How algorithms are shaping our lives

Social media algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users’ feed based on relevancy instead of publish time

Whether you are aware of it or not, an algorithm plays a huge part in our online appearance, and most likely plays a larger role in your life, than you initially thought. Technically explained, algorithms are step-by-step procedures for calculations, but they are mostly known for shaping the result and outcome of our presence online.

Algorithms are very much there in every parts of the internet, however, many users don’t know of their existence. Although it is there in ever google search, ad and result, it is invisible pieces of code making up a program that instructs your computer and tells it what to show you.

What is an algorithm?

An algorithm is a set of instructions designed to perform a specific task. It can be everything from multiplying two plus two, to more complex tasks such as drive a program or playing a video file. Where we as internet users notice this software the most, is probably with fitted commercials, ads or the displaying of the most relevant results on search engines such as google.

The instructions of the internet

It can be eye opening to actually think about how often we let the internet instruct us and how it leads the way. Every time you look up a recipe, it tells you what to eat and how to prepare your food, and you do just that. When you are going somewhere, google maps tells you the exact route to your destination, and you drive that way. Even if you are looking for some form of entertainment, google tells you what to do and what to watch. Even if it is to watch a specific video on YouTube or play games at parhaat kasinot.

It is the algorithms that gives you these suggestions and instructions. It might not make a huge difference in your life if google suggest a given recipe or the most efficient route home, however, it has a big effect on our shopping habits, eating habits, division of society, unhappiness and shift power centers. This is transitioning to our homes as well. Smart home systems are linked to the internet, enabling users to view the real-time video via a mobile app, get alerts when alarms go off, and operate the system from a distance. Will algorithms influence this? Could it be a home breach?

Algorithms on social media

Social media is one of the places where algorithms play a huge role. You might have noticed that even though you have a lot of Facebook friends and many followers on Instagram, there are not that many that interact with your content. Don’t worry about it, it has nothing to do about the quality of your content in that sense, but your feed is tailored to your interest and what you have and are engaging in on social media.

You might follow a lot of people on twitter for example, but you will not be shown every tweet on your feed. Because you unconsciously have tailored your own feed, many influencers and companies pay to get their content sponsored in your feed, making sure that you can scroll past or even engage in their content.

Algorithms shape our life and presence on social media. It leads you in a set direction, making sure everything you see is planned and arranged.

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