YouTube is not the Truth you’re seeking.

Do you watch YouTube for political commentary from your favourite YouTuber to get an in-depth analysis of the subject matter? How much do you trust their opinions and the facts they present? I ask this because, like you, I also enjoy watching them. But there is a catch here. Not all their opinions are neutral, but rather highly biased, and that's the reason you watch them and criticise the opposing camps.

Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash

In fact, when you search for the truth with a result in mind, you end up finding something that validates your point.

Let me explain why it is risky and where the blind spot lies.

You are aligned to a political ideology, left, right, capitalist, communist or whatever. So, you are obviously consuming content from that brand-aligned creator. You don’t want to know the truth; you just want to hear that you are right. It's an echo chamber bias where one belief, how irrational, becomes stronger and appears real.

The panel

Do you really care about the facts stated or the rhetoric propagated by the host and the guest on the show? Have you noticed their guests mostly repeat and align with their political ideology? One says something, and the other acknowledges immediately without asking any counter question or asking for time to check the facts.

Us vs them

Everything fits in two parts: us vs them. Our blessed movement vs their propaganda. Our mass leaders are their cult leaders. They always talk in two, good or bad, nothing exists in grey. You live inside a chamber of repetition. Same rhetoric. Same fear. Same enemy. You don’t check facts. You don’t question motives. Every minor incident becomes proof. Proof that your side was right all along. Proof that the Constitution is under attack. Proof that they are trying to destroy us.

Algo God

You watch that one podcast one day casually, and now you’re seeing more of this in all your feeds without questioning whether you wanted it more. It's a content economy where views are the currency; they bombard you with what you liked once. People are being conditioned to view dissent as betrayal, with criticism quickly labelled as opposition. The authority to decide who is right or wrong remains unclear, and everyone lives in their own perception of reality.

How to break the spell?

It is simple but hard to do. The first thing is to accept a contrary view in society, which will make the road easy to walk on.

Gather courage and avoid empowering your ego to feel validated when your favourite political shows air next time. Do unsubscribe and watch some other side videos too. I know you will feel an urge and energy inside you, which will say how narrow and one-sided and how disgusting to take an interpretation suited to his narrative. But my friend, if you can calm down and see things neutrally, you're also doing the same along with your YouTuber.