A new study by social media researchers at the University of Sydney and QUT has found conspiracy theories are thriving on YouTube despite the platform’s efforts to harden posting rules and guidelines. The study published in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, global leaders on misinformation research, examined YouTube comments on Covid-19 news videos featuring American business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates and found conspiracy theories dominated. The comments covered topics such as Bill Gates’ hidden agenda, his role in vaccine development and distribution, his body language, his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, 5G network harms, and ideas around Gates controlling people through human microchipping and the ‘mark of the beast’. The results suggest that during the Covid-19 pandemic, YouTube’s comments feature, such as anonymous message boards 4chan and 8kun, may have played an underrated role in conspiracy theories growing and circulating. The findings support previous studies that argue misinformation is a collective, socially produced phenomenon. Dr Joanne Gray, digital cultures Dr Joanne Gray, a University of Sydney researcher on digital platform policy and governance, said: “We found that the process of developing a conspiracy theory is quite social. People come together and socially ‘join the dots’ or share…
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Conspiracy theories thrive on YouTube, new study – The University of Sydney
