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Bluesky is ushering in a pick-your-own algorithm era of social media

(www.newscientist.com)
190 points amichail | 3 comments | 20 Nov 24 12:59 UTC | HN request time: 0.626s | source
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grishka ◴[20 Nov 24 16:09 UTC] No.42195272[source]▶
> The use of algorithms to filter information has become the norm because chronologically presenting information from followers creates a confusing morass for the average user to process.

Can't disagree more. Call me old-fashioned but I hate any algorithms at all meddling with what I see. If I follow someone, I want to see their posts, all of them, without exceptions. If I don't follow someone, I only want to see their posts if they were knowingly reposted by someone who I do follow. If I want some posts filtered from my feed, I'll set up word filters myself, thank you very much.

It's a recurring theme in the modern IT industry that "the average user" can't be trusted to take their own responsibility. It's sometimes taken as an indisputable truth, even. Why does this keep happening? What can I do to put an end to this?

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terminalbraid ◴[20 Nov 24 16:52 UTC] No.42195814[source]▶
What's an example of being shown content from a pool that does not involve an algorithm?
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1. grishka ◴[20 Nov 24 19:02 UTC] No.42197063[source]▶
I don't want there to be any pools of content. I want to see the posts made by people I follow, in the order in which they were posted, and nothing else at all.
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2. terminalbraid ◴[20 Nov 24 20:01 UTC] No.42197547[source]▶
"the posts made by people I follow" is a pool (regardless of what you want to claim) and "that subset in the order in which they were posted" is an algorithm (regardless of what you want to claim). Presenting a subset of content (the people you follow vs. literally all the content) in any particular order requires an algorithm. It's not a particularly advanced algorithm, but an algorithm nonetheless.

Consider even that most people would throw a fit if what you just asked for was the case and the only case. Most people probably want "most recently posted" given no other options, which is a different algorithm and the reverse order that you say you want.

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3. beej71 ◴[21 Nov 24 14:38 UTC] No.42204707[source]▶
The "algorithm" in social media discussions contexts on HN refers to an algorithm that is optimized to keep your eyeballs on the site. It does not refer to a dumb algorithm that is showing all posts in chronological order.

The notable difference is that no one considers the latter harmful. Undesirable, maybe, but not actively harmful.