The YouTube Effect

Directed by Alex “Bill S. Preston, Esq.” Winter, and produced by Gale Hurd, among others, this well-made cautionary tale about the evils of YouTube lands softly, counterbalancing the horror stories with some positive sweetness, too. The problem it seems is its “algorithm” that makes more videos play after your original video has ended. Apparently, you’re never more than six videos away from full-on white supremacy and right-wing conspiracies. It’s also apparent that “influencers” abuse the platform to prank people, lie about vaccinations, and make money -- getting “engagement” however they can. Nevertheless, it’s amazing that there’s this website where you can look up almost any video you would ever need, inviting cultures to learn about other cultures and allowing outliers to find their tribe. It’s really too huge of a subject for Winter to draw any simple conclusions, but it's speedy and thoughtful 'til the end.