this post was submitted on 29 May 2025
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I use YouTube without an account most of the time either through a browser (incognito) or NewPipe or PipePipe (Android), which means that the algorithm doesn't adapt to me.

So, every time I see a video, I know that the recommends are unadulterated algorithmic rage. I may be watching a gardening video, there will be some "Women are Evil" type of video, or "random guy talks about why [thing that women do] is wrong, bad and immoral." I am even seeing a comeback of those "sjw cringe compilation" videos - what's this, 2016???

There are also A LOT, and I mean, a fuckton lot, of trad Catholic content being pushed. Mind you, I even set my YouTube to different countries and languages, and it's being spilled that way too.

Fucking nightmare.

I don't want to end it in a low note, so I will also acknowledge that there's quite a bit of left, openly socialist, communist content, too. 10 years ago there was none of that, the right could roam free (I even identified as one, lmao). Contradictions of capitalism, I guess.

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[–] ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 1 week ago

The algorithm still adapts to you a bit thanks to googles absolutely disgusting practices like ip tracking, device identifier tracking, and other methods of fingerprinting (which is probably why you still got leftist content)

This is what makes it truly insidious. You reset it a bit because they see you as a potential new user. From their perspective: did someone move into your house? Did you give a family member your old device? Etc

I work in mental health and the amount of people I’ve seen that have had their families completely divided by this shit over the past 10 years is disgraceful and disgusting, especially when you consider the above. They prey on you giving your old ipad to your mom or your kid to send them down the red pill hellhole and don’t give a shit that itll eventually cause a major rift in your family that is potentially irreconcilable. It gets them ad impressions.

[–] HelluvaBottomCarter@hexbear.net 17 points 1 week ago

It's pretty much a given that if you listen to any podcasts, podcast clips, or comedy clips it will push you into the Joe Rogan pipeline. If you watch any streamers of anything, it will push you into political streamers and then to the guy who looks like an Edvard Munch painting and destiny, H3.

On the other hand, the algorithm is also bad for everything else. I watch one craft video and suddenly it's all striver maker small business etsy shit. The algo has no chill, it's 0-100 instantly.

[–] StillNoLeftLeft@hexbear.net 16 points 1 week ago

I do this too and it's distressing seeing the consent building machine at work. In my local context it offers a lot of alt right, male rightwinger and war hawk content by clearly well funded but not mainstream ghouls. All male panels and also lots of religious and conspiracy stuff. No left wing content here as far as I've seen.

These come up no matter what sort of gardening or houseplant care video I am watching, it seems to push the reactionary stuff everywhere if using it anonymously.

[–] jenni007@lemm.ee 14 points 1 week ago (2 children)

YouTube is full of interesting content, but you have to search it like with a laser. Suggested content is crap and repetitive.

[–] MizuTama@hexbear.net 26 points 1 week ago (3 children)

My issue is it over-corrects whenever I watch something new or fall asleep with autoplay or something. Suddenly it thinks that new thing is my only interest in life.

[–] throwmunist@hexbear.net 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's even worse when it over-corrects to the opposite, like, I'm watching some lecture on human rights and the algo throws at me right-wing extremist content against that. It's a step away from enlightened centrism.

[–] MizuTama@hexbear.net 9 points 1 week ago

"You like politics?!?!? here are politics stuff" 10-hours of Racism to fall asleep to

But for me, it tends to see leftist content less as leftist content and more as anti-right content so I get a bunch of libshit that acts like all evils as these surprising forces of nature which is worse for my mental because at least the right content slop is intentional slop by grifters.

[–] very_poggers_gay@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Earlier this week I fell asleep to “Top 10 impossible to reach places on Google earth” and woke up in the middle of the night to some person streaming (and screaming at) clash of clans internet-delenda-est

[–] MizuTama@hexbear.net 5 points 1 week ago

Had that but with Fortnite yesterday lmao. Usually, it isn't too bad, I tend to wake up to either video essays (based) or random nature videos (I have never intentionally watched one of these and they are so long and quiet that it has me suspecting the algorithm is trying sleep detection) but had the fun of it being some small channel screaming about #1 Victory Royales recently.

[–] ferristriangle@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's always hilarious when I put on some kind of "10 hour music mix" to have something playing in the background while I do household chores or something, and then the next time I want to find something to watch I now have nothing but a cumulative 6000 hours of various music mixes in my recommendations.

It's the same absurdity of buying an appliance online, and having the website say "Our records show that you are starting a refrigerator collection. Would you like to buy 7 more?"

[–] MizuTama@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

The appliances and expensive items get me Everytime 😭.

"I see you've purchased a new TV, obviously you're starting a home theater building business so here are 20 different OLEDs for all types of folk!"

[–] throwmunist@hexbear.net 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

True. But I worry a lot about those who don't know about this, in particular younger and older people. Many people are not sufficiently "tech literate" (so to speak). Or, they may acknowledge the existence of the algorithm but would refuse to accept that their content is controlled. In my experience, some even get angry when I even suggest that, specially right-wingers who believe they've found "the truth."

The right knows about the algorithmic push and uses that aggressively. I curated a good bubble for myself, I remember the content I like and want, but, sometimes, when I slip out of this bubble, it's truly a nightmare.

[–] CommCat@hexbear.net 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

have to constantly block channels from suggestions.

[–] throwmunist@hexbear.net 10 points 1 week ago

YouTube's natural block doesn't work for me. On the TV, it's even worse, it's the same as doing nothing. I use a browser extension so the channel is blocked completely (BlockTube). I have a separate browser/profile for this website, wtf. On Android, it doesn't matter because I use another app.

[–] TrustedFeline@hexbear.net 8 points 1 week ago

Meanwhile, reddit just showed me a colorized version of a Goebbels speec. No commentary. No context. Just updated nazi propaganda

[–] Xenomorph@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Am I mistaking it for Zucc and facebook, but didn't youtube also say that with Trump winning they were welcoming back shit like fake news and racism on their platform?

[–] Z_Poster365@hexbear.net 13 points 1 week ago

Fake news never went away. The New York Crimes still posting articles about Palestine being a jungle of wasps that needs to be burned down

[–] GnastyGnuts@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Blocktube addon for firefox makes youtube so much better. I got it last year (maybe the year before) to block all the "middle aged man rages out at disney movie for little girls" content, but obviously it's also good for blocking everything else you don't like on there.

I have blocked 464 channels, and found more channels I actually want to watch because I've cleared out the trash.

[–] Belly_Beanis@hexbear.net 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yah I've been using it forever. I do wish I could get the algorithm to suggest shorter 5~10 minute videos, though. Too many video essay channels are on my feed, but I suspect that's because shorter content had moved to Instagram and TikTok.

[–] mermella@hexbear.net 1 points 1 week ago

Change playback speed

[–] Lussy@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Brother, it’s been like this for eons, did you glance over all the real crime analytics and Indians shitting in the street videos?

[–] LaughingLion@hexbear.net 3 points 1 week ago

it just feeds me news about china from mostly pro china sources and ads for iqiyi and viki now and you know what, im okay with that

[–] Mantikora@hexbear.net 2 points 1 week ago

YouTube was awesome before google bought it. I remember reading about it in a magazine and by the time I got on the internet, it was switching to 2.0 and everything was awesome on the internet, including YouTube.