It’s an interesting question, one that sounds absurd at first but that actually starts hitting home once you think about it. If websites are in the business of guessing what we might be interested in based upon our clicks, aren’t we training it to fit into our past rather than give us the opportunity to see into our future? In essence, the collapsing of the internet through the personalized reduction of choice is actually making it less personal.
We all like to feel as if we’re being personally catered to, that someone understands and cares about our needs. But what happens when programs start guessing what we want? On the Web, rather than expanding our horizons, our world starts to shrink.
Consider the changes at Yahoo. Not long ago I bumped into CEO Marissa Mayer at a Yahoo event and asked her (well, okay, complained to her) about the personalization of information trend that she’s so keen on. Specifically, I pointed out that personalizing the Yahoo front page (that is, customizing it to reflect guesses about what you are interested in) has ruined it. Once the last great portal, Yahoo news was a solid, constantly updated source of information about what was happening in the world: Elections in Germany, debt in Greece, typhoon in Korea, crab invasion in California.
TECHi weighs both sides before reaching a conclusion.
NOTE: TECHi Two-Takes are the stories we have chosen from the web along with a little bit of our opinion in a paragraph. Please check the original story in the Source Button below.
The blood oxygen tracking controversy won by Apple is an undisputed turning point when it comes to wearables. The blood…
Donald Trump’s recent claim that he has secured a buyer for TikTok underscores how deeply intertwined technology platforms have become…
In the treasure trove of documents that Edward Snowden has been releasing for the last couple of years were files…
The US Army does have a fair number of ”toys” to play around with, where you can be sure that…
