The Breadtube to Conformity Pipeline: Algorithms and the Erosion of Anarchy

Patreon blocks both my current VPN server which I can't be bothered to change for its sake and Tor, so I can't currently see whatever was linked to. If there was some kind of preview or text describing what's there, it might provide an incentive to work around that problem.

But anyway, I have opinions. Not every recommendations algorithm need be designed to promote lowest-common-denominator stuff to every single user regardless of their preferences. Youtube's archive contains hundreds of thousands of amazing, enlightening, surprising, informative, well-crafted, entertaining videos. Enough to keep me watching for the rest of my life. But I'll never see most of them, because there is no way to find them. Their algorithm does not serve those of us who want to see novel and interesting things on a wide range of topics — it serves those who want to watch the same specific thing again and again. It's a design choice. They could do better.

Instead they usually seem to do worse, pushing everyone towards commentary on the latest Donald Trump news by default.

5 comments

Isn't this how all propaganda works? Algorithms are just the latest form, so are you against algorithms and propaganda or just against their use against anarchism?
- Patreon blocks both my current VPN server which I can't be bothered to change for its sake and Tor, so I can't currently see whatever was linked to. If there was some kind of preview or text describing what's there, it might provide an incentive to work around that problem.
  But anyway, I have opinions. Not every recommendations algorithm need be designed to promote lowest-common-denominator stuff to every single user regardless of their preferences. Youtube's archive contains hundreds of thousands of amazing, enlightening, surprising, informative, well-crafted, entertaining videos. Enough to keep me watching for the rest of my life. But I'll never see most of them, because there is no way to find them. Their algorithm does not serve those of us who want to see novel and interesting things on a wide range of topics — it serves those who want to watch the same specific thing again and again. It's a design choice. They could do better.
  Instead they usually seem to do worse, pushing everyone towards commentary on the latest Donald Trump news by default.
  
  I don't think you meant to respond to me.
  
  https://raddle.me/wiki/breadtube_pipeline