TikTok Algorithm Promotes Mafia Culture in Calabria, Study Finds
A study by the University of Bologna found that TikTok's recommendation algorithm creates sequences of increasingly extreme content that may promote organized crime values by progressively connecting videos celebrating Calabrian culture to content justifying 'ndrangheta activities. The research suggests that cultural values such as honor and family loyalty depicted on the platform can be distorted to legitimize criminal behavior.
What happened
A study published in Crime Media Culture by Anna Sergi, a professor at the University of Bologna's Department of Political and Social Sciences, examined over 1,000 TikTok videos published over three months and analyzed 225 of them to assess how the platform's algorithm promotes content related to 'ndrangheta and Calabrian mafia culture.
The research found that TikTok's 'rabbit hole' mechanism—sequences of infinite connected content—allows transitions from seemingly innocent provincial content celebrating Calabria's culture, food, and traditions to more extreme and radical content that justifies organized crime behaviors.
Reported impact
The study identified that traditional cultural values depicted in the videos, such as honor as personal integrity and family loyalty, can be distorted to justify criminal acts within the 'ndrangheta organization, potentially protecting criminal activities through silence and complicity.
According to Sergi, the algorithmic amplification of content celebrating Calabrian culture risks facilitating a process that conflates the celebration and justification of mafia values, as criminal organizations use appropriation of shared cultural values to gain territorial legitimacy.
Index analysis
The research identified four user categories: Admirers who celebrate regional places, food and traditions; Activists who believe the cultural heritage needs protection from external interference; Supporters who associate Calabrian celebration with references to fugitives and imprisoned individuals to exalt; and Apologists who openly promote criminal culture values.
Sergi highlighted that the platform's algorithm risks amplifying content that normalizes or justifies organized crime values by repeatedly surfacing related material to users through its content recommendation system.
Governance controls
No governance controls or moderation interventions by TikTok are mentioned in the study findings.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.