algorithm

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An algorithm in general is a series of steps used to to automatically perform computations and other operations to produce a result; on the IndieWeb many standards have user-centric algorithms for peer to peer site interactions; social media silos have user-exploitative algorithms for advertising and reinforcing addictive behaviors.

IndieWeb Examples

Examples of IndieWeb building-blocks algorithms:

Social Media Examples

Social media silo algorithms exploit users under the guise of being helpful but are actually designed to keep users on their sites, encouraging them to return to their sites, get their friends on their sites, all in the end goal of getting users to view and interact with as much advertising as often as possible.

Facebook Master Algorithm
algorithmic feed
YouTube’s "Up next" sidebar list of (default auto-play:on) videos (to keep you watching videos and viewing their ads)
- YouTube Executives Ignored Warnings, Letting Toxic Videos Run Rampant: Proposals to change recommendations and curb conspiracies were sacrificed for engagement, staff say. from Bloomberg on 2019-04-02; contains a good multi-year overview of YouTube's work in this area as well as potential problems and pitfalls of such algorithms.

FAQ

Is algorithm technical jargon

Q: Is 'algorithm' technical jargon?

A: Not any more. The word 'algorithm' came into common non-technical usage in the late 2010s as something social media does to you, algorithmic curation in general, and in particular the algorithmic feed of social media timelines. Previously 'algorithm' was primarily a computer science term.

IndieWeb Examples

Social Media Examples

FAQ

Is algorithm technical jargon

See Also