Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
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Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#2Answer: no.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#3It would probably help the argument if all of the 'data-driven' products: dropshipped watches, Echo Look, whatever the hell 'Svpply' is, and virtual Instagram influencers weren't completely obscure. None of these things represent mainstream culture in any way, and as a result this article starts to look more like an exercise in the writer showing how smart and well-connected he is.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#4I find the illustrations in this somewhat profoundly undermine the thesis of this article, given that they are rooted in the “vaporwave” aesthetic, which basically comes from Millennials sorting through their faint memories of the 80s culture they were born into.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#5> That we are in the midst of this shift in taste might help explain our larger mood of instability and paranoia (or is it just me?).
It's just you. There's always been a mainstream and an underground. Now the underground is much larger and more diverse and arguably the mainstream is a bit better (due to said diversity).
Source: I lived through the 90s and was basically forced by Clear Channel to listen to Ozzy Osbourne 24/7 on every station on the dial.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#6This is a really thought provoking article. I especially like the reference to the movie The Devil Wears Prada, because in essence, what is being described is a very complex algorithm embedded in a large group of people observing a lot of things (fashion trends).
The question raised in my mind is this: where is the tipping point at which the answers / predictions in that algorithm become stale or shift rapidly and require an answer that is orthogonal to previews answers (!) but still "correct". This tipping point seems to be what taste is about to some degree. ..so now we need an algorithm to predict the tipping point; its algorithms all the way down.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#7Again, the core "meat and potatoes" of this article is that neural networks that do the thinking are black boxes. We know not how they are trained, know not their biases, and know not how they come to a specific decision.
But we are supposed to trust the NN in my life? I think not!
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#8I think lot of media seems to misunderstand the idea of algorithms - They are not there to do the job for you, they are there to help you.
Taking the dating example from the article - it speaks less about intimacy and more about people's expectation. Does matching means a sure shot chance of intimacy? Not really. Algo thinks that two particular people might go well together. A role previously played by a mutual friend.
Similarly, there are tons of people who want to wear better clothes but given lack of knowledge turn to YT or a personal stylist. So, the app might help them make better choices. Surely, people who are stylish might never use the app.
That said, technology companies do have a habit of overselling features sending media into a tizzy.
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#9Really interesting article. Weird thing is that in the social media era, humans ourselves seem behave in algorithmic ways. My Twitter feed is full of Beyonce worship every few months even though I've been mostly-indifferent to her music for 20 years. But when people come together like a hive and retweet how they excited they are about some shared interest, there doesn't need to be a recommendation engine pushing a specific artist—it's just people using tools to amplify their voices, creating the same algorithmic-bias effect. To paraphrase the Soylent Green line, "Algorithms—it's people!"
Re: Taste is increasingly dictated by algorithms
#10> That we are in the midst of this shift in taste might help explain our larger mood of instability and paranoia (or is it just me?). It's just you. There's always been a mainstream and an underground. Now the underground is much larger and more diverse and arguably the mainstream is a bit better (due to said diversity). Source: I lived through the 90s and was basically forced by Clear Channel to listen to Ozzy Osbou…
Great point, they didn't have algorithms deciding our music in the 1990s, instead you had Clear Channel. Radio in the 1990s was the same 40-60 songs played over and over. Then for TV you basically had the 4 major networks,FOX Friday Night, Must See TV, TGIF, and all the rest.
People don't remember how much that sucked.