ResearchBuzz: FirehoseNew York Times: How A.I.-Generated Videos Are Distorting Your Child’s YouTube Feed. This link goes to a gift article. “The New York Times reviewed these clips, along with more than 1,000 other videos recommended to young children on YouTube, and found that the algorithm pushes bizarre, often nonsensical, A.I.-generated videos from channels claiming to teach ‘toddlers’ and ‘preschoolers’ about […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/02/26/new-york-times-how-a-i-generated-videos-are-distorting-your-childs-youtube-feed/
University of Rochester: Your social media feed is built to agree with you. What if it didn’t?. “…new research from the University of Rochester has found that echo chambers might not be a fact of online life. Published in IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, the study argues that they are partly a design choice—one that could be softened with a surprisingly modest change: introducing […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/02/12/university-of-rochester-your-social-media-feed-is-built-to-agree-with-you-what-if-it-didnt/
University of Rochester: Your social media feed is built to agree with you. What if it didn’t?
University of Rochester: Your social media feed is built to agree with you. What if it didn’t?. “…new research from the University of Rochester has found that echo chambers might not be…
Engadget: X’s ‘open source’ algorithm isn’t a win for transparency, researchers say . “While it’s true that X is the only major social network to make elements of its recommendation algorithm open source, researchers say that what the company has published doesn’t offer the kind of transparency that would actually be useful for anyone trying to understand how X works in 2026.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/02/08/engadget-xs-open-source-algorithm-isnt-a-win-for-transparency-researchers-say/
The Journal (Ireland): Banning under-16s from social media is a half-measure. We should ban toxic algorithms. “We need to promote non-profit, decentralised alternatives such as the non-profit German social media network Mastodon, as well as other public, non-profit, and democratic alternatives which focus on building community, connecting people, and supporting culture and community, rather […]
University of Washington: Social media research tool can reduce polarization — it could also lead to more user control over algorithms. “The researchers created a seamless, web-based tool that reorders content to move posts lower in a user’s feed when they contain antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity, such as advocating for violence or jailing supporters of the opposing party.”
Tubefilter: The YouTube Shorts algorithm appears to have changed to prioritize newer uploads. “Recently, YouTube Shorts content strategists have noticed a curious trend across channel analytics dashboards. On some channels, viewership of older Shorts has declined precipitously, suggesting that YouTube is tinkering with its recommendation algorithm to favor newer uploads.”
Northeastern University: New research reveals algorithms’ hidden political power. “New research shows the impact that social media algorithms can have on partisan political feelings, using a new tool that hijacks the way platforms rank content.”
Reuters: Dutch court orders Meta to change Facebook and Instagram timeline settings . “A Dutch court on Thursday ordered Meta Platforms to provide Facebook and Instagram users with simpler options for a timeline that does not rely on profiling.”
The Conversation: Some politicians who share harmful information are rewarded with more clicks, study finds . “What happens when politicians post false or toxic messages online? My team and I found evidence that suggests U.S. state legislators can increase or decrease their public visibility by sharing unverified claims or using uncivil language during times of high political tension. This […]
The Conversation: Women’s sports are fighting an uphill battle against our social media algorithms. “Algorithms, trained to maximise engagement and profits, are deciding what appears in your feed, which video auto-plays next, and which highlights are pushed to the top of your screen. But here is the problem: algorithms prioritise content that is already popular. That usually means men’s […]