CONSPIRACY THEORY BY ERIK FRITTS
What would a sentient neural network truly desire?
If you’re like me, you’ve found
yourself wondering, “Why am I
watching a video about the secret
war between angels and mer-
maids, when I came here to learn
how to unclog my toilet?”
First off, get a plunger and eat
more leafy greens. Secondly, you
may have fallen prey to a devious
scheme by YouTube to keep you
glued to the screen.CONSPIRACY THEORYYOUTUBE’S ALGORITHM OF LOVE
Now, someone new to the conspiracy lifestyle
might make the simple assumption — we’re being
manipulated by executives at Google who want to in-
crease watch time and thus generate ad revenue. The
more initiated among you will realize how absurd the
simple explanation often is.
You see, the executives at YouTube aren’t respon-
sible for which videos get recommended. In fact, no
one has that job — no person at least. It’s the Algo-
rithm, high and mighty above the reach of mortals,
that doles out our daily pranks and unboxings.