Like a Rat in a Maze

I recently read an article that opened my eyes wider to just how manipulative the algorithms are on Facebook.  I’m guessing similar extra long math equations are also used to determine what ads show up on the side panes of almost ALL the sites I find myself traversing on the internet.  As I was reading / understanding the article (click here to read, then come on back for a spell), a couple of things about my FB interactions became clear.

First off, all those deep, meaningful posts I’ve liked and shared have been used to box me into seeing only the content the FB computers “think” I would enjoy, based solely on what I “liked”.  My FB experience was being tailored to the person a computer mathematically calculated me to be.  Secondly, the very reason I was sharing and liking these posts – to spread information and the occasional cat…