“Krymnash” on YouTube: Formation of Singularities

In this article, an analysis of YouTube recommendation lists is presented along with the discussion regarding the potential of cultural studies to contribute to this field of research. I highlight the role of algorithmic personalisation in the processes of singularisation and culturalisation (according to Andreas Reckwitz) and conceptualise it as a pragmatic answer to the problematics of contingency, which in turn holds the risks of contingency for research. As an example, I present my analysis of YouTube-recommendations related to Crimea’s annexation, which I collected in 2020, in three stages, using snowball-sampling and using the browser extension YTTREX created by the Initiative “Tracking Exposed” [1].