algorithmic anxiety
in preparation for the RADAR event
algorithmic anxiety
taste is algorithmically done but it comes from within your own frame of experiences and knowledge
another interesting point — you can be interested but not like it.
Is consumerism ingrained in my very being, or does an algorithm steer me toward materialism? Why do we admire empty spaces as status symbols, yet criticize the rich for seeming disconnected from society and living exclusive lives? Perhaps a snapshot of a lavish hotel room holds more allure because it promises something tangible, unlike the depth of... See more
A Major Regret in My Life: My Camera Roll
It becomes something of a Faustian bargain, because our online habits and behaviors are carrion for tech vultures. As we scroll, they feast
The New Pornographers — THE BITTER SOUTHERNER
We participate in our own surveillance by signalling our preferences so publicly.
— Filterworld, pg. 134
What we gain with algorithmic feeds in terms of availability-having instant access to a broad range of material to be scanned at will —we lose in connoisseurship, which requires depth and intention. It's ultimately a form of deep appreciation, for what the artist has done as well as the capacities of our own tastes.
— Filterworld, pg. 238
Algorithmic recommendations dictate genres of culture by rewarding particular tropes with promotion in feeds, based on what immediately attracts the most attention.
In 2018, the writer Liz Pelly identified "streambait" as one such genre: the "muted, mid-tempo, melancholy pop" characteristic of Spotify. In 2019, the writer Jia Tolentino similarly ide
... See more... See moreIn her 2019 dissertation titled Algorithmic Anxiety in Contemporary Art, the scholar Patricia de Vries defined algorithmic anxiety as a condition in which "the possible self is perceived to be cir-cumscribed, bounded, and governed by algorithmic regimes." Her words feel breathtakingly accurate. The possibilities that we perceive for ourselves--our
The network of algorithms makes so many decisions for us, and yet we have little way of talking back to it or changing how it works.
This imbalance induces a state of passivity: We consume what the feeds recommend to us without engaging too deeply with the material.
We also adapt the way we present ourselves online to its incentives. We write tweet
... See moreI’ve struggled with this balance myself. When the audience responds to something I’ve written, it can be tempting to chase the revenue and viewership by repeating the format. Repeatability and audience fervor can build a business, but kill the artist.