• e$tGyr#J2pqM8v@feddit.nl
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    8 months ago

    I like algorithms giving me suggestions in all sorts of ways, but not shady ones. None of the people around me seem to mind, but I worry about a company like Google strongly influencing what information we consume. Even if they didn’t use this influence, it’s dangerous to have them in the position where they could.

    • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      Alphabet also shapes what content creators are most likely to create by demonetizing controversial or dissenting videos.

      • wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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        8 months ago

        “Dissenting” here meaning using a swear word within 1 minute of an ad break, videos under a set length, and new content not dropping every week, in addition to what you normally think the word dissenting means

        • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          Yeah that too. But I mostly meant a mostly opaque list of keywords that get you demonetized, and it’s possible that there is an AI that assesses how likely a video is to put a viewer in a “click ad mood” or how likely it is to keep viewers watching. Unfortunately I don’t know exactly how it works, but if they do this, I assume they also do a whole lot more subtle things.

          Controversial videos might actually do fine if they keep viewer watching and clicking on ads. But many things critical of the current consumerist and propaganda model at least gets a chilling effect. Creators know this is more work so many would avoid it. And some might not be able to make a living even though their content would be valuable for society and drop out.

          So alphabet (massively) shapes the content our society sees the tube.

    • vihil@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Honestly, the only social media i clearly see this is instagram and their comments. They sort by controversial to get engagement and an emotional response and affects my mood negatively tremendously (can’t find a single clip with a woman that doesn’t have a misogynistic comment in top10). TikTok is heaven for me in comparison, it’s my happy place.

    • cley_faye@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You have the correct idea, but it’s way too late for most people. This “pre-selection” made by most services have been in place for a long while, and these days people even complains when they are not fed with it.

      It is a sad state of affair; thankfully at some point enough people might move away from these automated suggestions, but I’m not holding my breath.