
How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day - mch82
https://www.ted.com/talks/tristan_harris_the_manipulative_tricks_tech_companies_use_to_capture_your_attention
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mch82
I'm curious about two things:

(1) What is your reaction to this TED talk by Tristan Harris?

(2) What strategies do you use to try to keep control over where your
attention is focused?

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mch82
My answers:

(1) I noticed a long time ago that by listening to radio on long drives I was
being bombarded by advertisements. Over the past couple of years I've become
more aware of how algorithms also shape the non-advertisement content I am
presented. The power of algorithms to funnel attention really hit home for me
when I saw my friends' toddlers quickly being classified and funneled toward
the same YouTube channels of other children playing with dolls. So my reaction
to the talk is that this is an important issue to at least pay attention to.

(2) My first attempt at dealing with advertising bombardment and algorithmic
manipulation was to switch to purchasing content as much as possible. A couple
years ago I ran an experiment where I switched from free broadcast radio to a
paid audio books during car rides. I felt like my listening left me in a
better mood and gave me opportunities to explore subjects at greater depth.
Later, I introduced Netflix, HBO Now, and a few podcasts. I also switched
exclusively to paid video games. I recognize that these services also have
algorithms that want to keep me subscribed, but I feel slightly better about
that because I perceive the quality of content is given more algorithmic
weight. Especially with the switch from radio to audiobooks I've felt more in
control of how I'm programming my mind. More recently, I took a break from
social media. I'm just starting to about how I want to use it going forward.

