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Comment by drcongo | Hacker News Reader

Considering how much of YouTube's "content" is right wing conspiracy nonsense, can't see how this is going to move the needle much.

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I genuinely don't see any. What are you doing to get the algorithm to feed you content like that?

Or if this isn't in your feed - what are you basing your estimate on?

I don't doubt there's a ton of it - but I'm curious how you know there's a ton of it.

Fair question! So, I don't have a "feed" as I have all of YouTube's tracking either switched off or blocked via NextDNS and I try to only use it signed out. The rare occasions that I have to use YouTube, the right hand sidebar is regularly filled with completely insane stuff. Though sometimes it's just filled with thumbnails of people pulling stupid faces while pointing at something.

It doesn't take much. We recently had large floods where I live and I decided that for next time I was going to have some supplies ready, just in case. A few seemingly benign searches for "preparedness" later and my feed is full of conspiracy theorists, guns and Jeeps. I guess the "prepper" crowd correlates strongly with some other categories.

The fact you have to go out of your way to find this supposed "right wing conspiracy nonsense" should be a good indicator of your own bias.

I wonder if you had the same opinion of being prepared with cars and guns if you lived in ukraine or gaza

He didn't go out of his way, he literally just explained that he searched for something and got served the crackpot stuff. Searching for something on YouTube isn't going "out of your way", it's using it as intended. Maybe read it again.

He searched for "preparedness" it's like complaining you get security related videos when searching for VPNs

No, no it isn't.

If security and independence isn't part of your "preparedness" maybe check your privilege :)

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