3 ms·

Facebook isn’t a dumb pipe. It is an algorithm which preferentially selects content which will increase engagement, in this case apparently sparking a genocide

• fallingknife 3y ago
  And the algorithm that maximizes engagement is the algorithm that gives the user exactly the content he most wants to engage with. In other words, with iteration, it will converge on an algorithm whose output is entirely driven by the user, not the developer. In this way it is basically a dumb pipe just like a phone that lets the user say exactly what he wants when he wants.
  • deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  • dr_kiszonka 3y ago
    You are assuming users visit Facebook to engage with content and that Facebook's definition of engagement is consistent with the users' understanding of it. (One example, merely viewing my brother's photo is not considered engagement but sharing or liking it is.) I think many people would agree that a dumb pipe in this context would mean FB not ranking and filtering content. I am not saying all users want unfiltered content. I am just arguing against calling FB a dumb pipe. If anything, it is a smart pipe, or a pipe bomb.
  • Hammershaft 3y ago
    > the algorithm that maximizes engagement is the algorithm that gives the user exactly the content he most wants to engage with. Nothing about any system that opaquely ranks and filters content resembles a dumb pipe. Moreover, maximizing the attention content captures from viewers IS NOT the same as maximising the value users derive from content.