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Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

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Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#171

Post by the_lonely_road »

jbaber wrote: post #167
Spooky23 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> amazon still make recommendations to me based on a purchase in 1998. yes, Jeff, i still want to buy wrestling VHS tapes... It’s funny you mention that. For many years I would get recommendations for Latino lgbt books. Weird as it’s not really my topic. I found a way to look at how they generate recommendations, and it turns out that I bought a book about a gay Chicano growing up for a college class in 1998 or somet…

Can you share what you found out?

He found out he bought a book about “chicanos” which I assume is slang for a gay or lesbian Latino/Latina person which the user takes as confirmation that the purchase they made in 1998 is the explanation for why they are receiving recommendations for Hispanic LGBT literature now in 2021.

I don’t think the user meant to imply they had gained any special insight into the algorithm other then personal confirmation that purchase as far back as 1998 are still being incorporated.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#172

Post by astrange »

the_lonely_road wrote: post #171
jbaber wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you share what you found out?

He found out he bought a book about “chicanos” which I assume is slang for a gay or lesbian Latino/Latina person which the user takes as confirmation that the purchase they made in 1998 is the explanation for why they are receiving recommendations for Hispanic LGBT literature now in 2021. I don’t think the user meant to imply they had gained any special insight into the algorithm other then personal confirmation that…

Chicano means a Mexican-American with political overtones.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#173

Post by astrange »

specialist wrote: post #168
lreeves wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or your smart TV.

These comments made me wonder if any smart TVs have something like built-in content-id detection, which then somehow gets shared with the mother ship. One precedent is Nielsen Audio's Portable People Meter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Audio#Portable_People_... I assume that if surveillance can be done, someones are doing it.

They do. That's literally the reason Vizio TVs are so cheap.

Knowing this, I leave it on because I want everyone to be forced to watch what I watch.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#174

Post by astrange »

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #92
skrebbel wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And the people who are into it are generally really into it, so they'll keep watching hour after hour of it. Maybe that's the effect and not the cause.

I see it as a self-sustaining loop at this point. At some point the flames were lit and fanned, and now they've taken on a life of their own.

This supposedly won't happen anymore because YouTube changed the recommendation algorithm a year or two ago to not show hardcore politics as a suggestion for everything.

Personally I find it easy to dismiss bad suggestions by looking at animal videos or vtubers, those reliably displace everything else. And that everything else was just strange Minecraft roleplays for small children, not racism lately.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#175

Post by HWR_14 »

fdgdd wrote: post #157
HWR_14 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Youtube has an RSS feed?

Yes — https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=… You could also just put the channel URL into your RSS/Atom reader and it might convert it automatically.

Thanks!

I wonder how many features like this exist that I could use if I knew about them.

Does anyone know if Netflix/Hulu/etc. have an accessible database of their content? Most of my search results reference a Netflix API that seems to no longer be accessible.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#176

Post by theandrewbailey »

x86ARMsRace wrote: post #170
spamalot159 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's frustrating that nowadays YouTube seems like it can only keep 3 or 4 types of videos that you like in its head. I feel like I'm watching the same thing over and over whenever I click on recommendations. I totally agree with you.

I continually get suggested videos that are all already watched. I can't think of the last time I've gotten video suggestions that don't already have a red line at the bottom. At least it has stopped queueing up the same 3 videogame walkthrough videos I always click out of the minute they start.

About half of the videos Youtube throws at me are ones I've already watched. While I will occasionally rewatch something, it's nowhere near half the time. I thought that it was because I use Youtube without being logged in, but I guess not?

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#177

Post by w0de0 »

Lammy wrote: post #132
crispyambulance wrote: post #29

I don't know how common this is, but I've gotten into the habit of creating "personas"-- different users that have different habits and are interested in different things, yet all me. It's insane that I feel it helpful to take on "multiple personalities", but there it is. Part of it is that these algorithms are fairly one-track. They can mix it up a bit, but it's always too much of one thing and too little of another…

It’s a pretty natural human thing to do (see also: “code switching”) so I wouldn’t feel too bad :)

Yes buts he’s code switching in order to fool an automated panopticon that’s integrated with our most advanced communications technology. That’s a bit unique.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#178

Post by asddubs »

dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #83
smichel17 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use Firefox multi-account containers and the temporary containers add-on. Now your YouTube starts fresh with every new tab. It's actually nice, it means you get to build a new set of recommendations each time you open a tab, and because YT doesn't have that much data on you yet, the recommendations are directly linked to the thing you're currently watching, similar to how it used to be before the whole tracking extra…

More or less. Sadly, they still suggest a ton of stuff based on geolocation.

I'm in germany so i always get asinine videos recommended about what americans think about germany and what germans think about what americans think about germany

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#179

Post by LudwigNagasena »

happytoexplain wrote: post #100
LudwigNagasena wrote: post #9

Even in a tweet about algorithms the guy can’t help but dunk on men to show what a nice guy he is.

The comment you're referring to didn't occur in the tweet about algorithms - it was a reactive comment that occurred in response to an experience that happened after the tweet. Also, I'm not sure what "to show what a nice guy he is" means here, though I'm guessing it's just being used an insult in the same family as "white knight". I can't know whether his comment was reasonable without looking through the comments h…

> I can't know whether his comment was reasonable without looking through the comments he was referring to (and neither can you)

Nah, I can. It seems quite toxic regardless of what has been said to him.

> even given that he was being unreasonable, you chose to be unreasonable in turn

I don’t see what is unreasonable about shaming anti-social behavior. When you see any “unsolicited advice”, even between two same gendered persons, as a manifestation of patriarchy you are bound to come off as toxic.

Re: Afraid to Google a thing because I don't want the algorithm to think I like it

#180

Post by DreamScatter »

werid wrote: post #20

It's annoying clicking some youtube link only to find it was something you really don't want more of, and then youtube proceed to recommend much more of it, even though you barely watched any of it. kinda forces me to watch something else that is new but at least somewhat wanted in an attempt to make the algorithm look at the new shiny i'm interested in and forget the previous one. i find it funny though when amazon…

Isn't there a "not interested" button on YouTube? That might fix your issue.
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