chrisni @ chrisni @lemm.ee Posts 0Comments 3Joined 3 mo. ago
They’re right. Algorithms are arguably responsible for a lot of the political and social issues that we’re experiencing right now. They’re literally designed to divide us.
What I mean by that, is that these algorithms were built to maximise engagement, so they would promote content based on how engaged (how many ‘clicks’) users would get, but without any other context about the content (eg. Factuality, impartiality etc). It turns out that content that triggers intense emotional responses are the most engaging, so these algorithms would promote emotionally engaging content, and nothing gets people more engaged than outrage and anger. So more and more algorithms would promote content that made people angry and outraged, and when companies and political groups realised this, they latched on to their new found ability to manufacture outrage for their own benefit.
That’s where we are now. Algorithmically driven social media is essentially a tool for collecting personal data, and dividing its users for political gain.
We spend so much time worrying about the impact of AI, that we don’t realise the impact of these things that are already causing massive amounts of damage.
Trust me, no one wants to see me take my clothes off.
The previous Conservative government in the UK introduced mandatory ID for voting a few years ago, and it ironically disproportionately affected Conservative voters (who tend to be older) as they were less likely to hold a valid passport or drivers license. No idea whether this is likely to be the case in the US. Certainly seems like an attempt at voter suppression though.