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These services were like dumb, vast warehouses with shelves of information placed there by others.
A warehouse doesn’t create what’s inside, it just accepts the content and gives consumers access.
Everything is tailored based on custom algorithms.
Almost as many people stopped paying for and using the service as signed up each month.
That’s why we all got so many disks and CDs in the mail, begging us to join.
Algorithms in control
These days, the platforms are mostly free.
Ads and partner deals pay the bills, so it’s crucial that eyeballs remain glued to each service.
Hence, the algorithms that do the dirty work of keeping us all engaged.
Section 230has been under attack for years.
I used to believe that it fairly protected all online services.
The video promoted something called “The Blackout Challenge.”
Social media is full of these viral challenges and the vast majority of them are harmless.
This one was not.
It promoted choking yourself until you black out.
It will endlessly fill my For Your Page, keeping me hooked for hours at a time.
It does allow for personal curation, which mostly happens by searching for things of interest.
When I stumble on something I like, I pay extra attention to it.
However, these feeds have a needy side.
They always throw in a “you might also like” topic that’s been popular with others.
They’re trying to prevent you from losing interest in your feed and the platform.
That’s how, I believe, most people end up seeing things like violence and dangerous memes.
