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The media has become a "click maximizer" due to its hunger for data. Maciej Cegłowski has some really good essays and talks (unlike most programmers who do tal

The media has become a "click maximizer" due to its hunger for data. Maciej Cegłowski has some really good essays and talks (unlike most programmers who do talks, in his case they're kind of the same, especially if you use the transcripts) that touch on this. They are similar, but have enough variety of angles to be worth going through: http://idlewords.com/2015/11/the_advertising_bubble.htm http://idlewords.com/2015/11/the_advertising_bubble.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/internet_with_a_human_face.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/internet_with_a_human_face.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/build_a_better_monster.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/build_a_better_monster.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/what_happens_next_will_amaze_you.htm http://idlewords.com/talks/what_happens_next_will_amaze_you....

sjg007 9y ago
Click maximizer to sell ads.
pdkl95 9y ago
(Maciej Cegłowski's talks are hilarious, insightful, and highly recommended) It's not just the media; this is a problem inherent to capitalism (at least the type of relatively unregulated capitalism as currently practiced in the USA). Charles Stross discussed this[1] at his recent talk[2] at 34c3. The corporation is a "paperclip maximizer" that optimize for "profit", and they already took over and enslaved us. [1] among other high-level vision ideas [2] (the part I'm referring to starts at ~13:05) https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9270-dude_you_broke_the_future https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9270-dude_you_broke_the_future
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  Or for the little more general discussion of the mechanism that is common to capitalism, news industry and paperclip maximizers: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/
twic 9y ago
> The media has become a "click maximizer" due to its hunger for data. Oh my god, it's even a pay-per-click maximiser. That is just too good.
- darawk 9y ago
  ...is it possible for a pun to distill the zeitgeist more perfectly than that?
Florin_Andrei 9y ago
My problem with comments that criticize "the media" is that they tend to push people towards far less reliable sources of information. I've seen it so many times - the folks who complain on Facebook about "the media" always seem to believe the craziest things they see on various obscure blogs.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

sjg007 9y ago

Click maximizer to sell ads.

pdkl95 9y ago

(Maciej Cegłowski's talks are hilarious, insightful, and highly recommended) It's not just the media; this is a problem inherent to capitalism (at least the type of relatively unregulated capitalism as currently practiced in the USA). Charles Stross discussed this[1] at his recent talk[2] at 34c3. The corporation is a "paperclip maximizer" that optimize for "profit", and they already took over and enslaved us. [1] among other high-level vision ideas [2] (the part I'm referring to starts at ~13:05) https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9270-dude_you_broke_the_future https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9270-dude_you_broke_the_future

TeMPOraL 9y ago
Or for the little more general discussion of the mechanism that is common to capitalism, news industry and paperclip maximizers: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

twic 9y ago

> The media has become a "click maximizer" due to its hunger for data. Oh my god, it's even a pay-per-click maximiser. That is just too good.

darawk 9y ago
...is it possible for a pun to distill the zeitgeist more perfectly than that?

Florin_Andrei 9y ago

My problem with comments that criticize "the media" is that they tend to push people towards far less reliable sources of information. I've seen it so many times - the folks who complain on Facebook about "the media" always seem to believe the craziest things they see on various obscure blogs.

deleted 9y ago
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