Rabbit Hole podcast: online world of radicalization and YouTube

Rabbit Hole is a fascinating podcast that delves into the world of Q-anon and online conspiracy. It exposes how YouTube algorithms radicalize people.

Tech columnist Kevin Roose explains the motivation behind the podcast here.

I listened to this mid last year but it is much more topical in the wake of the Trump-led radical insurgency on the US Capitol last week.

It opens with the Christchurch Mosque attack, streamed live on the internet. The podcast goes on to interview people, like Caleb Cain, drawn in to the world of Q-anon and conspiracy. His YouTube viewing history tells a story about how YouTube has inadvertently created a dangerous on-ramp to extremism. Algorithm that guides users down personalized paths meant to keep them glued to their screens and lead people down the rabbit hole of alternative realities..

“The internet is doing something to us that is profoundly changing who we are” – Kevin Roose.

The podcast also interviews people who worked for google on the artificial intelligence (the recommendation sidebar) that made YouTube unique. Later episodes talk about how Caleb Cain escaped the rabbit hole and he provides advice about how to help others.

The topics this podcast explores are terrifying and also profoundly important in helping us understand what is happening, how and why.

“Rabbit Hole,” a narrative audio series with the tech columnist Kevin Roose, explores what happens when our lives move online. Follow Kevin Roose on Twitter: @kevinroose.