A year or two ago I watched a documentary on algorithms that was pretty interesting. You don't really realize just how much influence these things can have in our daily lives. Google and Facebook are obvious examples of algorithms, but there are so many more that affect us in ways we may not comprehend.
What really got me thinking of this was people on Twitter talking about Netflix's cancellation of an adult cartoon called Tuca and Bertie after only one season. What pissed off a lot of people is that the Netflix algorithms weren't pushing the show. Even the creator of the show said it didn't show up in her recommended shows. That's like Amazon not recommending my books to me. Though maybe in that case because it knows I've already read them. Similarly other people with Netflix shows aired their grievances; Jonah Ray of the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 claimed fans had trouble finding out about season 2. That seems weird because I don't even have Netflix and I knew about it from the commercials on Pluto TV.
How often do you watch a show because it's recommended to you by Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or whatever? Not many for me. Maybe if a person I know recommends it then I'll give it a try. Or sometimes if I see a commercial enough times and reach the point of "What the hell?" I'll watch it. That's how I got into Tuca and Bertie's predecessor Bojack Horseman. Very rarely I'll see something on the recommended row and decide to give it a try, probably more with movies than TV because there's less investment.
Still, the idea is that to some extent sites can control your viewing habits, especially if you're too lazy to do your own looking around for stuff. As I've said before, in Marketing class in college we talked about one of the most important rules of marketing: people have to know something exists before they can buy it. You can't watch a show if you don't know it exists.
In the 2016 election we saw how Facebook's algorithm can affect people. The propagation of "fake news" was rampant and trolls proliferated. To what extent it swung the election is hard to judge but it sure as hell didn't help things. Facebook's head android promised Congress things would change, but have they? Probably not much. Not unless you stop following the fake news sites and block the trolls yourself.
But anyway, the whole topic of algorithms got me thinking about how machines could completely take over our world without our knowing it. SkyNet doesn't have to launch a bunch of nukes and build a bunch of Terminators. The Matrix doesn't have to enslave us in a virtual prison while impractically using us as a source of fuel. All they have to do is control the algorithms and we'll dance to their tune.
Think about it: our news can be controlled through social media algorithms, where we shop can be controlled with search engine algorithms, what shows we watch can be controlled by streaming service algorithms, what's on our grocery store shelves can be controlled by manufacturing/transportation algorithms, and even how long it takes you to get to work can be controlled by traffic light algorithms. As more of the decision making gets turned over to AIs, it'll be even easier for machines to control us behind the scenes by controlling what we see, hear, and do. We'll be their puppets without realizing it. With how we've fucked the world, maybe that's for the best.
1 comment:
I have often thought "Why does Netflix think I would like this show?" And most of the time I haven't tried a show they recommended. Instead, I tend to try shows recommended to me by friends because they go into more detail and really push why it's great. Then there is the "Everyone else is watching it" factor that gets me interested. There is just so much out there to choose from, and I agree the algorithms don't give every movie or story a fair chance. A lot of great stories are lost in the mix.
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