New World Blues
I’ve noticed in my various feeds lots of stories about the Algerian soccer team in Kansas, and the Scottish team in Boston. It seems the World Cup has come to the Americas. All the clips are good, and they have made me feel good, because I like those sorts of clips, especially the ones with the Scots singing. But it occurred to me that given the way algorithms work they might be singling me out, because, well -- algorithms.
So, I don’t really know if I’m having a communal experience or just an experience. In the old days, pre-internet, if something was showing up a lot in the media you could rest assured that most of the country was seeing the same thing, and you’d all have something to talk about. But nowadays I’m in a community of strangers and is that even really a community? This new world is sure strange.
On the one hand, I really like technology, and I have fun and it seems to me I’m getting to see a lot of things I wouldn’t ordinarily see, and I don’t mean weird illicit things, I just mean odd new things. But on the other hand, I sometimes feel disconnected from my friends in real life because we’re not watching the same things, and when we do get together I hardly ever hear anyone say, “Did you see…?” And I worry deeply about being manipulated. But in the end, I think I’d rather play the game, and see what’s up, than sit alone in the dark with only the company of my inner demons. I’d rather go down fighting, seeing if I can turn the algorithm to my favor.