An open letter to the most disappointing algorithms in my life

Mashable’s series Algorithms explores the mysterious lines of code that increasingly control our lives — and our futures.

In the digital age, personalized algorithms are our constant companions. We see them, or rather, they decide what we see, more than we see our families. Loathe them or don't know much about them, they're steering your brain — from your morning "quick glance at Facebook" to your afternoon YouTube break to your evening Netflix to your "quick glance at Facebook" before bed.

When algorithms work for us, they're invisible. We're vaguely aware that we're being served the kind of content we like before we even know we want it, but we're too busy enjoying that cat video to even care. (Aldous Huxley would have a field day.) When they stop working for us, that's when we notice. Our conscious relationships with these chunks of code, therefore, are almost always fraught with the kind of frustration reserved for toxic partners. Read more...

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