Managing visibility on YouTube through algorithmic gossip

“So far, YouTube beauty communities have been examined as they curate microcelebrity (Senft, 2008) and perform entrepreneurship (Duffy, 2017), and intimately connect with their followers (García-Rapp, 2017).”

“This matters because much previous work on algorithmic literacy pertains to subgroups that are already relatively digitally literate, such as algorithmic activists (Velkova & Kaun, 2019), web shop owners (Klawitter & Hargittai, 2018), and social media influencers (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2019).”

“Following from writings on algorithmic imaginaries (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2017), we acknowledge the interrelated nature of user perceptions and practices , particularly in cases where the material realities of software are belied by their opacity (Natale, 2019: 713).”

“…example, one can take the case of content creators and “ influencers ” producing and sharing online content such as videos, pictures, and blog posts on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and so on (Marwick 2013; Duffy and Hund 2015; Duffy 2017; Bishop 2019; Stuart 2020; Burgess and Green 2018).”

“Nolan explained why he was also creating content on sites like YouTube and Instagram: You’ve probably seen on the news too about the potential TikTok ban, everything happening with the app . . . [It has] given me a wake-up call to try and not focus so heavily on one platform, even though I’m doing so well, and to try…”

“…will situate these strategies within legacies of scholarship on human interventions and circumventions of algorithms and algorithmic imaginaries (Bishop, 2019, 2020; Bucher, 2017, 2018; van der Nagel, 2018; Willson, 2017), content moderation practices and circumventions (Gerrard, 2018;…”

“…media use of long duration, high frequency, and extensive experience as well as potentially highly developed skills in related areas such as programming, content creation, and online interactions) are likely to have developed skills to use algorithms to their benefit (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2019).”

“However, users have valuable insights to share about algorithms, because algorithmic outcomes arise from highly contextual data inputs that become visible through located, embodied experiences (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2020).”

“Algorithmic folklore may, then, provide speculative insights into the changing contours of algorithmic systems (see also Bishop, 2019).”

“Algorithms exist and work invisibly behind the interface, learning from users and per-sonalizing what people see online, but people do not know what these algorithms are or how they work (Bishop 2019).”

“As professional platform users, influencers conduct research on industry trends and use their findings to piece together engaged approaches to gain and sustain visibility (Bishop, 2019).”

“When social media creators are interested in making their content visible to audiences, their understanding of the algorithm influences their use of the platform (Bishop, 2019; Petre et al., 2019).”

“The work of Bishop (2019), as mentioned, differs from these approaches in having investigated algorithmic imagi-naries within the field, in her case as a form of “gossip” unfolding among professional content creators.”

“Through their daily negotiation of social media platforms, influencers develop a body of expertise in how to successfully work within this ‘opaque’ ecosystem (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2019; Duffy and Meisner, 2023).”

“Such strategies and representations often take the shape of “algorithmic gossip” (Bishop, 2019) in which creators swap theories and advice to help each other gain visibility in algorithmic recommendations, thus empowering creators to perform more effectively on a platform where their power is…”

“This repetition can be shared as a form of knowledge exchange that Sophie Bishop (2019, p. 2590) has called “algorithmic gossip,” which refers to the “communally and socially informed knowledge about algorithms and algorithmic visibility.””

“This collective endeavor in data work resonates with that of other digital workers, such as media content creators (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2018), gig workers (Woodcock, 2020), and those in highly digitized industrial settings (Delfanti, 2021).”

“Our discussion emphasizes that algorithmic relations ‘become’ in and through a dynamic interplay between algorithmic technologies and people, who contribute to them through their actions and data traces (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2018).”

“Thus, in these processes and strategic actions, the relationship estab‐ lished with followers is critical (Abidin, 2018) as well as the negotiation of visibility and popularity with the plat‐ form (Gillespie, 2010, 2018) and the algorithm (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2012).”

“Users have had to add an extra layer to their digital labor, monitoring algorithmic gossip (Bishop, 2019) and folklore (Savolainen, 2022) to avoid trouble.”

“Studies on different types of skilled Internet users, such as influencers on YouTubers (Bishop 2019), Instagram (Cotter 2019) and Facebook users (Bucher 2012; Schwartz and Mahnke 2021), show that these actors develop their own strategies to engage with algorithms.”

“BreadTube creator Re-Education (2019) addressed this point in a video: Drama always gets the most views.”

“As shown in the case of YouTube beauty vloggers (Bishop, 2019) and the construct of the “algorithmic self” (Kant, 2020), the logic of the data-driven metrification of social media is modified by users “system-gaming” practices—algorithmic manipulation through visibility-enhancing tactics (Petre et…”

“Given existing findings about the pervasiveness of misogyny and inequality in the social media economy (e.g. Banet-Weiser, 2018; Bishop, 2019; Duffy, 2017; Glatt, 2022), women and other marginalized communities were overrepresented in our sample.”

“Like many other YouTube creators (Bishop, 2019), Adrian offered different theories to make sense of this opaque system, which went beyond public metrics and included engagement rates as well as the recommendation, search, and demonetization algorithms that impacted his metrics.”

“(Biel and Gatica-Perez, 2013) x x x x x (Bishop, 2019) x x x x x x x”

“These knowledge practices are characterised by algorithmic gossip: “communally and socially informed knowledge” (Bishop, 2019, p. 2590) that draws on and accumulates vernacular algorithmic lore, “a mix of data-informed assumptions that are weaved into a subjective narrative” (Bishop, 2020, p. 1).”

“For instance, O ’ Meara (2019) and Bishop (2019), respectively, on Instagram and YouTube, explore the practices through which communities of in fl uencers manage to manipulate platforms ’ algorithms in order to make their posts more visible.”

“…to literature across fame/celebrity studies (Abidin, 2016; Hearn and Schoenhoff, 2016; Khamis et al., 2017); sociologies of work and labor (Duffy and Hund, 2015; Duffy, 2017; O’Meara, 2019); and media industry studies/entertainment (Bishop, 2019; Cunningham and Craig, 2019), among others.”

“Taken together, the trio of affordances enable TikTokers to enhance both algorithmic and analogue visibility (Abidin, 2021; Bishop, 2019) on the platform, thus maximizing their occurrence on the FYP when a social movement or discourse is (on the cusp of) trending on TikTok, as a foray into gesticular activism.”

“Other work examines how online platforms do not support creators in allowing their creative work to become visible [14] or by making their volunteer work challenging through sweeping decisions regarding platform infrastructures [28].”

“Chinese beauty bloggers are not completely different from their Western counterparts: both gain reputations on user-generated content (UGC) platforms, rely on consumer culture, monetise their reputations, and mainly target women (García-Rapp 2016, Bishop 2018, Hou 2018, Bishop 2019).”

“…of YouTube Influencers has been talked about and constituted as a media scandal across various media platforms and outlets, and studied the types of tensions that emerged between YouTubers, followers, and industry personnel through reiterative cycles and circuits of such gossip (cf. Bishop, 2019).”

“Trial and error Algorithmic gossip (Bishop 2019), visibility game, A/B testing (Cotter 2019), algoactivism (leveraging algorithms) (Kellogg et al.”

“The workings of algorithms structure creator visibility on media platforms (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2012; Duffy and Meisner, 2022), and TikTok is also interested in high-lighting content with monetization potential (Smith, 2021).”

“In these environments, workers discuss the dynamics of the algorithm and ‘ gossip ’ around it (Bishop, 2019), develop different levels of algorithmic awareness (Eslami et al., 2015; Gran et al., 2021) and build bonds of solidarity (Anwar and Graham, 2021; Maf fi e, 2020; Tassinari and Maccarone,…”

“Whilst prior research has highlighted the impact of racial identities and related norms on SMIs’ social media performances (e.g. Arthur, 2021; Bishop, 2018, 2019), we have a limited understanding of their impact on consumers’ evolving para-social relationships and resultant consumer behaviours,…”

“Algorithmic gossip is one way to spread “algorithmic lore” [14, 89] about how a platform’s algorithms function without actual proprietary knowledge to confirm the algorithmic techniques used.”

“A study shows the concept of “affective capitalism”, where all the desires, emotions, and forms of expressivity are becoming raw materials in a wider economic infrastructure (Hearn 2017, 2019).”

“But scholars (Bishop, 2019; Crawford, 2016; Schellewald, 2021) caution against fetishizing the algorithm.”

“This was specified in the application because most participants wanted to be credited and named for sharing their stories, which we respected as a form of crediting of who deserves to be seen as an algorithmic expert, in line with research by Bishop (2019).”

“For instance, beauty vloggers have tried to share “algorithmic gossip” about YouTube as part of their strategies to maintain visibility on the platforms (Bishop, 2019: 2590).”

“, in the form of “algorithmic gossip” (Bucher, 2017; Bishop, 2019).”

“In coding for the affective dimension of AL ( n = 79), we included articles on how users “feel” and “sense” algorithms (e.g., Bishop, 2019).”

“…through Content ID, an algorithmic “blackbox” (Pasquale, 2015) about which information is limited, this study provides insights into how YouTube creators understand, experience, and interact with a blackbox system that is central to the financial viability of their careers (Bishop, 2019, p. 2590).”

“For example, they needed to creatively synchronize content across platforms by empathizing and researching platform-specific audiences’ interests, sometimes along with the learning cost for technical affordances such as creator tools and algorithms [12, 13, 78].”

“Community guidelines are enforced through algorithms, ‘codified step-by-step pro-cesses’ platforms use ‘to afford or restrict visibility’ (Bishop, 2019: 2590).”

“As Bishop (2019) notes, maintaining algorithmic ‘complicity’ is an ‘ongoing project’ for vloggers (p. 3).”

“The secrecy and technical complexity of social media sites has led to what Bishop (2019) calls “mystification”—an inability for users to gain a full or substantive understanding of the online spaces they inhabit.”

“57 As app stores age, the metrics they use to surface apps (e.g., click-through rate, discards, update frequency, number of crashes) are getting more fi ne-grained while keywords and other basic metadata are no longer as credible or valuable in ranking algorithms.”

“…the agency of social media (and processes such as mediation and personalization) is perceived by ordinary users in the context of everyday life (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2017, 2018, 2020; Kant, 2020; Seaver, 2017), I suggest that understanding social media’s time through the lens of phenomenal…”

“Third, without drawing on diverse methodological traditions, ranging from computational audits [13,14] to ethnographic analyses [24], interventions to mitigate these risks are likely to be partial or ineffective.”

“These strategies include crowdsourcing information about employers (Irani and Silberman, 2013) and algorithmic systems (Bishop, 2019); or making oneself “algorith-mically recognizable” to platform algorithms (Gillespie, 2017) through practices of self-optimization (Bishop, 2018; Cotter, 2018).”

“Second, in this study, we analyzed only the collections of ads with some limited co-analysis and “algorithmic gossip” (Bishop, 2019) via SMS chat.”

“The emotional labor catering to advertisers and audiences ’ feeds into metrics that evaluate the creative work visibility (Bishop, 2019).”

“Based on their understanding of algorithms, platform users can strengthen their online presence (Bishop, 2019) and resist being marginalized by algorithms (Karizat et al., 2021).”

“Under these grueling conditions, creators develop methods to “game” or manipulate a platform’s algorithmic ranking (O’Meara, 2019; Petre et al., 2019), by amplifying their content’s visibility in the crowded SME (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2019; Cunningham & Craig, 2019; Duffy & Meisner, 2022).”

“…values are inscribed in the design of its algorithms ( Van-Dijck et al. , 2018), but because its configuration is opaque to regulators and users ( Bishop , 2019; Cotter , 2019; Cardon , 2018; Miyazaki , 2019) and algorithmic visibility marketing options have reduced the ability of activists to…”

“I read these videos as manifestations of what Sophie Bishop (2019) calls “algorithmic gossip,” communally informed user knowledge about algorithms and algorithmic visibility shared socially by users of the platform.”

“They resemble “algorithmic gossip,” the “communally and socially informed theories and strategies pertaining to recommender algorithms, shared and implemented to engender financial consistency and visibility” (Bishop, 2019: 2589).”

“…take up the mantle of disseminating ways and means of leveraging algorithmic decisions in the interest of overcoming the information asymmetries (Bishop 2019; Cotter 2019; Cotter & Reisdorf 2020; Gillespie 2017; Irani & Silberman 2013) created by the processes of platformization, and the…”

“Through prosumption, digital platforms translate users’ data into an image of themselves, offering insights into their tastes, interests, habits, and world-views (Mau, 2019).”

“Motivated by this concept, some researches have verified that algorithmic resistance does exist in various contexts (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2017; Lv et al., 2022).”

“…known as ‘critical algorithm studies’, where other research— such as, among others, ‘algorithmic folk theories’ (Siles et al. 2020; Ytre-Arne and Moe 2021) and ‘algorithmic gossip’ (Bishop 2019)—shares a common focus on users’ perception and agency towards algorithms (cf. Lomborg and Kapsch 2020).”

“Furthermore, attention has been paid to how visibility labour is becoming more and more intertwined with algorithmic visibility (see, e.g., Bishop, 2019).”

“…contemporary digitalised practice, as well as a reward acquired by those who secure attention from desirable audiences, especially the media (e.g., Aronczyk et al., 2017; Banet-Weiser, 2018; Bishop, 2019; Draper, 2020; Duffy & Hund, 2019; Kanai & Gill, 2020; Savolainen et al., 2022; Sobande, 2019).”

“Thus, we contribute to the previous research on SME (Cunningham & Craig, 2019) and creator labor that have extensively focused on economic and algorithmic precarities within the political economy of SME (Bishop, 2019; Duffy et al., 2021).”

“According to Bishop’s research, YouTube beauty bloggers discuss in Facebook groups how to gain visibility on the platform, and their informal exchange of information about algorithms is referred to by Bishop as “algorithmic gossip”, a more recent popular concept in relevant research (Bishop 2019).”

“…chat groups afford a freedom chat space to resist the manipulation of food delivery corporations by enabling food delivery workers to discuss the dynamics of the algorithm and “gossip” around it (Bishop, 2019), develop algorithmic awareness (Eslami et al., 2016), and build bonds of solidarity.”

“…with platform governance issues through content production, although it tends to focus on specific issues such as copyright enforcement (Kaye and Gray, 2021) and demonetization (Caplan and Gillespie, 2020), or specific communities such as beauty vloggers (Bishop, 2019) and BreadTube (Cotter, 2022).”

“…visibility are informed by the perceptions of casual users, conceptualized as an ‘ algorithmic imaginary ’ (Bucher, 2017), ‘ algorithmic gossip ’ (Bishop, 2019), ‘ algorithmic folklore ’ (Savolainen, 2022), ‘ algorithmic awareness ’ (Issar, 2023), and ‘ algorithmic folk theories ’…”

“…to execute several user strategies, such as forming ‘ pods ’ where they contrive reciprocal engagements (Cotter, 2019), employ third party bots on social media (Petre et al., 2019), or form communities that exploit recommender algorithms (Bishop, 2019) – all to boost visibility and fi nancial gain.”

“A number of authors (Ahmad et al., 2021; Bishop, 2019, 2020; Glotfelter, 2019) have researched the impact of the ‘black box’ that is YouTube’s video recommendation algorithm on content creators’ efforts to monetise their labour and make a career as a YouTuber.”

“…test the limits of platform authenticity have led scholars to develop concepts such as “algorithmic imaginary” (Bucher, 2018), “algorithmic gossip” (Bishop, 2019), and “influencer imaginary” (Arriagada & Bishop, 2021) to study how content creators and social media users perceive what…”

“Notably, the hypervisibility of ride-hail platform workers contrasts the threat of invisibility faced by digital platform workers in feminized labor markets (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2018; Ticona and Mateescu, 2018).”

“Similarly, shadowbanning has been a topic of conversation among social media users (see: algospeak ) as well as academics (Bishop, 2019; Cotter, 2023; Gillespie, 2022; Savolainen, 2022) and points towards a growing need for the public to be aware of what rules govern their visibility on social…”

“In line with previous research on algorithmic awareness and behavior, the findings strengthen the active role of users (Belanche et al., 2017b, 2019; Dogruel et al., 2020).”

“YouTube’s recommender system and autoplay feature have, for example, been found to discriminate against people of color and LGBTQ + creators (Bishop, 2019; Caplan and Gillespie, 2020) and promote sensational, conspiratorial, extreme, or graphic content (McKelvey and Hunt, 2019: 4).”

“” In a similar vein, Bishop (2019) borrowed the idea of “ gossip ” to study YouTube beauty vloggers ’ (i.e. video bloggers) algorithmic knowledge and the way in which they manage algorithmic visibility accordingly.”

“Users are fatigued – but they also routinely discuss, imagine, theorise around and develop affective relationships with the technology that they use (Bishop, 2019; Bucher, 2018; Kant, 2020).”

“…engaged in a “visibility game” that is constructed around the “rules” encoded within opaque proprietary algorithms (Cotter 2019, p. 895), with vloggers sometimes engaging in “algorithmic gossip” to gain visibility on social media platforms that are algorithmically structured (Bishop 2019, p. 2589).”