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by kenjackson 1154 days ago
The algorithm doesn’t work only on searches. Or even mostly. It is largely based on engagement. Which videos do you actually watch and comment on.

Almost nothing I search for is on my FYP. My FYP is almost all pranks, basketball, dancing in public, and Harry Mack.

I have noticed that if I watch a video all the way through I will get more of those videos pretty quickly. If this kid watched a depression video all the way through it will throw another at him shortly. If he watches that one then it can quickly change the algorithm to begin to favor those. The algorithm has a short memory.

2 comments

Regardless, 'Motivational speeches' shows he was trying to help himself and I find that horrific.

(didn't downvote you though, I understand your point)

Yeah. I can imagine he was conflicted. The depression videos resonated with him, but he also knew he didn’t want to stay depressed.
What’s stupid is Facebook is getting very good at blocking this type of content through a mix of classifier systems, user and moderator intervention. TikTok has gotten a pass for it so far.