~December 8, 2021~
Related to Math?
After watching The Social Dilemma, tons of math is involved in today’s technology to accurately predict the amount of time one will reach their destination with traffic, use algorithms to fetch and feed relevant posts that interest them, and guess one’s word choice. Moreover, search engines, such as Google, use supercomputers to quickly provide tons of websites or information related to what one searches in less than a second. This is done by retrieving data from millions of people worldwide and using math and algorithms to spit all this information back to the user. The more data these tech companies collect, predicting and feeding data to a user becomes easier and efficient. For example, Instagram and other social media platforms learn your interests by initially asking “what are your interests” when you start a new account. It makes it easier to feed you the content that will captivate you. In addition, they collect data, such as how long you have watched or interacted with a post (like or comment). This information helps algorithms and AI find patterns, known as machine learning, to keep you on the platform. Keeping a user on a social media platform earns them revenue by throwing in a few ads once in a while. What is interesting is that some ads that show up are related to what you are looking for. In conclusion, all these tech companies collect data from users worldwide and use algorithms and math to feed them the information they want quickly and efficiently.
Anything Thought Provoking?
The Social Dilemma is an exciting documentary where tech experts explain and show the dangers of the social networking world. The idea of retrieving data from people, such as keeping track of how long you stayed looking at a post or how many times you have interacted with it, is uncomfortable. There is no sense of privacy. These platforms know your every move, predict what you will do next, and feed you the relevant information you never asked. These algorithms and AI systems know more about you than yourself, which is frightening.
Moreover, I have learned how Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms are designed to keep you addicted to them. It is like a mini gambling game whenever you scroll to look at another post. You never know what the next post will be. Once you finally land on an interesting post, bits of dopamine are released, making you satisfied and want to find more similar posts. As a result, I have decided to delete TikTok because I realized that I am getting addicted to it. Every time I scroll onto a new post in TikTok, I become more attached. Also, there has been a significant increase in depression and suicide with social media platforms because of how easy it is to bully someone online, such as saying something rude, lowering their self-esteem. Despite all this, technology has impacted many lives worldwide. It helped us connect with our family members around the world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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