Algorithmic radicalization is the idea that algorithms used by social media platforms push people down digital “rabbit holes” by framing personal online activity. Algorithms control what people see and when they see it and learn from their past activities. As such, people gradually and subconsciously adopt the ideas presented to them by the rabbit hole down which they have been pushed. In this study, TikTok’s role in fostering radicalized ideology is examined to offer a critical analysis of the state of radicalism and extremism on platforms. This study conducted an algorithm audit of the role of radicalizing information in social media by examining how TikTok’s algorithms are being used to radicalize, polarize, and spread extremism and societal instability. The results revealed that the pathways through which users access far-right content are manifold and that a large portion of the content can be ascribed to platform recommendations through radicalization pipelines. Algorithms are not simple tools that offer personalized services but rather contributors to radicalism, societal violence, and polarization. Such personalization processes have been instrumental in how artificial intelligence (AI) has been deployed, designed, and used to the detrimental outcomes that it has generated. Thus, the generation and adoption of extreme content on TikTok are, by and large, not only a reflection of user inputs and interactions with the platform but also the platform’s ability to slot users into specific categories and reinforce their ideas.

中文翻译：

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算法如何促进自我激进化：使用逆向工程方法审计 TikTok 的算法


算法激进化是指社交媒体平台使用的算法通过限制个人在线活动将人们推入数字“兔子洞”。算法控制人们看到什么以及何时看到它并从过去的活动中学习。因此，人们逐渐地、下意识地接受了他们被推入兔子洞时所呈现的想法。在这项研究中，我们对 TikTok 在培育激进意识形态方面的作用进行了研究，以便对平台上激进主义和极端主义的状况进行批判性分析。这项研究通过检查 TikTok 的算法如何被用来激进、极化和传播极端主义和社会不稳定，对社交媒体中激进信息的作用进行了算法审计。结果显示，用户访问极右内容的途径是多种多样的，并且很大一部分内容可以通过激进化渠道归因于平台推荐。算法不是提供个性化服务的简单工具，而是助长激进主义、社会暴力和两极分化的因素。这种个性化流程对于人工智能 (AI) 的部署、设计和使用产生了有害结果，发挥了重要作用。因此，TikTok上极端内容的产生和采用，总的来说，不仅反映了用户的输入和与平台的互动，而且也反映了平台将用户划分到特定类别并强化他们的想法的能力。