Something is Wrong on The Internet:
… this was really weird to read …
The article delves into the weird world of kid youtube. It’s a weird niche place. It’s filled with crazy nursery rhymes, and quite frankly, loads of videos that make absolutely no fucking sense. Finger Family? What the hell is that even about? (AND why do they call the pinky finger baby finger? Is that a thing?) This sort of automated random and totally nonsense generated content is actually watched by kids. If you look at the videos, they aren’t harmful, per se, in what they are showing (somewhat) but it’s the weirdness + randomness of how it’s shown. Over time, these videos are kind of creepy. And if you’re a young child spending hours absorbing this weird content, then it becomes a form of abuse.
I didn’t even know there was a whole “kid” youtube sector. I think back to when I was young and watching youtube videos. I remember watching Charlie the Unicorn, which is just a weird and disturbing tale, yet was so funny at the time, but again I was probably 8 or 9 when watching it not like 2 or 3. Youtube is a weird hole, but the youtube holes I used to go down where never this weird…
Inadvertent Algorithmic Cruelty
We all get those “You’re Year in Review” pop-ups from Facebook when the time comes. For some they are great, but for others who had a rough year, not so much. In this case, someone’s daughter died and Facebook highlighted it as a “Year in Review” video. It’s definitely wrong but it is also algorithmically generated, so Facebook doesn’t even know what it’s doing. They pose some solutions to the issue, one by having an opt-out of this, but even at that I still think Facebook will find some way to remind you of some sort of deep memory. That’s what it’s built to do…
How TikTok Holds Our Attention:
TikTok is the new vine!!! But way more widespread, in my opinion, and it hopefully won’t die out as vine did. I personally don’t have TikTok, but my roommate does and they spend HOURS sitting in bed indulging in every random video they come across. I can’t lie, I often sit and watch TikTok with them, but oh man what a hole it is.
People love TikTok because its “unusually fun”, as the article stated. It’s easy to get sucked into and we love the nonsense that people are making. Like why do I need to watch 30+ videos of different people doing the same dance to Say So by Doja Cat and then, in turn, why do I feel the need to learn the dance myself?
We crave easy entertainment, and when you can endless scroll content that is satisfying to watch, then we continue serving that crave.
Getting Approved By AI:
The fact that a computer, algorithm or a system should decide if I’m worthy of a job is ridiculous. The tedious process of having an employer pick who their employees should be is a very personal process, but allowing technology to decide for you takes the personality out of not only the employee + the employer but the whole system and workspace itself.
How can this affect the workspace? How does this pose as a barrier for the employer + employee relationship?
What if I’m perfect for the job but the AI just can’t see that?
The Problem with Metrics is a Big Problem for AI:
the first thing I thought about when reading this is, what about students with learning disabilities? I feel fortunate enough to be an art student, I’m not constantly taking tests or doing loads of assignments that could be graded by a machine, or well I’d hope that the work I’m doing isn’t graded by a machine…
Also, why would professors want to use automated essay software to grade their student’s work? Wouldn’t that take the personality out of a student + professor relationship, if the professor isn’t even reading what a student writes?
Ben, are you reading this? Or is a machine grading me right now?