Rule by Brainless Algorithm

From today’s edition of The Blunderbuss:

The genius of our digital overlords was confirmed the other day when I commented on a post about the coming labor strife in Major League Baseball. I suggested that the highly publicized squabble between billionaire owners and millionaire players might be a suicide pact, dooming a once beautiful sport. Twitter, ever-vigilant, instantly locked my account, demanded my cell phone number and insisted I retract my comment. I complied, because, well, who cares? Twitter responded by thoughtfully sending me several paragraphs of suicide prevention tips. All of this took less than a minute. The algorithms know it all, and yet know nothing at all.

— Bob Rayner, editor


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Comments

9 responses to “Rule by Brainless Algorithm”

  1. tmtfairfax Avatar
    tmtfairfax

    Twitter should be stripped of its Section 230 protections. It moderates content.

  2. Artificial intelligence isn’t.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Artificial Intelligence is to intelligence as artificial insemination is to insemination. It may do the job, but it removes all the fun.

  3. James Kiser Avatar
    James Kiser

    I made a comment about a sports issue written by Jason Gay of the WSJ. When I attempted to post the comment which was about college sports and another article which was about college student expenses I was “flagged” for moderator review because the word Gay was in the comment ( the writers name). In Australia it is impossible to comment because all organizations are responsible for comments posted on their sites.

  4. John Harvie Avatar
    John Harvie

    Priceless. Reinforces my decision to have never been on Twitter, Instagram, FaceBook, or any of the others. Not a Luddite in other respects, though.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      I don’t believe avoiding high blood pressure and serious loss of brain function is being a Luddite.

    2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      My sentiments exactly. And like you, I have purposely avoided Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. I don’t feel as if my life is any the worse off for having done so.

  5. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    Why, just today, my attempt at gallows humor was snuffed out at this very site. ‘Sokay, my neck is flexible.

  6. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    “…because, well, who cares?”

    Indeed…

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