Recently I've written about the flow of content in feeds and the algorithms that facilitate it. The algorithms were once simple and general: Programming directors at television stations would organize the schedules of shows, and ad breaks would be interspersed at more or less regular intervals. The flow wasn't adapted to individuals; rather individuals were invited to go with the flow. If they did, they could feel included in the zeitgeist, they could feel as if their tastes were within familiar bounds, they could see themselves as "normal." Moreover they could acquire a familiarity with TV's genres and narrative patterns and harvest a consistent amount of pleasure from that mastery. These pleasures derive in part from the implicit sense that they are shared social structures, common experiences, touch points. The genres and narratives organize experience into patterns that one assumes many other people will affirm. Even the pleasure of rejecting these narratives is sharpened, as what one is trying to resist is clearer.
Scamander looming
Scamander looming
Scamander looming
Recently I've written about the flow of content in feeds and the algorithms that facilitate it. The algorithms were once simple and general: Programming directors at television stations would organize the schedules of shows, and ad breaks would be interspersed at more or less regular intervals. The flow wasn't adapted to individuals; rather individuals were invited to go with the flow. If they did, they could feel included in the zeitgeist, they could feel as if their tastes were within familiar bounds, they could see themselves as "normal." Moreover they could acquire a familiarity with TV's genres and narrative patterns and harvest a consistent amount of pleasure from that mastery. These pleasures derive in part from the implicit sense that they are shared social structures, common experiences, touch points. The genres and narratives organize experience into patterns that one assumes many other people will affirm. Even the pleasure of rejecting these narratives is sharpened, as what one is trying to resist is clearer.