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Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

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Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#31
post #26

> No one is original anymore, not even you. Article opens with the quote, but that's the essence of a vast amount of art through the ages: only the thinnest bit of art is truly original, and looking to get rid of the non-original bits generates absurd junk. I would argue that the cult of original and the cult of individualism-via-consumerism is largely an 1800s ideology filtered through post-war marketing. "only by c…

> they also allow for a free-range wandering over the stacks, rather than keeping you in one specific area of "you may also like"

You mean like the "Random" links on Wikipedia and Reddit?

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#32

I'm a film buff and I think so. A lot of people don't seem to go out of their way to obtain films aside from looking at Netflix recommendations. Back when I used OkCupid I could tell when something older went on because it immediately got listed under "favorite movies" by a certain type of hipster ;) (I distinctly remember how overnight everyone looooovveeed Amelie when it went up) Sadly it's a lot harder to find new…

Presumably the people who liked Amelie would have enjoyed it both before and after they saw it, but how could they know they liked it until they knew enough about other people liking it and why those people liked it to like it themselves?

I can't tell if you think all/most the people who claimed they liked Amelie are dishonestly reporting they liked it because it is important for them to like something other people like?

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#33
Shorter this article: "I liked it better when my taste was dictated by who paid the most to advertising agencies, not algorithms"

In all seriousness, consider the bit listed under "how to resist the algorithm" (quotes indented):

    I might only read books I stumble across in used bookstores,
...which have been filtered by publishers deciding which manuscripts to publish, a past consumer deciding which book to buy, AND a used bookstore deciding which books to purchase for resale

    only watch TV shows on local channels,
...which are frequently central-planned from a national network, as well as the massive filter that decides which stories should be TV programs

    only buy vinyl,
...which is filtered much like the used books

    only write letters,
Got me on this one, but letters != culture IMO

    forsake social media for print newspapers,
...which have editors who decide which stories to run, and advertisers those editors want to keep happy

    wear only found vintage.
...which is subject to not only the filters applied to fashion when the garments were made, but also filtering at the used clothing store.

These processes aren't new - ever wonder why so many pop songs are under 5 minutes (hint: it's not because that's an artistic decision)? In a lot of ways, digital technology demolishes the old barriers; for instance, releasing music doesn't take a significant up-front investment in pressing physical copies & distributing them to stores, so it's easier than ever for that content to get out. Out is key there, IMO - just because it's released doesn't mean anybody ever hears it. Seems like "the algorithm" might actually help in that situation, however: maybe the music only has 200 people that want it, making an old-school marketing push totally impractical.

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#34

I'm a film buff and I think so. A lot of people don't seem to go out of their way to obtain films aside from looking at Netflix recommendations. Back when I used OkCupid I could tell when something older went on because it immediately got listed under "favorite movies" by a certain type of hipster ;) (I distinctly remember how overnight everyone looooovveeed Amelie when it went up) Sadly it's a lot harder to find new…

>> harder to find new (or new to me) films serendipitously.

There are places. I wouldn't condone copyright violations but the various forums used by filesharers are the modern incarnation of the film rental shelf. People publish collections based on their own tastes regardless of copyrights, contracts or other limitations. These are movie lovers and will point you to films that you would never normally consider. It is then on you to hunt down these recommendations through legal means.

I have discovered many a great European scifi series through filesharing forums. Getting hold of a legal copy is often difficult, but I'd rather spend effort to obtain a great thing than wade through the sea of junk 'recommended' by netflix. Currently I'm trying to find a copy of "The City and The City", which appeared on a pirate feed a few weeks ago and looks like a great series.

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#35
Worth remembering is Clay Shirky’s Point about taste, recommendations and power law curves. A paradox of the situation is the growth of these systems, and their elimination of other systems, can ensure that each individual has more options than before, while the total of all options declines.

http://www.shirky.com/writings/herecomeseverybody/powerlaw_w...

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#36

I'm a film buff and I think so. A lot of people don't seem to go out of their way to obtain films aside from looking at Netflix recommendations. Back when I used OkCupid I could tell when something older went on because it immediately got listed under "favorite movies" by a certain type of hipster ;) (I distinctly remember how overnight everyone looooovveeed Amelie when it went up) Sadly it's a lot harder to find new…

i mean Amelie does fucking own though

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#37
post #26

> No one is original anymore, not even you. Article opens with the quote, but that's the essence of a vast amount of art through the ages: only the thinnest bit of art is truly original, and looking to get rid of the non-original bits generates absurd junk. I would argue that the cult of original and the cult of individualism-via-consumerism is largely an 1800s ideology filtered through post-war marketing. "only by c…

> they also allow for a free-range wandering over the stacks, rather than keeping you in one specific area of "you may also like" You mean like the "Random" links on Wikipedia and Reddit?

Not really, since libraries are not laid out randomly, and few electronic display experiences allow the kind of massively parallel visual scanning that humans are good at.

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#38

I'm a film buff and I think so. A lot of people don't seem to go out of their way to obtain films aside from looking at Netflix recommendations. Back when I used OkCupid I could tell when something older went on because it immediately got listed under "favorite movies" by a certain type of hipster ;) (I distinctly remember how overnight everyone looooovveeed Amelie when it went up) Sadly it's a lot harder to find new…

Here, this should keep you busy for a while:

https://mubi.com/lists

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#39
post #26

> No one is original anymore, not even you. Article opens with the quote, but that's the essence of a vast amount of art through the ages: only the thinnest bit of art is truly original, and looking to get rid of the non-original bits generates absurd junk. I would argue that the cult of original and the cult of individualism-via-consumerism is largely an 1800s ideology filtered through post-war marketing. "only by c…

> they also allow for a free-range wandering over the stacks, rather than keeping you in one specific area of "you may also like" You mean like the "Random" links on Wikipedia and Reddit?

no.

libraries are curated, organized, and structured to allow browsing.

random does nothing of the above.

meaning is a polyspectral space, and libraries are a lower-dimensional reduction of that to allow perusal through multiple bands of meaning. while the result may be arbitrary, it's within the bounds of the arc in the meaning-space. In addition, the curation of books means that arrant nonsense is culled (hello r/ooer), and highly niche bits of meaning are stored in appropriate places - usually residing in academic journals housed in university libraries.

Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms

#40
post #33

Shorter this article: "I liked it better when my taste was dictated by who paid the most to advertising agencies, not algorithms" In all seriousness, consider the bit listed under "how to resist the algorithm" (quotes indented): I might only read books I stumble across in used bookstores, ...which have been filtered by publishers deciding which manuscripts to publish, a past consumer deciding which book to buy, AND a…

Vinyl, letters, no social media, found vintage... yes, it's amazing how many of these segue neatly with a SF hipster lifestyle isn't it?
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