... Members of the nations newly empowered far right from grass-roots organizers to federal lawmakers say their movement would not have risen so far, so fast, without YouTubes recommendation engine.
New research has found they may be correct. YouTubes search and recommendation system appears to have systematically diverted users to far-right and conspiracy channels in Brazil.
A New York Times investigation in Brazil found that, time and again, videos promoted by the site have upended central elements of daily life.
Teachers describe classrooms made unruly by students who quote from YouTube conspiracy videos or who, encouraged by right-wing YouTube stars, secretly record their instructors.
Some parents look to Dr. YouTube for health advice but get dangerous misinformation instead, hampering the nations efforts to fight diseases like Zika. Viral videos have incited death threats against public health advocates.
And in politics, a wave of right-wing YouTube stars ran for office alongside Mr. Bolsonaro, some winning by historic margins. Most still use the platform, governing the worlds fourth-largest democracy through internet-honed trolling and provocation.
YouTubes recommendation system is engineered to maximize watchtime, among other factors, the company says, but not to favor any political ideology. The system suggests what to watch next, often playing the videos automatically, in a never-ending quest to keep us glued to our screens.
But the emotions that draw people in like fear, doubt and anger are often central features of conspiracy theories, and in particular, experts say, of right-wing extremism.
As the system suggests more provocative videos to keep users watching, it can direct them toward extreme content they might otherwise never find. And it is designed to lead users to new topics to pique new interest a boon for channels like Mr. Mouras that use pop culture as a gateway to far-right ideas.
The system now drives 70 percent of total time on the platform, the company says. As viewership skyrockets globally, YouTube is bringing in over $1 billion a month, some analysts believe.
Zeynep Tufekci, a social media scholar, has called it one of the most powerful radicalizing instruments of the 21st century.
Company representatives disputed the studies methodology and said that the platforms systems do not privilege any one viewpoint or direct users toward extremism. However, company representatives conceded some of the findings and promised to make changes.
Farshad Shadloo, a spokesman, said that YouTube has invested heavily in the policies, resources and products to reduce the spread of harmful misinformation, adding, weve seen that authoritative content is thriving in Brazil and is some of the most recommended content on the site. ... Maurcio Martins, the local vice president of Mr. Bolsonaros party in Niteri, credited most of the partys recruitment to YouTube including his own.
He was killing time on the site one day, he recalled, when the platform showed him a video by a right-wing blogger. He watched out of curiosity. It showed him another, and then another.
Before that, I didnt have an ideological political background, Mr. Martins said. YouTubes auto-playing recommendations, he declared, were my political education.
It was like that with everyone, he said.
The platforms political influence is increasingly felt in Brazilian schools.
Sometimes Im watching videos about a game, and all of a sudden its a Bolsonaro video, said Inzaghi D., a 17-year-old high schooler in Niteri. ...