Are Internet surfers at risk of getting lost in increasingly extreme niches, like the protagonist of “Alice in Wonderland” who stumbles down a rabbit hole into a whimsical fantasy world? In debates about Acts of violence suspected of having right-wing extremist motives, such as the Buffalo assassination the so-called “rabbit hole effect” is often cited as a possible reason for radicalization.-
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It is complicated to scientifically prove how such automatic selection mechanisms affect user behavior, he says Communication scientist Jonas Kaiser. The state of research on the subject offers a correspondingly diffuse picture.-
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For example, YouTube changed the selection algorithm in 2019. This is no longer aimed at the pure length of stay of the visitors, but more at satisfying them as much as possible with the recommended content. According to the company, the number of particularly problematic videos that are consumed has actually decreased since then.
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However, other measures would probably have contributed to this, says Kaiser, for example targeted steps by YouTube against disinformation and the deletion of channels with radical content.
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When looking for the causes of political radicalization, the “rabbit hole effect” often serves as “a scapegoat that can be brought out in order to avoid more difficult discussions,” says Kaiser. Sometimes it just seems easier to blame the Internet or individual algorithms than to talk about gun law reforms or how conspiracy ideologies in the USA are now being disseminated via so-called mainstream media such as Fox News.
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