algorithmic anxiety
exploring algorithmic authority over our lives, and what it's doing to us
by Kasper Jordaens and · updated 20d ago
algorithmic anxiety
alex added 20d ago
- Elan: How do you think about success when publishing a piece? If you have the traditional KPIs of number of page views or how far it spreads, what does success look like for The Pudding?
Matt: Great question. It’s definitely not hard metrics for us. Everyone has their own barometer of success, just as they have their own barometer of quality.
For exa... See morealex added 25d ago
Kids will not believe me when I say this, but people didn’t always absorb their “content” by way of mysterious algorithmic black magic on endlessly-scrolling crack feeds. We used to type web addresses into our browsers, and actually visit our favorite sites. This, going to “www dot college shitpost dot com” or whatever, was itself considered a radi
... See moresari added 1mo ago
phoebe added 2mo ago
No one cares when you stop tweeting; the algorithm will simply slot in the content of some more willing participant, because, in Filterworld, everyone is replaceable. The majority of your followers are unlikely to even notice your absence because, at least to the algorithm, your sleepy account is deemed no longer worthy of prioritization.
from Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture by Kyle Chayka
sari added 3mo ago
why big YouTubers (e.g. Tom Scott, MatPat, PewDiePie Meek Canyon, Captain Sparklez) are quitting:
While the YouTubers are grateful for their jobs, there is a psychological cost for dealing with a large audience, constantly adapting to the algorithm, chasing metrics, getting ripped off and always thinking about “content”. I’m not remotely on the
... See morealex added 4mo ago
- At scale, algorithms create the future they forecast.
from The Flawed Logic at the Heart of the Automation Fantasy
sari added 6mo ago
An algorithm just gives you what you think you want. I’m looking for what I don’t know I want. Keeping a list of what other humans say they like is better.
-Austin Kleon
sari added 6mo ago
- The flattening of intent across algorithms has created a new competitive landscape. The musician isn’t competing for attention/fandom between others in their genre. An artist being forced to be an influencer before they are an artist is not a “I think we are good” software environment. Far from it. They are competing against a pornstar on a podcast... See more
from Threads & Presentations by Reggie James
sari added 6mo ago
An artist being forced to be an influencer before they are an artist
