We Can Blame YouTube And Ourselves For The Rise in Flat-Earthers, Says Study

JACINTA BOWLER 21 FEB 2019

For those of us outside the conspiracy, the idea that Earth is flat is so ridiculous, the people who believe it are easy to make fun of.

But on forum groups, in YouTube comments, and in person at conferences, flat-Earthers are deadly serious. And one of the biggest sources for renewed interest in flat Earth is YouTube, according to research by a team at Texas Tech University.

"YouTube is where the first flat Earth videos were posted around 2014, which launched the movement that we see today," Alex Olshansky, a researcher from Texas Tech who specialises in science communication and misinformation, told ScienceAlert.

"Because YouTube's algorithms recommend videos that are similar to what you are already watching, many people who were watching other conspiracy videos, found a flat Earth video in their recommended feed and proceeded down the rabbit hole."

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/flat-earther-s-are-mostly-youtube-s-fault-but-none-of-us-are-helping