YouTube news disappeared in the middle … “Let’s increase the transparency of the platform”

“Youtube prefers content created by established media companies.”
JoongAng Ilbo analyzed the news ecosystem and search / recommendation algorithm on YouTube with the research team of Professor Hoyoung Yoon (Department of Media) at Ewha Womans University. From September 30 to October 2, the research team collected and analyzed the search results of “Suk-yeol Yoon” and “Su di Chumi-ae” for keywords using the Google API (search result data that do not reflect existing search records).

The analysis showed that YouTube mainly organized videos from channels operated by existing media companies at the top of the search results. As a result of researching “Suk-yeol Yoon” and “Son of Chomi-ae” by keywords, the top 50 videos were analyzed and videos produced by existing media companies accounted for more than 90%. As for the video related to the keyword ‘Suk-yeol Yoon’, news from broadcast companies like JTBC News (9 cases) was the highest, with 39 cases, and ‘Chumiae Son’ also had 40 news from broadcast companies such as SBS News (12 cases). On the other hand, YouTube videos uploaded from channels other than media companies, such as Kim Yong-min TV, Seoul sound, current news and events quality, were less than 10% of the top 50.

However, this result is only applicable when the user uses YouTube without logging in. Prof. Hoyoung Yoon explained: “Unless users are deliberately looking for channels other than the old press and have a strong faction, they tend not to show them on YouTube first.”

But the reality is different. YouTube works with an algorithm that recommends optimized videos to individuals based on the habits of logged in users, such as watch time, search terms, and subscription channels. This means that when 43.19 million home YouTube users (estimated by the September MAU index) log in, 43.19 million different algorithms that learn the user’s consumption patterns recommend videos tailored to each individual.

Among the channels with the most actual views and subscribers, there are many non-journalistic channels. Top channels by number of subscribers and views in the field of policy and analytics site YouTube Socialus include Shin Eui-han-su (1.31 million), who ranked second by number of subscribers, the world trade union group (3rd place, 1.17 million) and Jin Seong-ho Broadcasting (Nine of the top 20, including 3rd place, 1.1 million people) are non-journalistic channels. Among the top 20 channels by number of views, 11 non-journalistic channels were used.

Professor Sang-ho Lee of Kyungsung University’s Department of Digital Media said, “Since YouTube is a huge advertising platform, the algorithm is designed to maximize profits rather than the content or meaning of the video. If a specific user watches a video with a specific political orientation for a long time, the YouTube algorithm “I will continue to recommend videos similar to this user.” It means that the ‘Bubble Filter’, which consumes only information filtered according to the user’s interest , or the ‘Rabbit Oyster Effect’, recommended for repeatedly watching similar videos, may be worse on YouTube.

YouTube channels of established media companies are also not free from bias disputes. Notably, there is an assessment that media companies around the world are “ on YouTube ” as they adapt to YouTube-style consumption patterns. According to a recent New York Times report, the frequency of recommending videos from conservative FOX News increased dramatically as YouTube modified YouTube’s algorithm to expose more established media videos in order to block false information related to the US presidential election. Appeared. As a result, the media companies that produced videos and selected inspiring and thought-provoking “YouTube” titles became more profitable in recommending YouTube algorithms.

The phenomenon that national news consumers equate “news they want to hear” with “news they want to believe” is also a background that increases the distortion of YouTube content. Following Shisain’s ‘2020 Korea Reliability Survey’, the weekly YouTube ranked # 1 in reliability. Naver, a portal that distributes news from most national media companies, came in second. In this regard, Shisa-in analyzed that “Youtube has risen to the top of credibility due to the decline in credibility of established media”.

This also means that the meaning of “trust” has changed. Professor Yoon Ho-young of Ewha Womans University said: “(Consumers) have begun to believe with confidence to show what I want to see. When opinions on social disputes polarize, the middle way to balance them has disappeared.”

According to the Reuters Journalism Research Institute’s ‘Digital News Report 2020’, 44% of Koreans said they ‘prefer news from the same point of view’. It is the fourth place among the 40 countries in the world (1st place Turkey, 2nd place Mexico, 3rd place Philippines). The Korea Press Foundation analyzed that “People with strong political interests and a clear political orientation tend to prefer news from my own perspective.”

Experts pointed out that there should be long-term countermeasures for YouTube news content. Prof. Hoyoung Yoon emphasized expanding the transparency of the platform as a starting point for solving the problem. He said: “YouTube does not clearly explain why the video was blocked or a warning was added (yellow label). YouTube should disclose reasonable data as to whether it was received.” Like the Digital Services Act (DSA) promoted by the European Union (EU), you need to create a neutral platform monitoring organization and submit a list of cancellations and reasons in detail.

Some point out that it is necessary to develop the role of a “reliable midrange driver” that is not oriented to the extreme. “Before pointing out the bias of YouTube users, we need to look back to see if Korean elites have enough logical and persuasive communication skills,” said Jun-woong Lee, a media and information professor at Seoul National University. “It’s time to figure out who can play a role that can be played.”

There is also a way to avoid partial consumption of news by the users themselves. Oh Se-wook, senior researcher at the Korea Press Foundation, said: “If you don’t allow YouTube to collect the list of videos you watch and search history through your personal settings, you can reduce the likelihood that the algorithm will YouTube is dominated by past consumption records “. Rather than a countermeasure, it is important to ensure that 80% of the middle class does not go to the extreme.

Reporter Wonyeob Jung and Minje Park [email protected]

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