Mastodawn

Jul 28, 2023

If we pretend that the only options are:

1) Chronological feed
2) Algorithmic feed where a company chooses the algorithm and objective function

And we pretend that "Share of time is a perfect metric for happiness," then this might make sense.

But... time spent isn't a perfect metric for happiness, and there is another option: 3) Algorithmic feed where the user has more control of the algorithm and objective function.

Eg, chronological *is* an algorithmic feed!🙂🙃

https://www.wired.com/story/meta-just-proved-people-hate-chronological-feeds/

Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds

Some social media users and lawmakers say chronological feeds are healthier. A new study found that Facebook and Instagram users who were forced to see time-ranked posts turned to TikTok instead.

WIRED

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Hughster Jul 28, 2023

@mekkaokereke I don't know. For power users, yes, it could help to have customisability (much as with Twitter we have advanced search operators, until recently third-party clients, etc.). But I suspect the vast majority of users would still stick to defaults, so there'll still have to be that default company-defined algorithm.

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I don't believe in dogmas Jul 28, 2023

@hughster @mekkaokereke Chronological feeds do not require data harvesting. A Chronological feed only needs to know what you want and when it was made, it does not need to know anything else about you, and it's fully opt-in. Algorithms will need some sort of data input from you, which is what makes the m attractive to ad sellers and merchants. They are also designed to be more addictive (engagement) which again is good for revenues.

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Hughster Jul 28, 2023

@Fourth_Dogma Did you read the linked article?

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I don't believe in dogmas Jul 28, 2023

@hughster Yes, that was in direct response to the article linked. The article was stating facts and I was commenting upon those facts. Empirically algorithms make for a more addictive, engaging, viral product. I was stating my personal opinion about the costs associated with that (your privacy, control, and attention). Maybe there is a way to have a user create an algorithm that is fully private and solely in their control, but it seems like a technological feat.

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Hughster

@Fourth_Dogma I honestly don't think most users care that much about "data harvesting" or other supposed moral ills. I don't either. I think there's an inevitable trade-off between total user privacy/control and convenient ease of use, and I'm happy to sacrifice certain degrees of the former for the latter, despite the dogma popular on here that corporations are always bad or whatever.