Gautam Week 1 - #FYP
Isn’t it interesting how the first day you log in into a new social media account, your “for you page” is a cluster of aimless videos that hardly appeal to you, yet just after a few days of scrolling, all of a sudden it recommends videos about topics that interest you: sports, movies, fashion, gaming, etc.
This made me wonder an important question: does a curated feed reflect my character, or does it shape my character? Commenting, liking, disliking and sharing videos are all pieces of data that social media apps take to evaluate the person you are in order to present the “perfect feed” to keep you engaged with their app for longer. I also noticed that this concept applies in many other places: streaming services recommending your next show to binge; music platforms suggesting personalized playlists; and online stores arranging products based on your search history.
And I find it almost scary how accurate they can get. It creates an uncanny illusion that an algorithm can decipher your entire personality within a few days. In my experience, I observed it shifting its focus towards molding my opinions once it had a grasp on who it thought I was. By slowly pushing videos catered to a person’s specific taste, they adopt the language, beliefs and trends of that feed, creating a whole new version of themselves.
Or do they?
We believe that we discover our authentic self through the content we consume, but in reality, we are fed a prepackaged personality that just assumes what we “should enjoy.” But I would argue that who a person is goes far beyond their likes and dislikes. It's what they believe in, the morals they uphold, their personal struggles that they’ve endured, and the real-life connections they made off the screen.
An algorithm’s biggest flaw is its pattern recognition. Throughout their life, each person constantly changes their hobbies, ideologies, connections, preferences and everything else that comes with being human. For me, I used to believe that Hip Hop and Rap music was the best genre, but more recently, my taste shifted to RNB and Island Hip Hop. No one is a static human being with perpetual personality traits since everyone experiences personal development beyond their digital world. Each change happens through real life events and choices that prompt the creation of a person’s true identity.
An adaptive feed is a reflection of a small part of ourselves, and although it contains the ability to influence interests, it only scratches the surface of the identity of each individual. Human personality is too variable for your feed to determine who you are. The most expressive parts of a person are not constructed in code, but in our independent decisions.
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