One doesn't have to go all the way down to like the darkest parts of 8chan to get into a space where people are willing and eager to commit these acts of violence.

Like that's right there out in the open.

Hello and welcome to Tech Won't Save Us. I'm your host, Paris Marks, and this week my guest is Becca Lewis.

Becca is a PhD candidate in communication at Stanford University, and she's written for a number of publications, including NBC News, Vice News, and New York Magazine.

In 2018, she wrote a report for data and society called Alternative Influence,

broadcasting the reactionary right on YouTube, where she looked at the ways that right-wing

YouTubers build their audiences, spread their messages, and introduce people to even more extreme ideas,

even without the need for recommendation algorithms or other technologies.

These are the incentives that are built into the platform itself.

With the Trump presidency coming to an end and the role that social media has played during

his presidency, and especially

with the recent events with his supporters storming the US Capitol building, I thought this

would be a great time to chat with Becca and get her insights on the impact that social media

and YouTube in particular has had on growing these movements during the Trump presidency,

but even well before that. This is a fascinating conversation, and I think you're really going

to like it. Tech Won't Save Us is part of the Harbinger Media Network, and you can find more

information about that at harbingermedianetwork.com. If you like this conversation, make sure to

leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts,

and make sure to share it so other people will find it and hopefully listen in.

If you appreciate the work that I put into making this show every week, you can join

supporters like Isaac A, Stephanie Hardman, and Kevin Mahoney by going to patreon.com slash tech

won't save us and becoming a supporter.

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