The Dumbing Down of Conspiracy Theories

I've noticed a change in the YouTube algorithm which seems to have appeared some time in the last couple of months and I'd be interested to see if anyone else has noticed something similar. To sum it up quickly, it seems like their anti-conspiracy algorithms have been ratcheted up to a whole new level, and it is especially obvious when doing searches for conspiratorial videos. They aren't hiding the fact they have systems in place to minimize the visibility of conspiratorial content, and people mostly see it as a good thing because it stops the spread of misinformation, or at least that's the argument they use.

However I'm now seeing a very concerning trend arising, when I search for something conspiracy related all I really get are videos from MSM news channels, teens treating everything like a joke with a thumbnail of them making a dumb shocked face, and other channels like Vice and BuzzFeed. This appears to me like a purposeful dumbing down of conspiracy theories, by only showing these types of videos it gives young people the idea that all conspiracies can be treated in a whimsical and playful fashion. This is already clearly obvious based on the videos young people are making, they care much more about getting views via sensationalism than they care about doing real research and presenting real facts.

If the goal of YouTube is to reduce misinformation then I would argue this approach really has an opposite effect, because these naive teens and "news" organizations really aren't the best source for factual and well researched information. They simply aren't capable of having a deep or serious discussion on conspiratorial topics, so by suppressing the "non-approved" conspiracy videos they're only helping to make people less informed. Even if a lot of the videos are misleading and factually incorrect people still have a right to access that content and assess it for themselves, perhaps allowing them so see that a particular subject is bogus and not worth their time.

The logic they use to justify these censorship systems just seems deceptive to me, because they know exactly what they are doing, they aren't stupid and they did state it was their plan to "program people using algorithms" in a leaked document from YouTube. I first noticed it seemed to be getting worse a few weeks ago, sometimes I'll search for things like "creepy found footage" or "haunted house footage" late at night, more so for entertainment than any informational value. In those searches I used to see popular channels like Nexpo (his "Disturbing Things from Around the Internet" series is pretty nice). Now I'm not even seeing those types of videos in my results despite it being some of the most fun and light hearted conspiratorial content.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Youtube used to be incredible, really incredible.
When they stopped monetizing the little people that changed almost overnight.

They killed their golden goose.

They don't care.

Where YouTube once was a good approximation of the proverbial Town square, today it's only going to be visible if it's approved by the political, advertising, and corporate elites.

And good luck with any other platform that might be addressing this.... They get deplatformed. All for your safety of course.



Carry on.

YouTube has been bought-off by the NWO 😧

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Youtube used to be incredible, really incredible.
When they stopped monetizing the little people that changed almost overnight.

They killed their golden goose.

I totally agree, I fail to see how they wouldn't lose revenue due to these censorship systems. I've seen so many good YouTubers destroyed by this system or forced to totally reinvent their channel to make it family friendly. I once thought YouTube was too big for people to abandon it but if they keep on this path I don't doubt they will self implode.

Thoughtful post--S&F.
Here's something I recently read that seemed appropriate and relevant:

"Once some analysis is labeled 'a conspiracy theory' it can be relegated to the domain of flat-earth enthusiasts and other cranks, and the actual system of power, decision-making, and global planning is safely protected from scrutiny."

--Noam Chomsky
"Foreign Policy and the Intelligentsia"

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

"the goal of YouTube is to reduce misinformation"

Nope, clearly not.

I agree. It is like the the MSM manual of media manipulation is getting institutionalized in Youtube. Doing a search on Alex Jones and Infowars shows the bias. It is a large site with lots of videos getting uploaded daily and have recently found one channel that uploads the infowars show.

Youtube is getting tougher to dig through to find the videos for where things are at. Getting crippled by its own success? beforeitsnews.com has been a good source in digging up some of the channels and videos that question the official narrative.

Everytime I look for a certain topic, like documentations, I have noticed this for years now, youtube will put one video of a nother special interest of mine at the 4th or 5th place in the recommended list. It will stick out because all the other videos will be about the topic I am watching currently.

It always feels like if youtube is trying to test my attention span, like, if it can get me away from a topic if it shows me a nother favorite topic of mine.

It's curious how youtube went full retard on conspiracy and at the same time actively promotes if not more under age sexualised content. As if they were being told what to do...

🤷‍♂️

I agree that there is something manipulative with what answers get as top on Youtube. Still useful for Music, Meditation and Science documentaries. They are not giving the result based on the search words.

Test:
"mmr causing autism symptoms" on youtube. 7 first video that there is no link between mmr and Autism like Symptoms.

"mmr causing stomach problem". Videos how there is no link between mmr and Autism like Symptoms.

"mmr causing stomach problem vaxxed".
3 Videos of pro agenda. Videos 4 and 5 give me opposition point of view. But nothing about stomach.

"mmr causing stomach problem splitting up vaccine". A lot of agenda videos.

The video that I was looking for is found as number 22.
Separating The MMR Vaccine Into Single Measles, Mumps And Rubella Vaccines? with Del Bigtree

Another video comes up as 25
Does The MMR Vaccine Have Any Impact On Gastrointestinal Health Or Autism? by Del Bigtree

They clearly have agenda. Google is also a train wreck lately.

It was once stated that the Television had the power to influence people and would be the death of society, maybe youtube was part of that plan all along, direct personalised echo for everyone, you will be transfixed to each video, being part of something non mainstream, a truth only you hear, an idea that you shared, how can this person telling me this be lying.

Now with advent of youtube the ability to control people is greater, if you sat in front of the screen, they got you just where they want you.

Children
Of
Naivete
Truth
Requires
Obsolete
Lies

When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland. You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly, commercials — many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.[1]

Television and the Public Interest

The added benefit of youtube of course is its 24/7, 365 days a year, but only for the rest of your life (evil cackle), no signing off anymore, please be seated while we control your thoughts, are we having fun yet.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Hi Order.

Even if a lot of the videos are misleading and factually incorrect people still have a right to access that content

Well ah, not really. Facebook, opps, we are talking here about you tube right? Doesn't matter, where are people rights being limited or infringed upon by a corporate entity like Facebook or Youtube filtering their content. Both are for profit organizations, capitalist it you will, and have the right to filter however they see fit.

These are not governmental news outlets, they are privately owned. I can see being upset by government censorship but being upset by corporate censorship is useless unless we protest with our pocketbooks and just quit using them.

Was always NWO... The reason for its very existence. a reply to: xuenchen

I just tested your observation and sure enough, Youtube has something going on. I typed in Pizza Gate Conspiracy, and all I got were main stream media stories. I then typed in Hillary Clinton body count, same thing. Then I tried Hillary Clinton lizard... same thing. But, if you try 9/11 conspiracies, you get a mix of different videos.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Just over here watching the matrix, I mean youtube. I noticed about 1 1/2 years ago. Maybe it has gotten worse but google/youtube have been really noticeable about it for a while now.

a reply to: ChaoticOrder

OP seems smart and it seems to me she's being delicate when
she is really far ahead of this curve. Because most people are
like slugs with this kind of information. While others have been
getting eye rolls, sneers and ridicule for twenty years now.
Hard headed mofos not as much lately and so currently the
momentum is exponential.

I think those who seek to quiet this information are losing the fight
against the damn breaking wfo!

That's funny I can still find a slew of videos under those topics.
And that's not using duckduck that's using youtube search funtion.

Most of the Clinton body count ones are 2 years old or older so may need updating.
Just kidding! LOL! I don't buy half of those stories.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: ChaoticOrder

Youtube used to be incredible, really incredible.
When they stopped monetizing the little people that changed almost overnight.

They killed their golden goose.

I don't know so much about that. I don't have anything against people making money with their content but frankly, anyone who is entirely focused on making money with their videos is not someone I want to spend much time watching. I'd like to think that there are a few people on Youtube who just make videos because they want to and they enjoy it and they like to share knowledge and information and their opinions and so forth. When I go on there and I see people who stop making videos because Youtube changed their policy WRT paying people, I figure it was probably no great loss. The entertainment value (I guess) is lost but how can you trust someone who is primarily motivated by money? Does such a person even speak their mind? I mean what they really think?

In my opinion:
A conspiracy theory is usually an accusation against someone or many someones.

Libel/Slander is something untrue that the accused could sue the accuser. Important to distinguish what conspiracy theory and libel slander have in common.

Conspiracy theories are probably true because the accused don't sue because they know they can't prove it is untrue, so they don't even try to call it libel or slander hence all the ridicule and mockery against the theory publisher. So they mock it it instead, which is a powerful tool of defense the guilty use, and the biggest liar politicians and media use to quash accusations and stifle them cold.

With libel/slander someone wont bother with mockery and ridicule and goes straight to lawyers and nasty letters, then court.

And this is why the term conspiracy theory is mocked and ridiculed so much today because there really are that many corrupt and very powerful people who are guilty but know they can't prove their innocence so they use the mockery method of self defense.

Obviously that doesn't mean all conspiracy theories are true, but you get the idea.

Besides, the entire thing was invented by the CIA to defend all of their corrupt agendas mostly social engineering a very dumbed down and easy to fool public to hide what is going on that way. Nice and decent folks don't believe their own country would do this to them while taking their money too, so the deception is cast in stone. Nowadays all corrupt and powerful conglomerates use mockery and ridicule and financial de-platforming and worse to dispel the conspiracy theorist.