Alex Winter on The YouTube Effect

Audio of this conversation is available via your favorite podcast service. At Tech Policy Press, we try to keep a close eye on YouTube, aware of the phenomenon of what legal scholar Evelyn Douek calls “magic dust,” the platform’s ability to fly under the radar vis a vis the other technology platforms, which draw far more scrutiny from academic researchers, journalists, and lawmakers. For instance, last year, I worked with NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights deputy director Paul Barrett on a report on YouTube titled “How YouTube Spreads Harmful Content—And What Can Be Done About It.” And on the Tech Policy Press podcast we recently hosted Bloomberg journalist Mark Bergen, whose book, Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination, chronicles the history of the platform from its birth 18 years ago through today. In today’s podcast, I speak with director, writer and actor Alex Winter, whose new documentary, The YouTube Effect, is in select theaters now and will be available on streaming platforms on August 8th. The film’s creators assert that “the story of YouTube is the great dilemma of our times; the technology revolution has made our lives easier and more enriched, while also presenting dangers and challenges that make the world a more perilous place.” What follows is a lightly edited transcript of the discussion. Alex Winter: This is Alex Winter. I’m the director of the new documentary The YouTube Effect, which is out in theaters now and coming, just streaming on August…Alex Winter on The YouTube Effect