scholarly journals Examining the consumption of radical content on YouTube

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (32) ◽  
pp. e2101967118
Author(s):  
Homa Hosseinmardi ◽  
Amir Ghasemian ◽  
Aaron Clauset ◽  
Markus Mobius ◽  
David M. Rothschild ◽  
...  

Although it is under-studied relative to other social media platforms, YouTube is arguably the largest and most engaging online media consumption platform in the world. Recently, YouTube’s scale has fueled concerns that YouTube users are being radicalized via a combination of biased recommendations and ostensibly apolitical “anti-woke” channels, both of which have been claimed to direct attention to radical political content. Here we test this hypothesis using a representative panel of more than 300,000 Americans and their individual-level browsing behavior, on and off YouTube, from January 2016 through December 2019. Using a labeled set of political news channels, we find that news consumption on YouTube is dominated by mainstream and largely centrist sources. Consumers of far-right content, while more engaged than average, represent a small and stable percentage of news consumers. However, consumption of “anti-woke” content, defined in terms of its opposition to progressive intellectual and political agendas, grew steadily in popularity and is correlated with consumption of far-right content off-platform. We find no evidence that engagement with far-right content is caused by YouTube recommendations systematically, nor do we find clear evidence that anti-woke channels serve as a gateway to the far right. Rather, consumption of political content on YouTube appears to reflect individual preferences that extend across the web as a whole.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-132
Author(s):  
Tom Willaert ◽  
Paul Van Eecke ◽  
Jeroen Van Soest ◽  
Katrien Beuls

Abstract The data-driven study of cultural information diffusion in online (social) media is currently an active area of research. The availability of data from the web thereby generates new opportunities to examine how words propagate through online media and communities, as well as how these diffusion patterns are intertwined with the materiality and culture of social media platforms. In support of such efforts, this paper introduces an online tool for tracking the consecutive occurrences of words across subreddits on Reddit between 2005 and 2017. By processing the full Pushshift.io Reddit comment archive for this period (Baumgartner et al., 2020), we are able to track the first occurrences of 76 million words, allowing us to visualize which subreddits subsequently adopt any of those words over time. We illustrate this approach by addressing the spread of terms referring to famous internet controversies, and the percolation of alt-right terminology. By making our instrument and the processed data publically available, we aim to facilitate a range of exploratory analyses in computational social science, the digital humanities, and related fields.


Author(s):  
Antonio Pineda ◽  
Núria Almiron

This study examines the ideological slant of Spanish digital-native opinion journalism. Political-ideological pluralism is a well-researched topic in media and journalism studies, yet there is less research regarding this topic when it comes to exclusively online media. This paper addresses that gap concerning the ways online-only opinion journalism can be defined in terms of their political ideology, and to what extent extreme ideological positions are represented in online journalism. Evidence from a content analysis of opinion columns appearing in the most widely-read Spanish online newspapers, during the month of May 2011 shows a general anti-left bias in the opinion sections of the newspapers , as well as a representation of the political extremes that is slightly more lenient with the far right. In line with Hallin and Mancini’s theory of polarized political news environments in countries like Spain, our results show that this polarization is characterized by a strong—but not always explicit—dominance of right-wing views.


Significance Conservative broadcast news media in the United States will be reshaped after January 20 by a combination of Trump’s departure; a backlash from his supporters against Fox News for ‘betraying’ him; the television industry’s transition from cable distribution to direct-to-consumer streaming services and digital video platforms; and convergence with radio. Impacts Pro-Trump insurgents will loosen Fox’s dominance in right-of-centre television, but Fox will survive. Surveys show most Republicans believe media cover Trump unfairly, implying a receptive audience for pro-Trump outlets. Energised partisanship may prevent the decline in advertising on political news sites usually seen after an election year. Far-right voices will congregate further from the mainstream on social media platforms, such as Parler.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anna Batta ◽  
John Ishiyama

What explains receptivity of citizens in the post-communist world to Russian influence? popular attitudes in Central and Eastern Europe about Russia's role in the world and seeks to find answers to the question: does ideology or economic factors most influence support for Russia in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe? We use survey data from the Pew Research Center (2017) to assess the drivers for popular support of Russia. We find that the primary driver of individual-level support of Russia is political attitudes associated with the Far Right, but that this relationship also varies by country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolors Palau-Sampio

The Coronavirus pandemic has triggered an authentic infodemic, which is a global epidemic of disinformation that has spread throughout most of the world. Social media platforms and pseudo-media outlets have contributed to the problem by producing and disseminating misleading content that is potentially dangerous to public health. This research focuses on a rather unknown phenomenon, which involves digital sites that mimic the appearance of news media but provide pseudo-information. Five Spanish pseudo-media have been analyzed with the aim of enhancing understanding of the issues and the frames presented. The results show clear links with the far-right ideology as well as the presence of a populist, polarized discourse through the use of belligerent, offensive expressions to refer to institutions and their representatives. Politics is the main issue represented, with a frame that clearly points out the incompetence and cynicism of the Spanish government. Conspiracy theories associate the origins of the pandemic to a Chinese laboratory and emphasize a global plan to establish systemic control. Measures to stop the virus are framed as harmful and ineffective, linked to a euthanasia scheme targeted at older people, especially regarding vaccination, which is presented as a solution offered for economic interests.


Author(s):  
Antonio Pineda ◽  
Núria Almiron

This study examines the ideological slant of Spanish digital-native opinion journalism. Political-ideological pluralism is a well-researched topic in media and journalism studies, yet there is less research regarding this topic when it comes to exclusively online media. This paper addresses that gap concerning the ways online-only opinion journalism can be defined in terms of their political ideology, and to what extent extreme ideological positions are represented in online journalism. Evidence from a content analysis of opinion columns appearing in the most widely-read Spanish online newspapers, during the month of May 2011 shows a general anti-left bias in the opinion sections of the newspapers , as well as a representation of the political extremes that is slightly more lenient with the far right. In line with Hallin and Mancini’s theory of polarized political news environments in countries like Spain, our results show that this polarization is characterized by a strong—but not always explicit—dominance of right-wing views.


Author(s):  
Murat Koçyiğit

Nowadays, almost all consumers use social media platforms. Therefore, many consumers share their brand-related experiences on online platforms. Social media platforms have changed the way consumers communicate. It offers consumers the opportunity to contribute to the debate. By means of online media, individuals are no longer just content consumers. Online media users are both content-producing and prosumer. Hence, the prosumer, which produces the content itself and consumes itself, provides the multiple uses in the mass market. It has a comprehensive impact on the purchasing decisions of other consumers. Developing and changing communication technologies are to provide the development of new communication strategies. Moreover, Web 3.0 technology, the third level on the Web, is used by semantic web consumers. Web 3.0 (semantic web) technologies combine information. Semantic Web improves the web experience and makes it more relevant to their search. Web 3.0 stands out with its ability to share meaning and run useful and entertaining web applications.


2020 ◽  
pp. 151-156
Author(s):  
A. P. Korablev ◽  
N. S. Liksakova ◽  
D. M. Mirin ◽  
D. G. Oreshkin ◽  
P. G. Efimov

A new species list of plants and lichens of Russia and neighboring countries has been developed for Turboveg for Windows, the program, intended for storage and management of phytosociological data (relevés), is widely used all around the world (Hennekens, Schaminée, 2001; Hennekens, 2015). The species list is built upon the database of the Russian website Plantarium (Plantarium…: [site]), which contains a species atlas and illustrated an online Handbook of plants and lichens. The nomenclature used on Plantarium was originally based on the following issues: vascular plants — S. K. Cherepanov (1995) with additions; mosses — «Flora of mosses of Russia» (Proect...: [site]); liverworts and hornworts — A. D. Potemkin and E. V. Sofronova (2009); lichens — «Spisok…» G. P. Urbanavichyus ed. (2010); other sources (Plantarium...: [site]). The new species list, currently the most comprehensive in Turboveg format for Russia, has 89 501 entries, including 4627 genus taxa compare to the old one with 32 020 entries (taxa) and only 253 synonyms. There are 84 805 species and subspecies taxa in the list, 37 760 (44.7 %) of which are accepted, while the others are synonyms. Their distribution by groups of organisms and divisions are shown in Table. A large number of synonyms in the new list and its adaptation to work with the Russian literature will greatly facilitate the entry of old relevé data. The ways of making new list, its structure as well as the possibilities of checking taxonomic lists on Internet resources are considered. The files of the species list for Turboveg 2 and Turboveg 3, the technique of associating existing databases with a new species list (in Russian) are available on the web page https://www.binran.ru/resursy/informatsionnyye-resursy/tekuschie-proekty/species_list_russia/.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila Fariha Zein ◽  
Adib Rifqi Setiawan

In today’s world, it is easier and easier to stay connected with people who are halfway across the world. Social media and a globalizing economy have created new methods of business, trade and socialization resulting in vast amounts of communication and effecting global commerce. Like her or hate her, Kimberly Noel Kardashian West as known as Kim Kardashian has capitalized on social media platforms and the globalizing economy. Kim is known for two things: famous for doing nothing and infamous for a sex tape. But Kim has not let those things define her. With over 105 million Instagram followers and 57 million Twitter followers, Kim has become a major global influence. Kim has travelled around the world, utilizing the success she has had on social media to teach make-up master classes with professional make-up artist, Mario Dedivanovic. She owns or has licensed several different businesses including: an emoji app, a personal app, a gaming app, a cosmetics line, and a fragrance line. Not to be forgotten, the Kardashian family show, ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ has been on the air for ten years with Kim at the forefront. Kim also has three books: ‘Kardashian Konfidential’, ‘Dollhouse’, and ‘Selfish’. With her rising social media following, Kim has used the platforms to show her support for politicians and causes, particularly, recognition of the Armenian genocide. Kim also recently spoke at the Forbes’ women’s summit. Following the summit, Kim tweeted out her support for a recent movement on Twitter, #freeCyntoiaBrown which advocated for a young woman who claimed to have shot and killed the man who held her captive as a teenage sex slave in self-defense. Kim had her own personal lawyers help out Cyntoia on her case. Kim has also moved beyond advocating for issues within the confines of the United States. As mentioned earlier, she is known for advocating for recognition of the Armenian genocide. In the last two years, her show has made it a point to address the Armenian situation as it was then and as it is now. Kim has been recognized as a global influencer by others across the wordl. We believe Kim has become the same as political leaders when it comes to influencing the public. Kim’s story reveals that the new reality creates a perfect opportunity for mass disturbances or for initiating mass support or mass disapproval. Although Kim is typically viewed for her significance to pop culture, Kim’s business and social media following have placed her deep into the mix of international commerce. As her businesses continue to grow and thrive, we may see more of her influence on international issues and an increase in the commerce from which her businesses benefit.


Author(s):  
Barbara J. Risman

This is the first data chapter. In this chapter, respondents who are described as true believers in the gender structure, and essentialist gender differences are introduced and their interviews analyzed. They are true believers because, at the macro level, they believe in a gender ideology where women and men should be different and accept rules and requirements that enforce gender differentiation and even sex segregation in social life. In addition, at the interactional level, these Millennials report having been shaped by their parent’s traditional expectations and they similarly feel justified to impose gendered expectations on those in their own social networks. At the individual level, they have internalized masculinity or femininity, and embody it in how they present themselves to the world. They try hard to “do gender” traditionally.


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