"More worrying, though, is that the digital platforms that host such material and conversations aren’t always passive participants in the recruitment process. Their algorithms, after all, are trained to give visitors more of the kind of content that they like — whatever that might be. While researching this column, for example, I started watching a lot of AIDS denialism videos on YouTube. Immediately, the site began suggesting other denialist videos that I might want to watch, essentially serving up content to keep me on the site longer. Had I been an HIV-positive YouTube user looking for answers about a troubling diagnosis, the effect, perhaps, would have been powerful. (Google did not respond to repeated requests for comment and chose not to answer a list of questions submitted by Undark)."...
Lidsky advocates for more education to help citizens become savvier consumers of media, while recognizing the limits of oversight policies. “Respect for individual autonomy says that individuals get to make choices,” she said, “which includes them having a right to make bad choices that cause them harm.”...
Facebook isn’t just offering a space for people to meet; its algorithms and search functions are helping them find each other. And YouTube isn’t just a neutral platform for incendiary content: It actively organizes it, and then algorithmically nudges people to view more of it. If a city government actually helped fringe groups put together mailing lists and distribute leaflets, citizens might, understandably, grow more suspicious."
https://undark.org/article/aids-denialism-quackery-facebook-youtube/
I don't know what the solution is here, exacrly, but it is a worthy observation that these platforms are active and not passive. It would be reasonable to have a committee of health workers identify topics of public health concern and ask these platforms to include some disclaimer on those videos. If only as a thing to try, to see what would happen.
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