I’ve found that when I’m logged into Youtube, the algorithm works fairly well to suggest videos that are at least somewhat related to my interests. I’m specifically curious about how the “default” algorithm works when not logged in.

If I open a private window and look at the front page, it almost feels like the algorithm is doing its best to show me the opposite of what I want to see. Obviously this isn’t true, but I just don’t get how it chooses the videos it shows. As an example, I almost always get:

• Right-wing news clips (I’m not a Republican)
• Sports (I don’t watch or play sports)
• Gaming streams (I’ve not once watched a gaming stream)
• Christian content (I am not a Christian)
• Gen-Z and Gen-Y entertainment (I’m almost 40)

I feel like some of this is geographic. My router load-balances between two internet connections, and I can sometimes tell if it’s using my “local” connection or my satellite connection (with an endpoint in another state) based on what videos it shows. Regardless, though, the content I see isn’t really appropriate for the demographic in either location. Out of curiosity, I tried it with a VPN using an endpoint in Canada (I’m in the USA); the front page was mostly really crappy reality TV content (think stuff on TLC).

If I was programming the algorithm, I’d want to have it show content that applies to a broad audience, but that really doesn’t seem to be the case. While I don’t intend on ever using Youtube without being logged in (and having a ton of browser plugins active to improve the experience), from a technical standpoint, I’m very curious how it chooses what to put on the front page.