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The thing with most companies optimizing addiction (user engagement) is that they use these weird optimization loops that improve metrics one by one (+x% then +
by knuthsat 5y ago
The thing with most companies optimizing addiction (user engagement) is that they use these weird optimization loops that improve metrics one by one (+x% then +y%) but then end up with a product so far from the long-term equilibrium.
There's no context as to what each player wants. The loop just works across the whole player base, not really aimed towards any context of the player.
- SuoDuanDao 5y agoThis is so true, and most people in these spaces will still defend the metrics they're using. I've encountered this a lot when trying to suggest how advertising could be a social good.
- inteoryx 5y agoSomething like how gradient descent may be able to find a local maximum but unable to find superior global maximums. Or, how if you add one more ad to your website you may increase revenue, but if you keep doing that you will eventually destroy the site's usability, drive off your traffic, and, perhaps irreversibly, crater your revenue.