On The Futility Of Computer-Generated Popularity

[kerravonsen]

The Algorithm
Chasing the people.
The people
Chasing the Algorithm.
An eternal
Tail-swallowing exercise
Tangled in self-reference.

Comments

[cheyinka]

I love it.
I mean, I also don't, because it's grim, but you know what I mean.

[kerravonsen]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

It was prompted by a chat where folks were complaining that The Algorithm was arbitrary, mysterious and unfair. (In this particular case, it was Tumblr's Algorithm, but I've heard the same kind of complaints about YouTube). And I kind of sighed to myself, and thought "Why are you worrying about The Algorithm? What does it *matter* whether completely random strangers are guided towards your posts or not? This is not something you should hang your self-worth on." I mean with YouTube it's understandable to worry, because some people's livelihood depends on it, but this was just Tumblr, why should it matter?