as you. "media" should not have to do anything by anyone's standards. it is a omnipresent, global, ever changing opinion glued transparently to percieved values and morays of the time. If you click on a link/article that says "X will not work and we do not like it", then that media outfit is doing exactly what it needs to do as a media outfit.
        fireflash38 5y ago
- uj8efdkjfdshf 5y ago
  I mean, it's quite likely the ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine has some effect against the virus in the early stages of infection, but their use needs to be balanced against their side effects, of which there are many. It's like how bleach kills cancer cells, but you really shouldn't be treating cancer with it...
  - sprafa 5y ago
    I believe ivermectin is a far safer drug than HCQ.
    - kieselguhr_kid 5y ago
      I mean, it's great that you personally believe something, but to make ethical medical decisions we need lots of clinical data. If your belief is well founded, which it damn well might be, the data should bear that out.
      - hajile 5y ago
        The data on the safety of Ivermectin is very well established. It's well-known to be very safe with pretty minimal side effects and extremely low serious side effect rates despite the billions of doses handed out over the past decades. The real question is about its anti-viral properties. We know they exist, but don't know why or to what extent. Further, we don't know if they extend to COVID and we don't now if the effective dosage is high enough to increase the rates of side effects (especially bad ones). The result is extremists on both sides saying wild garbage. Either it's the salvation of mankind hidden from you by the grand conspiracy or it's toxic horse dewormer that will certainly kill anyone who even approaches it. This is a real problem. If I were researching Ivermectin and COVID, I'd be scared that loonies from one side or the other might attempt to hurt me or ruin my life over their delusions.
      - kragen 5y ago
        We have lots of clinical data, their belief is well founded, and the data does bear that out. It's as if you commented without even skimming the Wikipedia article about ivermectin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin#Contraindications https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin#Contraindications
z3ncyberpunk 5y ago
The same woke, leftist marxist propaganda the as is everywhere at the moment?
jostmey 5y ago
It is rather vague, but I have the same impression. So N=2
heh9001 5y ago
Anything you see on the front page of youtube, i.e. you didn't specifically search for it, is most likely being promoted by some ad agency or think tank somewhere down the line. Meaning it's propaganda to some extent. The exceptions to this rule are, of course, independent creators that the algorithm latches onto, but the algorithm only promotes videos that people are gonna click on and generate revenue for Youtube. That is, in a way, controlled propaganda too.
- kragen 5y ago
  I see "African grey parrot singing along to I can see clearly now", "Cucumbers are cat's enemy - Funny Pet Reaction | Purr Purr", "Cockatoo Farts and Runs Away", "House Relax: Ed Sheeran, Martin Garrix, Kygo, Dua Lipa, Avicii, The...", "Venezuela 1-3 Argentina | Eliminatorias a Qatar 2022 -...", etc. This is because yesterday I looked at videos of Alex the African grey parrot. As far as I can tell, there are no ad agencies or think tanks involved here, except I guess that Atlantic Records made Ed Sheeran more popular than he was already by promoting him. I think this is pretty much purely "videos that people are gonna click on". The propaganda is in what's missing.
  - godshatter 5y ago
    I see the "House Relax" one when I go to YouTube in a private window without signing in. It seems to be one of the "stock" links that YouTube shows complete newbies that have never been there before (as far as it knows), so I'm guessing it's pretty strongly advertised presumably at the behest of the ad agencies. I do, always, see three or four covid-19 videos when I go to the main YT page. Whatever you think about their message, they look like propaganda to me.

bilbo0s 5y ago

I can also imagine that it doesn't look like propaganda to average Americans It looks like propaganda to us too. We're not quite as dumb as the rest of the world thinks. That said, I suppose everyone's a bit dumber than they think they are, so take my statement with a grain of salt.

devwastaken 5y ago

Watch one "conservative news" video and it will do a complete 180. Ads for "rations", "preparing for the end of the world", "how to be self sustainable", tons of PragerU propaganda, and some of the most low quality l BS you'll ever see from political ads. YouTube delivers content based on what you've watched.

wing-_-nuts 5y ago
Yeah I watched some 'forgotten weapons' and 'demolition ranch' videos, and it was wild how quickly my feed changed from science and history stuff to conservative talking points. I spent a rather long time marking videos as 'do not recommend this channel, I dislike this video' etc, before things returned to normal.
- vl 5y ago
  Another simple way to address this is to remove uninteresting videos from history, then recommendations go back to normal. We have to do it on our kids account periodically.
  - dvdkon 5y ago
    I just fully revoked Google from keeping any data on my viewing habits and for some time now my YouTube main page has been a rehash of popular videos from my subscribed channels (and the occasional cat video). I sure don't miss the craziness desperately trying to get me to watch as much as possible.
- VRay 5y ago
  Man, I had a similar problem I watched something right wing, I can't remember what, and for years YouTube was bombarding me with crazy half-truths and memes. I tuned them out just like most of the other bullshit I get bombarded with all day, but I wonder how many people have been radicalized this way..
rjbwork 5y ago
I watch a lot of lefty "news" and infotainment. I still get ads for the conservative propaganda, survival rations, prepping, etc. I think it's because I also watch a lot of firearms hobby content. Kinda silly, but it does make me chuckle that people like Ben Shapiro, PragerU, and 4Patriots are subsidizing my lefty youtube subscriptions.

OneEyedRobot 5y ago

>The amount of propaganda on the platform is ridiculous, though very frequently disguised as "news" or "educational". I certainly don't see that on the youtube channels I frequent, but admit that the 'news' is typically op-ed disguised as news. An alternative theory is that they (youtube) pushes 'news' since it pays well and is quite popular. 'News' tends to come from official channels over time with a kind of network effect. Those channels are all Pravda. The fact that it's propaganda is not necessarily a youtube choice but a major news organization choice.

nickysielicki 5y ago

The way that they've changed search to only link to checkmarked channels is infuriating. When Kabul was falling I wanted to see older videos of the embassy, from when it was opened, to see the buildings and how extravagant they were. I couldn't find any, though, because no matter what I searched I got videos from news channels released within the past 24 hours about evacuating the embassy. The war on "misinformation" needs to stop.