How Online Algorithms & Profit Motives Fuel Youth Radicalization | Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss

In this episode of Doing Tech Right from ConnectSafely, host Larry Magid talks with Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor at American University and founding director of PERIL (the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab), about how online environments can contribute to extremism, radicalization, and polarization.

Miller-Idriss explains that radicalization is typically gradual, shaped by desensitization, vulnerabilities like isolation and adverse experiences, parasocial influencer relationships, and direct recruitment—often via gaming chats and related communities that can lead users into encrypted spaces. She discusses dehumanization, democratic backsliding, and how algorithm-driven attention and attachment economies reward outrage and harmful content.

The conversation covers why adolescents are especially vulnerable, warning signs for parents, safe ways to counter misinformation without shaming, and industry steps like disabling addictive features, enabling easier feed controls, and making it simple to reset algorithms.

00:00 Welcome and guest intro
01:18 How radicalization unfolds
04:13 Gaming chats and recruitment
07:10 Lessons from Germany
10:13 Algorithms and addictive design
13:23 Profit motives behind hate
15:40 Countering hate safely
19:49 Why teens are vulnerable
24:10 Warning signs and grooming
27:55 What platforms should change
30:04 Resources and closing