Platform auditing and analysis

Empirical, large-scale studies that audit social media platforms' content, algorithms, recommendation systems, and user dynamics. Distinct from platform policy or design work by emphasizing independent external measurement and transparency.

Key papers

• Horta Ribeiro et al. (2019) — audits 349 YouTube channels, 72.6M comments, 5.98M users; characterizes radicalization pathways and measures algorithmic reachability of extremist content via random walk simulations.
• Hosseinmardi et al. (2021) — national-scale audit of 309.8K U.S. users' YouTube consumption over 4 years using Nielsen web panel data; tests radicalization hypothesis via referral analysis and session dynamics.
• Munger & Phillips (2022) — longitudinal platform analysis of right-wing creators and viewership over a decade; applies supply-and-demand framework to YouTube radicalization debates.
• Varol et al. (2017) — audits bot and bot-coordinator interactions on Twitter; develops early-stage detection methods and characterizes bot behavior patterns.

Related topics

• Recommendation algorithms and content discovery — auditing algorithmic design and effects
• YouTube and political radicalization — platform-specific analysis of YouTube
• Information ecosystems — structural features of platform architecture
• Misinformation and fake news detection — empirical methods for measuring false content spread