I have this feeling it’s more like a mentalist mind-trick.
We are fed so many inputs from so many sources, we don’t notice the influence, but we end up thinking about such and such, maybe talking about it with other people and suddenly, lo and behold! the algorithm presents us with an ad for the very subject that was on our mind! Mind reading! Magic!
But just like a Derren Brown subject, we just picked the card he wanted us to pick from the beginning.
I reckon the only thing preventing us from being completely subjugated is the amount of actors trying to influence us simultaneously, as we flock through our attention grabbing sources.
Which is why the consolidation of media is such a worrisome phenomenon. One dude controlling an entire network of sources means you are constantly under the same influence.
I have this feeling it’s more like a mentalist mind-trick.
We are fed so many inputs from so many sources, we don’t notice the influence, but we end up thinking about such and such, maybe talking about it with other people and suddenly, lo and behold! the algorithm presents us with an ad for the very subject that was on our mind! Mind reading! Magic!
But just like a Derren Brown subject, we just picked the card he wanted us to pick from the beginning.
I reckon the only thing preventing us from being completely subjugated is the amount of actors trying to influence us simultaneously, as we flock through our attention grabbing sources.
Which is why the consolidation of media is such a worrisome phenomenon. One dude controlling an entire network of sources means you are constantly under the same influence.
And then you get MAGA.
I wonder what’s next?