Regarding YouTube, I'm very split. I wish the platform would give control to the users. There is a lot of stuff I want to see, like.. I subscribe to people because I want to see their things, show their videos on my front page.
On the other hand, the algorithm, for all its flaws, has introduced my to a whole world of music I would have never found otherwise. Though then I watch one video about the Ukraine conflict and YouTube suddenly thinks that's all I ever want to watch. Luckily a friend told me about the incognito switch, so now whenever I watch a video I don't want to influence the algorithm, I use that. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
On a social media site, on the other hand, I don't want an algorithm deciding what I see. I follow my friends, I don't follow celebrities. Just show me what I want.
> I wish the platform would give control to the users. There is a lot of stuff I want to see, like.. I subscribe to people because I want to see their things, show their videos on my front page.
Okay it's not the front page, but this view does exist. On the left sidebar, click "Subscriptions" to go to a chronological view of only videos uploaded by who you're subscribed to: https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions
> On the other hand, the algorithm, for all its flaws, has introduced my to a whole world of music I would have never found otherwise.
I feel there's a dead-obvious solution to this: split the difference. Give users granular control over parameters of the recommendation algorithm, and then use that to populate half of the feed. The other half, do what is done today. Maybe even make the user-controlled half of the feed a negative input into the platform-controlled recommender. And sure, even mix in all the commercial prioritization into that second half.
This way, each user gets to enjoy both precise control and serendipitous discoveries; they get to suffer both stewing in their own filter bubble and getting exposed to random shit content - but no more than 50% of each. A good balance could be achieved.
It would definitely be better than what we have today, where, unless you're working hard to carefully tune your experience, getting drowned in random shit content mixed with advertising is the good outcome - the bad outcome is ending up stuck in a filter bubble made of... shit content reinforcing your particular inclinations (and still mixed with advertising). I feel it would even be better for platforms, too.
On the other hand, the algorithm, for all its flaws, has introduced my to a whole world of music I would have never found otherwise. Though then I watch one video about the Ukraine conflict and YouTube suddenly thinks that's all I ever want to watch. Luckily a friend told me about the incognito switch, so now whenever I watch a video I don't want to influence the algorithm, I use that. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
On a social media site, on the other hand, I don't want an algorithm deciding what I see. I follow my friends, I don't follow celebrities. Just show me what I want.