Whether we realize it or not, we’re all being manipulated on the internet. There are ways to tackle this problem -- companies can do a better job creating algorithms that don’t manipulate people for profit. And internet users can educate themselves so they are better able to recognize and avoid online manipulation.

Here is a reading list to help you start to understand the problem of online manipulation.

What is Online Manipulation?

The Internet Knows You Better Than Your Spouse Does
Scientific American

How Does the YouTube Algorithm Work? A Guide to Getting More Views
Hootsuite Blog

Understanding Facebook’s Algorithm Could Change How You See Yourself
The New Republic

Online Manipulation: Hidden Influences in a Digital World
Susser, Roessler, & Nissenbaum, SSRN

Five Generations of Online Manipulation: The Evolution of Advanced Persistent Manipulators
Foreign Policy Research Institute

How Can Online Manipulation Personally Affect Me?

The Making of a YouTube Radical
New York Times

Dear Tech Companies: I Don’t Want to See Baby Ads After My Child was Stillborn
Washington Post

On YouTube’s Digital Playground, an Open Gate for Pedophiles
New York Times

YouTube Extremism and the Long Tail
The Atlantic

How YouTube Radicalized Brazil
New York Times

Google’s Algorithm For Detecting Hate Speech Is Racially Biased
MIT Tech Review

How Does Online Manipulation Work?

This Is How You’re Being Manipulated
Gizmodo

How YouTube Pushes Viewers Towards Extremism
Fortune

Netflix’s The Great Hack Brings Our Data Nightmare To Life
Wired

What You Don’t Know About How Facebook Uses Your Data
New York Times

Google Directing People to Extreme Content and Conspiracy Theories
Sky News

How YouTube Drives People to the Internet’s Darkest Corners
Wall Street Journal

What Are Social Media Platforms Doing About It?

The Fight for the Future of YouTube
The New Yorker

Beyond Fixing Facebook
Free Press

YouTube Executives Ignored Warnings, Letting Toxic Videos Run Rampant
Bloomberg News

YouTube Tweaked Algorithm to Appease FTC But Creators are Worried
Bloomberg News