The Observe/Consume Dichotomy

Observe the algorithm, do not consume it

This was originally a long tweet / note.

“The algorithm [1]” is very useful to observe, but dangerous and net-negative to merely consume.

There is a consume/observe dichotomy in algorithmic content just like the use/mention dichotomy in language.

Observing the content keeps it in the anteroom of your mind and soul, consuming it brings it right on in (which is dangerous and not advised).

This content is best thought of like a terrible anthropophagus carnivore behind a glass enclosure. Look upon it, but do not let it out without sedation and restraint.

Here’s how my observational relationship with algorithmic content works when I take the time to think it through:

“I am being served this for some slate of programmatic reasons, which are at best partially opaque to me. Bad and negligent actors likely have their preferences reflected in the content that I receive. Understanding that, I wonder: (1) what I am *not* seeing as a result, (2) how does this content move me? How am I feeling as a result of seeing it? (3) while the algorithmic feed is indeed part of reality, and shapes it, it is not the whole of it. What is the daylight between algorithm and the much invoked grass?”

Further, as a stalwart soldier of “concreteness,” I have a blanket rule: any media snippet that I see, especially video, I assume to be spliced to reflect the opposite of what a post containing it purports. The content is misleading until proven reliable.

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[1] “Algorithm” is one of those words that many people use, but has taken on an unearthly connotation, as something done beyond human comprehension. My simple definition is just “a step-by-step procedure for carrying out an action or solving a problem.” (While I code, I am not a sophisticated coder. The advanced characteristics of programmatic algorithms, or AI methods of content production, are beyond me in a technical sense.)

[1 continued] The engines that serve content on our media feeds are just code written somewhere, and that code can (theoretically) be looked up and understood. In this way, “the algorithm” is not completely distinct from mere analog propaganda (neutral) engines of the market and politics. The idea that one needs cognitive security measures in place when interacting with media is not new. What is certainly novel is the form-factor of a phone and its potential omnipresence in the hand of every human. That makes the task far more urgent.