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> I don't think this phenomenon you're seeing is because of anything Facebook is doing to metaphorically stir the pot. Maybe not stir the pot specifically, but

> I don't think this phenomenon you're seeing is because of anything Facebook is doing to metaphorically stir the pot. Maybe not stir the pot specifically, but it’s their user experience and they own it. Which post shows up first on my feed greatly alters the user experience, and FB has to make a decision on that. It’s not chronological, and it seems to frequently involve me seeing 3 day old shitstorms.

actually_a_dog 5y ago
I see. It sounds like they are showing you posts that get a lot of activity. That does kinda make sense: if a lot of people similar to you have already interacted with a post, that's a signal that you might like it, too. But, tell me: would it make any difference to you if you saw these "3 day old shitstorms" when they were only 1 day old? If anything, what they really want you to do is discover these posts in their pre-shitstorm posts, so you can be involved in getting the shit flying. It seems like this actually represents a failure of algorithmic moderation, to me.
- mcphage 5y ago
  > It seems like this actually represents a failure of algorithmic moderation, to me. It's a failure of a lot of things, but ultimately a failure to create a product desirable to anybody not interested in flinging shit.
  - actually_a_dog 5y ago
    It seems you may have forgotten the old saying: if you're not paying for it, you're the product. Perhaps these practices create an ideal (or, at least better than what "display everything chronologically would) environment for displaying ads to receptive people.
    - mcphage 5y ago
      > It seems you may have forgotten the old saying: if you're not paying for it, you're the product. Nope, I didn't forget—I don't entirely mind being their product, but it seems like Facebook forgot the fact that, if I'm their product, then they need to make it worth my time to go to it. > Perhaps these practices create an ideal (or, at least better than what "display everything chronologically would) environment for displaying ads to receptive people. Maybe it does, but it doesn't seem like they're firing on all cylinders. Instead, it seems like they're trying to get more and more out of fewer and fewer "products".

actually_a_dog 5y ago

I see. It sounds like they are showing you posts that get a lot of activity. That does kinda make sense: if a lot of people similar to you have already interacted with a post, that's a signal that you might like it, too. But, tell me: would it make any difference to you if you saw these "3 day old shitstorms" when they were only 1 day old? If anything, what they really want you to do is discover these posts in their pre-shitstorm posts, so you can be involved in getting the shit flying. It seems like this actually represents a failure of algorithmic moderation, to me.

mcphage 5y ago
> It seems like this actually represents a failure of algorithmic moderation, to me. It's a failure of a lot of things, but ultimately a failure to create a product desirable to anybody not interested in flinging shit.
- actually_a_dog 5y ago
  It seems you may have forgotten the old saying: if you're not paying for it, you're the product. Perhaps these practices create an ideal (or, at least better than what "display everything chronologically would) environment for displaying ads to receptive people.
  - mcphage 5y ago
    > It seems you may have forgotten the old saying: if you're not paying for it, you're the product. Nope, I didn't forget—I don't entirely mind being their product, but it seems like Facebook forgot the fact that, if I'm their product, then they need to make it worth my time to go to it. > Perhaps these practices create an ideal (or, at least better than what "display everything chronologically would) environment for displaying ads to receptive people. Maybe it does, but it doesn't seem like they're firing on all cylinders. Instead, it seems like they're trying to get more and more out of fewer and fewer "products".