4 ms·

> I don’t think they are evil. I think they, like other tech companies, are just idealistic in a way that works best for them. I think this because I used to be

> I don’t think they are evil. I think they, like other tech companies, are just idealistic in a way that works best for them. I think this because I used to be one of them (*4). The people who work at Google, Facebook, etc can’t imagine how everything they make is not, like, totally awesome. If it’s not awesome for you it’s because you just don’t understand it yet and you’ll come around. They can’t imagine scenarios outside their reality and that is how they inadvertently unleash things like the algorithmic cruelty of Facebook’s yearly review (which showed me a picture I had posted after a doctor told me my husband had 6-8 weeks to live). This.

sparkzilla 12y ago
The idea that the computer and algorithms are more important than people causes a lot of harm.
pgodzin 12y ago
At the same time, the yearly review is meant to highlight the important moments of your year, not necessarily the positive ones. Obviously that post had a lot of engagement, and it was properly flagged as important. The user then has the option of whether or not they want to publish that or not.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  Yearly Review was also totally broken if the language of your Facebook activities wasn't en_US. I don't know how well it worked for Americans, but across the pond it tended to pick up nonsense. Hell, the only photos that were in any way relevant or interesting on my Yearly Review were screenshots from Kerbal Space Program... I say it needs much, much more work.
drapper 12y ago
I found this very naive. Yes, engineers might be this way, designers, the "low-level" people (for a lack of better term), but the directors, the board, the money bunch - they know exactly what they're doing and how it will be bad for many, but they're going this way because it's 1. better for their product, 2. easier for them and finally 3. because "why care about some minnows?".

sparkzilla 12y ago

The idea that the computer and algorithms are more important than people causes a lot of harm.

pgodzin 12y ago

At the same time, the yearly review is meant to highlight the important moments of your year, not necessarily the positive ones. Obviously that post had a lot of engagement, and it was properly flagged as important. The user then has the option of whether or not they want to publish that or not.

TeMPOraL 12y ago
Yearly Review was also totally broken if the language of your Facebook activities wasn't en_US. I don't know how well it worked for Americans, but across the pond it tended to pick up nonsense. Hell, the only photos that were in any way relevant or interesting on my Yearly Review were screenshots from Kerbal Space Program... I say it needs much, much more work.

drapper 12y ago

I found this very naive. Yes, engineers might be this way, designers, the "low-level" people (for a lack of better term), but the directors, the board, the money bunch - they know exactly what they're doing and how it will be bad for many, but they're going this way because it's 1. better for their product, 2. easier for them and finally 3. because "why care about some minnows?".