The Pour Over Today - How’s “the Algorithm” Work? And What Is It?

Starting point is 00:00:00 I think the weirdest thing my algorithms ever given me was a lot of videos of people chopping stuff up and then you play it backwards and you try and guess what it is being chopped before the timer runs out. I do feel like there are times when like the algorithm will push like political ads and stuff like that. The way my brain works, I just often go back to like I just want to see more sped up food videos. Like I want to see somebody decorating a cookie at three times speed. I want to see food being chopped up backwards and guess what it is. And I want to see food videos. So an algorithm, if you're listening, I want more food videos. I think it heard you.

Starting point is 00:00:40 Hey, it's Kathleen. And this is Catherine Ann. Welcome to TPO Explains, where we provide news context for normal people. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the poorover summarizes the day's biggest headlines. And as we're writing about different topics, there's just always going to be something that we want to learn more about. So on Saturdays, we bring you along with us as we take a shallow dive into topics that we didn't understand to educate ourselves and bring you along with us. K.A. writes our explainers, so she'll read today's, which she'll have to tell you what it's on, a spicy topic. So K.A. Tell everybody what we're learning about today. And then she'll read the newsletter so you can follow along with your eyes or listen along with your ears.

Starting point is 00:01:28 Before I tell everybody what we're listening to, Kathleen, how do you say the word? word D-A-T-A. Gosh. Data? Data? Is that mean? I have no, I don't know. I feel like I switch between data and data. And I may switch as we're reading.

Starting point is 00:01:43 Because today we're talking about the algorithm and data mining or data mining. Data? Data. I don't know. Is there right or wrong way? Or is it like? I don't think so. I think it's like they're both correct.

Starting point is 00:01:56 And I have no idea. Yeah. Which one I actually say. Hmm. Yeah, because then you start thinking about it. I don't know. Let us know in the comments. Is it data or data? Gosh, now I don't know what I say in normal. Yeah, I don't know. Let's see what happens. Let's get into it. So let's start with what is the algorithm. It is the reason Pinterest keeps showing you sourdough videos

Starting point is 00:02:19 or the reason that Instagram keeps showing Kathleen videos of food in three-time speed. It's a set of rules, math, but social media platforms used to decide what shows up in your feed. It's built on millions of data points that someone, probably a computer, analyzes to ask, what are you most likely to watch next? The more data it gets, the better its guesses until it knows you better than your mama. So how does it know? It watches you, dun, dun, done, which is where data mining comes in. Data mining is digging through vast amounts of data to find patterns and predict behavior. On social media, the trove of data includes your comments, reactions, shares, views, and how long you linger on something. It's the reason when you watch one kind of video, you suddenly see three more like it,

Starting point is 00:03:11 and why Amazon suggests pants to go with that shirt in your cart, and how marketers figure out which ad will get someone like you to buy the product or click the link. Maybe you're wondering, is that legal? Mostly yes. There is no comprehensive national privacy law, just some state laws and rules for things like kids' data and health. Lots of organizations use mind data to make more informed decisions about their customers. It's behind feeds tailored to you, fraud alerts from your bank, and free apps. So when does it get sticky?

Starting point is 00:03:44 When your data is used in ways you didn't see coming or against your interests, critics point to apps selling location data, prices that change based on who's shopping, and feeds built to be addictive. But companies push back, disputing that their apps are not intentionally addictive. Or saying their apps are not intentionally addictive. So maybe you're thinking, please summarize the situation for me. So this week, New Mexico's case against meta is what we're talking about. This grew out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In 2014, a researcher used a Facebook personality quiz to collect data from the people who took it and from their friends who didn't take it.

Starting point is 00:04:24 Facebook allowed the collection at the time but didn't allow distribution to a third party. The researcher handed the data to political firm Cambridge Analytica for targeted ads, and Facebook learned of it in 2015 but didn't notify users for years. New Mexico argued Facebook told users they controlled their own data when they really didn't, and a jury agreed. This week, a judge ordered META to pay $25 billion. Meta, which called the case a tax on speech, plans to appeal. So the natural next question is probably, can I stop the miners? You can take away some of their tools.

Starting point is 00:05:01 So check your settings. Some platforms let you switch to a chronological feed on Instagram, tap the logo and pick following, adjust ad preferences, or tap not interested. If your phone asks whether an app can track you, you can say no. But the surest option is to delete your account. Even that, though, isn't foolproof. I say data, apparently. Apparently you say data.

Starting point is 00:05:24 I was going to say there's not a lot of switch it. Nope. It just fell right when I was started reading. Okay, so as somebody who doesn't have social media, was there anything that you read that contradicted what you assumed going in? Hey, it's Zan from the pourover. I've been making a purposeful effort to eat more seafood because I know it's packed with nutrients and I feel better when I do.

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Starting point is 00:06:22 Go to wildalaskan.com slash TPO for $35 off your first box of premium wild caught seafood. That's wildalaskin.com slash TPO for $35 off your first order. Yeah, I think listening, like listening to all the news when you hear people talk about, data mining. It feels like this big like, oh my gosh, I can't believe someone's mining my data. But when I actually dug into it and realized like data mining is kind of a scary term, but a lot of places do it. And it's why we like marketers who want to do their job well use data mining in order to get you products you care about and to keep their products from being buried in the feeds of people who don't care about it. And that's a lot more normal. Like we expect if, if you're,

Starting point is 00:07:10 we buy one product for Amazon to show us products like it. It's how we find things that we need. So I think when I assume going in like data mining has got to be this like borderline illegal kind of shady process. And it's really just kind of normal, kind of standard. But it can't get shady. Yeah. I agree. I think now I'm going to say data. Some of the ways that data mining happens. even the idea that I can go into Facebook and select don't show me political ads. And then that gets added to, you know, the data that they have on me that then goes to show like, okay, well, she doesn't want to see this. But she also, she really likes to linger on those backwards food videos. So let's show her more of those.

Starting point is 00:07:55 Well, then, all right. But then I can also see how that makes it potentially more addictive. if I'm just being shown the things that I want to get shown. I don't know. I can see both sides too. Yeah. Yeah. What about does this change anything about how you'll live your life?

Starting point is 00:08:16 I, yes, probably. I feel like I'm kind of always aware. Like some of the methods through which, like, I knew that the apps track, like, how long I scroll on something. And there's a part of me that's like, I can't look at this too long because otherwise they'll send me more. And I don't want more of this, but I do want to look at this right now, but never again. And I can get in my head about things like that. And then I also wonder, like, what am I missing? Like, even Google, like, we'll use an algorithm. And so it knows what kind of sources I use when I'm writing. And so sometimes I'm like, I need to find a source on this thing, but it's not showing me what I need to because it's not the kind of thing I normally look at. And that's really frustrating.

Starting point is 00:08:56 And trying to figure out, should I be browsing in incognito mode? Like, will that help? I know. I've had that thought, too, of sometimes I don't want to see the pattern of what I've been seeing. Like, show me something new, especially when it comes to finding the stories for our newsletter. I mean, I want to see, when I'm doing story selection, I want to see what everybody else is seeing. Like, our goal is to cover the day's biggest, most visible headlines. I don't know that if I were to only go off of my algorithm,

Starting point is 00:09:32 if that would be the same most visible headlines for everyone. And so there are sometimes where it's like, I don't want to exist in an echo chamber. I don't want to just see products that are similar to products I bought before. Like, show me something shiny and new. I don't know. So, yeah, I don't know that it changes how I'll live my life, but it does make me think more about potentially what I could be missing, like you said.

Starting point is 00:09:54 Mm-hmm. Let's go Christian perspective. Yeah, so consumers and companies alike can use technology and things like the algorithm to gain power and wealth or to bless others. Whatever technology we're using, we need to remember to use every resource at our disposal to honor God and love others. I think we can look at Proverbs chapter 11 versus 25 and 26. They say, a generous person will be enriched and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it. Thanks, K.A. Before we go, let's take a moment to pray a prayer for the launch of new technology from TPO's book, Bring the News.

Starting point is 00:10:38 God our creator, you are the great inventor of everything, the only one who creates out of nothing, things that did not exist before, who speaks and the universe burst into being to do your bidding. Our most impressive creative acts are just a rearranging of your handiwork and imitation of your sacred ordering. O divine orderer, teach us our place in your kingdom's pattern. Direct our use of technology to build up others and point to your good design. May we seek in every work to reflect you, never to rival you, are matchless king of creation. Amen. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like and subscribe. You can find all of our past explainers as well as our Monday, Wednesday, Friday news summaries on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time. Bye.

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Starting point is 00:12:21 shipping distributed systems that handle high concurrency at scale. No single-server bottlenecks, engineered beyond legacy downtime, and operating right here in downtown Toronto. That's technology at Capital One. Search Technology at Capital One, Canada.

The Pour Over Today - How’s “the Algorithm” Work? And What Is It?

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