What’s ‘up next’? Investigating algorithmic recommendations on YouTube across issues and over time

Drawing on the idea of platform observability, this paper combines computational and qualitative methods to investigate the types of content YouTube’s ‘up next’ feature amplifies over time, using three search terms associated with sociocultural issues for which concerns have been raised about YouTube’s role: ‘coronavirus’, ‘feminism’ and ‘beauty’. We provide empirical evidence for evaluating the claims made by critics and the counterclaims made by YouTube itself about the function of the platform’s ‘up next’ feature in amplifying problematic, authoritative, or diverse content