The technology is not at issue—one can no more blame an algorithm itself for bad recommendations than blame a bridge for its engineering flaws. And some degree of reordering is necessary to make the vast stores of content on digital platforms comprehensible. The negative aspects of Filterworld might have emerged because the technology has been applied too widely, without enough consideration for the experience of the user, rather than for the advertisers targeting them. The recommendations, such as they are, don’t work for us anymore; rather, we are increasingly alienated by them.
