#48 CYB Contemplating “the algorithm,” College Reunion, and Meeting My Past Self
“My phone was glued to my hand as a tool to soak up any spare second of nonstimulation.”― Kyle Chayka, Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture
Filterword, How Algorithms Flattened Culture, by Kyle Chayka, has been stuck in my brain since I started reading it last week. Chayka, a staff writer for the New Yorker, has written eloquently and in-depth about “the algorithm.” He focuses on how algorithmic recommendations have taken over our social media and homogenized our views of music, media, food, neighborhoods, and style. This has harmed our development of independent tastes and preferences, it has trained our sensibilities to accept and prefer what is often least objectionable. Chayka’s delightful emphasis on aligning obscure research from the past 80 years with his memes is a pleasure. The references to music and books are multi-layered and topical. The message that we are allowing passivity to guide is instead of seeking discovery feels spot on.
Complementary Insights: Anuj Ahooja's Newsletter and Chris Wave's Video
augment: The provocative ideas in the first issue of Anuj Ahooja’s new bi-weekly newsletter complement Chayka’s ideas. I got excited when, in a post focused on the question Is The Internet Dying? ( because of AI, poor search quality, and “the algorithm”), Ahooja referenced a chriswaves video where they talk about “what do we do when humans are competing with content-generating algorithms to win over content-recommendation algorithms?”
Ahooja then weaves those questions into how federated content distribution and cross-platform activity can disrupt these limitations (he works at Flipboard). I got even more energized when Anju quoted Mike Masnick’s piece discussing how decentralized social platforms can be an antidote to the internet's AI-generated decline—looking forward to more.
I was interested in this video from Chris Wave that Ahooja posts. I didn’t know this person before, and the ideas are provocative and worthwhile.
An LLM is not a Search Engine: Eryk Salvaggio's Perspective
Cyberneticforests: A Hallucinogenic Compendium: An LLM is not a Search Engine: Eryk Salvaggio also writes about AI; this piece looks at LLM design, human labor, and the fantasy of achieving a perfect AI search. A good read. "Large Language Models were never designed to produce text that is true — they are designed to produce text that is statistically likely within a sample."--This is the starting place that so many people forget--read more to learn why trying to use AI for the most accurate search, for one thing, is so problematic.
Reflections on My 50th College Reunion
I had no idea how much my 20-year-old self would haunt my 50th college reunion this week. Who I was in 1974, what I could and could not say, and what I thought was possible are so different from who I am today. Everything about me now is contained in that girl I once was, but I didn’t have the confidence, clarity, and confidence to share my thoughts directly with people. My coping skills were more in the line of hiding, deflecting, and denying to get by. In those early years, I saw writing as a way to speak without speaking directly, which was essential to my survival. (And as I went through therapy later, the desire to not have writing be the only thing that made me feel good about myself, the thing I HAD to do to like myself, grew so intense that for a while, I stopped writing.)
Reconnecting with the Past
The Value of Connection in Uncertain Times
Going to the reunion was a great experience; seeing old friends and fellow students who shared these years felt so good. My peers and I are now at an age where the urge to sum up, reflect, and organize our lives sits side by side with the feeling that there's still more to come—we're not done yet. Many conversations were had, much laughter and sharing took place, and a great deal of warmth was exchanged. At a time when the world feels pretty dark, this connection was deeply valued and appreciated. I also revived some friendships, which felt great!
(Below are more random photos from the trip, including some from a visit to Olana, a special place for me during my college years.
Closing Thoughts.
Thank you for joining me on this journey! I hope CYB#48 has sparked your curiosity and provided valuable insights. If anything in this issue resonates with you or you have suggestions for future topics, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to reply to this email and share your experiences, questions, or ideas.
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As always, I'm grateful for your readership and engagement. Your input helps shape the direction of this newsletter and keeps me motivated to share my knowledge and experiences. I am looking forward to our continued conversation!
Warmly, Susan