By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/08/2026That algorithm is going to play it safe, showing you things that are broadly palatable, and because your choices are constrained to the average, you will choose average things. 34/ 1544
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/08/2026This is how recommendation systems - and other analytical tools that produce predictions that are then turned into action - force so many diverse phenomena (streets, markets, media recommendations) into sameness. 35/ 1462
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/08/2026The fact that these recommenders are self-fulfilling prophecies means that "they don't have to be *right*," only "listened to." 36/ 1503