The Engagement Ratchet: How YouTube, Instagram, and Amazon Trained Users to Accept Less Control

Earlier this year, YouTube began rolling out a row of algorithmically recommended videos at the top of the Subscriptions page. The section, labeled “most relevant,” surfaces content the algorithm predicts the user will engage with, pulled from channels the user already follows. The subscription feed still exists below it. But the default view, the first thing a user sees when navigating to a page they built through deliberate choices, now leads with what YouTube’s algorithm thinks they should watch.

First seen on securityboulevard.com

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