it’s just us, some bots, real world events, and random latency between instances as they federate

  • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Commercial website feed shaping algorithm:

    • Finds out what you want (to addict you), not what you need (to improve your life)
    • Manipulates you to make money or votes for whomever pays
      ’

    Feeds are shaped by omission and promotion. They decide what you won’t know and will think.

    Fediverse feed shaper:

    • A handful of simple open source algorithms to choose from
      ’

    Fediverse feed filter:

    • You select what you avoid by blocking (instances, communities, users), but topics leak between communities (but some apps support keyword muting, which doesn’t work on pictures of text)
    • You select what you prefer by following (tediously one by one - there are no associations between similars)
      ’

    Fediverse feed shaper and filter lack a defined topic hierarchy for accurate content tagging (of instances, communities, posts, replies, users) by users, preferably with web of trust between taggers.

    Quora had a precise topic taxonomy until 2023 or so - my feed was excellent. Then the remaining co-founder enshittified it, filling my feed with viral click-hits.

  • Contramuffin@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    You may be misunderstanding what an algorithm is, because I don’t see how your post relates to algorithms.

    Am algorithm is just a defined series of steps to do something. Doing long division would be an algorithm.

    Social media sites need to rank the posts that it shows to users, and it uses algorithms for that. People talk about social media algorothms because social media sites often select an algorithm that is specifically designed to prioritize the posts that keep users engaged. Lemmy has an algorithm. If you’re sorting by Hot or Scaled, that’s an algorithm. The main difference is that this algorithm is available for people to see and has been selected to actually do what it says it does

    • blackberry@midwest.socialOPEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      yes, in designed algorithms (although it’s hard to argue that “hot” sorting is an “algorithm” unless we’re being pedantic). but in a colloquial sense, from an end user’s perspective, the thing they see is “the algorithm”. which for lemmy is about as natural as I described, unless I’m missing something (like the rate of photons hitting under sea cables), since there isn’t a suggestion engine for the “all” feed

  • Opinionhaver@feddit.ukEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Although on most other sites the algorithm tries to figure out what you want to see where as on Lemmy it’s serving you outrage and US politics wether you want it or not.

  • kitnaht@lemmy.worldBanned
    0·
    2 months ago

    Everything is an algorithm. Even just drawing rounded corners on a button is an algorithm.