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The recommendation engines we habitually call "algorithms" have actually been *models*, not algorithms. So "AI" is just a continuation of the automated disinformation-as-usual that corporate platforms have been engaged in for almost 20 years.
#RecommendationAlgorithms
BBC: The hidden world beneath the shadows of YouTube’s algorithm. “That’s the vision of YouTube the company promotes – slick, professional, entertaining and loud – but from one perspective, it’s all a façade. Through another lens, the essence of YouTube is more like this video from 2020. Before I watched, it had only been seen twice. A man points the camera out of his bedroom window as a […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/23/bbc-the-hidden-world-beneath-the-shadows-of-youtubes-algorithm/
Financial Times: European Union orders X to hand over algorithm documents. “Brussels has ordered Elon Musk to fully disclose recent changes made to recommendations on X, stepping up an investigation into the role of the social media platform in European politics. The expanded probe by the European Commission, announced on Friday, requires X to hand over internal documents regarding its […]
Northeastern Global News: The interaction between humans and artificial intelligence demands a new field of study, Northeastern researchers say. “To be an internet user in 2024 is like being a hamster running on a wheel. The modern web is largely composed of consumer services that use artificial intelligence-based algorithms to hook people to stay logged on — for better and for worse.”
BBC: Telegram pushes extremist groups to users – study. “The report, from the US civil rights organisation the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), found that the ‘similar channels’ feature introduced last year recommends extremist channels even to users browsing subjects such as celebrities or technology.”
https://rbfirehose.com/2024/12/17/bbc-telegram-pushes-extremist-groups-to-users-study/
#SocialMedia #TikTok #Teens #RecommendationAlgorithms: "As TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users can attest, the platform’s hyper-personalized algorithm can be so engaging it becomes difficult to close the app. TikTok determined the precise amount of viewing it takes for someone to form a habit: 260 videos. After that, according to state investigators, a user “is likely to become addicted to the platform.”
In the previously redacted portion of the suit, Kentucky authorities say: “While this may seem substantial, TikTok videos can be as short as 8 seconds and are played for viewers in rapid-fire succession, automatically,” the investigators wrote. “Thus, in under 35 minutes, an average user is likely to become addicted to the platform.”
Another internal document found that the company was aware its many features designed to keep young people on the app led to a constant and irresistible urge to keep opening the app.
TikTok’s own research states that “compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety,” according to the suit.
In addition, the documents show that TikTok was aware that “compulsive usage also interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones.”"
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/11/g-s1-27676/tiktok-redacted-documents-in-teen-safety-lawsuit-revealed
I wish content recommendation algorithms would pay less attention to that one mainstreamish celebrity trash thing I clicked once and focus on my years of engagement with more niche interests and hobbies. You click on one cute bird video, and your entire feed is filled with nothing but birds forever from that point on. #RecommendationAlgorithms
#SocialMedia #RecommendationAlgorithms #YoungPeople #SelfHarm #MentalHealth
Swansea University: Samaritans And University Report Reveals Dangers Of Social Media’s Self-Harm Content
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