Thread by @gchaslot

If this thread was a YouTube video, I would have to call it:

"YouTube's CPO calls @zeynep's work *myths*, ex-YouTube engineer proves him wrong with *facts*"

1/

https://twitter.com/kevinroose/status/1111679087855259648

Context: @zeynep, @beccalew and many other have shown how YouTube often recommends more and more extreme content, which is radicalizing people:

2/

YouTube's CPO calls many of the complains "myths" in an interview for the NYT:

"The first [myth] is this notion that it’s somehow in our interests for the recommendations to shift people in this direction [more extreme]"

3/

Fact 1: recommendations *do* shift people's world view. @DeepMindAI proved it *this month*.bit.ly/2TKiqEK

4/

Mohan probably meant that they are not shifting world view *towards extreme content*. He adds "it is not the case that 'extreme' content drives a higher version of engagement or watch time"

Fact 2: extreme content *is* more engaging

5/

I could use countless example to show that extreme content is more engaging in average. The best one is this post by Mark Zuckerberg showing how "borderline content" creates more engagement and that's why it should be demoted: 6/

facebook.com/notes/mark-zuc…

Let's sum up:

1/ recommendations are shifting people's world view (@DeepMindAI)
2/ youtube's goal is to create engagement (@youtube)
3/ extreme content is engaging (Zuckerberg)

So naturally, YouTube's recos will slowly shift people's world view towards more extreme content 7/

YouTube has no evil intention to recommend extreme content. It's a natural consequence of the system's design.

8/

Instead of acknowledging the problems and working on solutions, like Zuckerberg did last year, Mohan claims that the problems are "myths"

9/

This was made fun of by @micahsch, who created all of the original content policies and enforcement processes at YouTube from 2006-2009:

https://twitter.com/micahsch/status/1111739661196521473

10/

Conclusion: Most users trust Google/YouTube to do the right thing, and YouTube's denial of logical side effect of their algorithms is abusing this trust

11/

PS: Mohan made two more strongly missleading claims:

1/ That they don't profit financially from exteme content, since it's often demonetized

This is just not true because they still benefit from YouTube premium and merchandizing 12/

2/ That YouTube is keeping users in power.

Users on YouTube have nearly no control over their recommendations. All project I've seen at YouTube on that got canceled. 13/