Richard's blog

Tag: algorithms

  • On Social Media and Positive Feedback Loops

    On Social Media and Positive Feedback Loops

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesYesterday, yet again, I deactivated my Facebook account. I kept seeing negative posts about Oxford Street being pedestrianised, and especially radicalising people into hating cyclists. I felt that I was absorbing and radiating that negativity as well. I didn’t like that I was being so negative about something that changes nothing in…

  • Blogging, Social Media, and Algorithms

    Blogging, Social Media, and Algorithms

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesYears ago, when we were on web forums with a dozen or more people we knew each other. Over time web forums and chat rooms became bigger, as more people adopted the World Wide Web. In the process we went from being part of several niche web forums to being part of…

  • YouTube and Power Without Responsability

    YouTube and Power Without Responsability

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesIt’s easy to say "You get awful recommendations because of the content you watch on Youtube". I could say that very easily, but I don’t accept that premise because I took a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and I learned to think about deeper topics. I thought about media ownership, control…

  • Algorithms and Social Media

    Algorithms and Social Media

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesRecently I have been thinking more about trolling. I have been thinking about why, I, and others, appear so negative or toxic on social media. I believe that one reason for this is that algorithms drive conversations and popularity, rather than time devoted to social media, and conversationalism. ## Return on Investment…

  • Boy Sober and Algorithms

    Boy Sober and Algorithms

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesToday I spotted another clear sign that modern social media are toxic and unhealthy. I see this through the [boy sober movement](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/10/no-dating-apps-no-dates-no-exes-no-hookups-whats-driving-the-boy-sober-trend). > A new trend is sweeping TikTok: #boysober. Its rules? No dating apps, no dates, no exes, no hookups. Thousands of women are uploading videos describing why they have gone boy…

  • YouTube suggesting Six Videos at a Time

    YouTube suggesting Six Videos at a Time

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesYesterday when looking at YouTube over lunch I noticed that they now show six videos at a time, compared to the 20-30 videos they used to show, back in the good old days. This means that you have six videos to choose from. The algorithm is cutting down our choice constantly from…

  • YouTube and AI

    YouTube and AI

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesAccording to a recent article YouTube will use AI to direct the content that people make, how it looks how it sounds and more. In so doing YouTube will be even less interesting. AI tools will also begin informing what kind of content creators make. A new AI feature in YouTube Studio…

  • Asking for Permission on Instagram

    Asking for Permission on Instagram

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    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesIf you want to see how unhealthy social media is just look at this story about DMs on Instagram. Now if you want to DM someone that you don’t follow they can send just one text message. Imagine, you’re a user of Instagram. You’re following friends, family and colleagues. Now consider that…