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> Engagement-maximizing algorithms that push increasingly extreme content to keep you on the app longer ain't speech Who decides what makes an algorithm engage

by pibaker 2mo ago

> Engagement-maximizing algorithms that push increasingly extreme content to keep you on the app longer ain't speech Who decides what makes an algorithm engagement maximizing instead of you know, user satisfaction maximizing (because satisfied users stay around for longer, right?) And who decides what is extremist and what is acceptable? Was Rush Limbaugh reading the names of patients who died of AIDS on a hundred year old media more or less extreme than someone praising mao zedong for killing all landlords on social media?

pessimizer 2mo ago
> Who decides what makes an algorithm engagement maximizing instead of you know, user satisfaction maximizing (because satisfied users stay around for longer, right?) Let the user decide. The evil algorithms require the "algorithms" such as "all my subscriptions, completely, in chronological order" to be removed. If "all ragebait" or "maximize profits for facebook" are just other buttons, I have no objection, but I do not think they will be popular.
- ipaddr 2mo ago
  You do they visit or not. Should hackernews be forced to presenting their content a million ways? They present based on decisions made by the people who created the site.
- pibaker 2mo ago
  Ok. What about a "Viewpoint Diversity" tab that lets you read the dumbest opinions from the other side of politics so that you stay in touch with what your fellow countrymen actually thinks. Not rage bait, I promise.
lo_zamoyski 2mo ago
> Who decide The law already concerns itself with determining intent (hence murder vs. manslaughter). I don’t see why similar criteria and methods cannot be applied here. We can assess the objectively bad psychological consequences of social media and look for evidence that establishes moral certainty about the intent. I am not impressed with manufactured skepticism.
fsflover 2mo ago
> Who decides what makes an algorithm engagement maximizing We can look at the intention of the developers? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24579498 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24579498

by pibaker 2mo ago

pessimizer 2mo ago

> Who decides what makes an algorithm engagement maximizing instead of you know, user satisfaction maximizing (because satisfied users stay around for longer, right?) Let the user decide. The evil algorithms require the "algorithms" such as "all my subscriptions, completely, in chronological order" to be removed. If "all ragebait" or "maximize profits for facebook" are just other buttons, I have no objection, but I do not think they will be popular.

ipaddr 2mo ago
You do they visit or not. Should hackernews be forced to presenting their content a million ways? They present based on decisions made by the people who created the site.
pibaker 2mo ago
Ok. What about a "Viewpoint Diversity" tab that lets you read the dumbest opinions from the other side of politics so that you stay in touch with what your fellow countrymen actually thinks. Not rage bait, I promise.

lo_zamoyski 2mo ago

> Who decide The law already concerns itself with determining intent (hence murder vs. manslaughter). I don’t see why similar criteria and methods cannot be applied here. We can assess the objectively bad psychological consequences of social media and look for evidence that establishes moral certainty about the intent. I am not impressed with manufactured skepticism.

fsflover 2mo ago

> Who decides what makes an algorithm engagement maximizing We can look at the intention of the developers? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24579498 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24579498