You’ve never come across something and view it out of curiosity? The algorithms love when you branch out like that.

The problem with tech companies is that they’ve hyped up their tech so much that people actually think it’s sentient. Algorithms don’t love anything anymore than a cake recipe loves anything.

You’re being amazingly condescending to people being abused and guided by the algorithms, acting like you’re above it.

No, I’m being normally condescending which is difficult not to do when people are being pushed around by their computers and phones. It’s like somebody getting manipulated by a light switch. “Oh my god! It knows when I want the light to be on! Get out of my mind!” I’m not acting like I’m above it.

You’re 3 clicks away from conspiracy theories flooding your feed by way of “here’s how flat earthers explain gravity” because your chosen video, the bridge video, and the conspiracy videos are all using the same keywords.

So? I get curious and look at that stuff but I don’t go walled-eyed and start drooling. If I don’t look, it goes away. Or better yet, if it doesn’t go away, I search for videos I’m actually interested in.

You’re not noticing all the “harmless” unrelated suggested content from the games you don’t play like Factorio, Stardew, Hollow Knight, No Man’s Sky, or Star field but it’s there, just as predatory, seeing where you’ll bite. The overlapping keywords and viewerships are there. It’s exactly the same situation.

This is some weird conspiracy stuff. So Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley is trying to eat my soul? This is the same kind of cryptic talk that people freaking out about heavy metal and DnD in the 80s used.

This category association is how people get drawn into deep, dark corners. This is how segmented conspiracy groups converge. This is how the manosphere becomes an echo chamber. This is how self-harm and self-hate content puts someone in a hole by themselves.

That and the search bar. Most people who get stuck in that stuff are seeking it out. It’s what they’re interested in.

You’re acting morally superior without an actual understanding of what these platforms are designed to do.

No, you think these algorithms are way more effective than they actually are. A lot of what you describe happens because algorithms can’t read people’s minds. They’re just dumb machines. Bare in mind that chess AI from the 80s can wipe it’s ass with your face and those mighty algorithms were like 25KB in size. Just 5KB is enough to present challenging AI. This is enough to give the appearance of Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde having different personalities.