[Miscellany] Apple vs ad tracking industry, Online attention crisis, and eating out trends

I am getting the first part of my Covid-19 vaccine on Friday*. I heard that some people feel unwell a few hours later - so, I booked it for Friday morning, and cleared my diary for Friday afternoon and Saturday. I can't stop marvelling at how quickly scientists have come up with a vaccine for … Continue reading [Miscellany] Apple vs ad tracking industry, Online attention crisis, and eating out trends

Understanding and solving opacity in algorithms

One of the key challenges presented by algorithms is its opacity – that is, the inability to see how the algorithm produced a specific output. For instance, the ability to see how a search engine algorithm ranks content; how credit rating algorithm ranks the characteristic of potential borrowers; or, how a self-driving algorithm ranks external … Continue reading Understanding and solving opacity in algorithms

Algorithms are not all powerful, autonomous entities

Facebook contractors working on content moderation are, reportedly, being forced back into the office because Facebook’s attempt to use Artificial Intelligence for this difficult task failed. The open letter from those Facebook contractors states that: “Facebook tried using ‘AI’ to moderate content—and failed. At the start of the pandemic, both full-time Facebook staff and content … Continue reading Algorithms are not all powerful, autonomous entities

Monday Miscellany 29 April 19

What AI is not Given my research interests on the use of AI in customer interfaces, I have been reading several definitions of what AI is and what it can do. So, it was somehow refreshing to read this definition of what AI is not and can’t do. It is from the book The Inevitable, … Continue reading Monday Miscellany 29 April 19

Data harvesting on social media as seduction

In an ideal world, customers would flock to our doors, buy our products over and over again, and happily tell others about their experiences with our brands. But, in the real world, that doesn’t usually happen. In the real world, marketers need to use various techniques to convince customers to use their product. For instance, … Continue reading Data harvesting on social media as seduction

Limiting users’ time on Facebook, makes great business sense

Facebook has announced that it is rolling out features to help us spend less time on Facebook or Instagram. At face value, this is a surprising move for a company that has taken so many steps to create a platform that we return to over and over again (e.g., via notifications), to maximise the amount … Continue reading Limiting users’ time on Facebook, makes great business sense

A peak into tech giants’ terms and conditions

I don’t think that I have ever read a full set of terms and conditions from one of the tech giants. And I think that I am in the majority, here. Most terms of service are extremely long, as illustrated by Dima Yarovinsky’s installation at the Visualizing Knowledge 2018 exhibition. The artist printed the … Continue reading A peak into tech giants’ terms and conditions

Mothers on Facebook: England vs Trinidad

Let me give a big shout out to the project ‘Why We Post’, which explores the nuances in social media behaviour across the world, and what that reveals about the social media users’ context and values. The website for the project contains a number of fantastic resources, including downloadable books. While working on my … Continue reading Mothers on Facebook: England vs Trinidad

When consumers feel powerless about a situation, their attitude changes

I came across Dr Kristin Laurin’s work on rationalisation when she participated in episode 125 of the You Are Not So Smart podcast. She found that people’s core beliefs change when they feel powerless about the situation that they find themselves in. This occurs via a process of rationalisation – i.e., we try to … Continue reading When consumers feel powerless about a situation, their attitude changes