This reading really got me thinking about the YouTube (or any social media) algorithm. The YouTube algorithm has a long history of featuring things they know will get views- but typically for very bad reasons. For example, they would feature these two white cis male brothers who would burn their apartments swimming pool up after filling it with furniture (https://www.businessinsider.com/viral-video-star-jake-paul-turns-peaceful-neighborhood-into-war-zone-2017-7)
It is shocking that after so many years of taking ads off of videos that “didn’t align with their policies,” they would place ads all over these videos as well as place them high up on the trending list. Then a YouTuber revealed that any time she would mention any word of the LGBTQ+, ads would be taken off her video, due it it being not “advertiser friendly” and how it was an “automatic system” (the algorithm) that goes through the videos for flagged words. Which is extra hurtful because if you even have a smaller YouTuber who makes a coming out video, it would be demonetized. A few months back on the Kids app of YouTube, there was conversation that they were removing not only videos that said the words gay or lesbian, but also any YouTubers who were KNOWN to be gay. Even if it was not mentioned in said video!! I found this appalling. Because clearly, if children don’t see people of different orientations they will never know it’s okay to be part of that community, but also if YouTube will show a violent and attitude ridden Jake Paul video as opposed to a simple what I did today vlog by a gay woman.. how would the algorithm know to do this discriminatory act unless it was program by bigoted people as discussed in the reading. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/14/youtube-discriminates-against-lgbt-content-by-unfairly-culling-it-suit-alleges/
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