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My own theory about why our ability to focus on what we want to on the internet is Attention Capitalism. Our attention is the latest resource to be exploited by
by yosito 9y ago
My own theory about why our ability to focus on what we want to on the internet is Attention Capitalism. Our attention is the latest resource to be exploited by capitalism, and each company is attempting to control what we focus on for their profit. I've noticed this trend; very little software let's me control what information I see anymore. It's almost all controlled by some algorithm making me see what they claim I want to see.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago> It's almost all controlled by some algorithm making me see what they claim I want to see. The algorithm is known as "doing what users want". Very popular with companies and even open source projects nowadays. It works like this: you do some "analytics" of your product, or look what sells for others, assume it reflects what users want (and the things that are missing are obviously not wanted by users), and do those. This algorithm ignores the fact that a lot of the time, users don't get any way to express preferences. Users buy/use what's available and what's popular. Through this algorithm, producers make choices for the consumers, and then use statistics to justify them.
- dredmorbius 9y agoOr, worse: the discerning users or customers blot out the company (or its website) and go elsewhere. A/B testing can't test for the users who aren't present.
- nickpsecurity 9y agoDon't forget the other part that's critical for the big players: lock-in. The first thing gets them to join willingly. The second coerces them to stay. A one-two punch for a acquiring and keeping market share with high margins.