Well the tech
guys want us to believe that the algorithm is that magic that it actually
can predict the future in the big data. Maybe in a George Orwell future, it can,
but I really don’t want to live there.
I got this idea
for this text from a press release of another company doing site with an algorithm
that goes on the mood. In this case for sync placements. For me, that feels like
2010 when several companies did that. If you really want that search engine
goes top Spotify that found out that people that want playlists just want mood
playlists. And yes, sad playlists are the most popular right after workout
playlists. The problem that now occurring on Spotify is that the audience is
not6 listening to the music they just use it as background music on other things.
It’s like the music in the ceiling of the supermarket. It’s there but no one
really don’t care what it is you are too busy shopping.
What an
advertising firm really want is not just mood music, it’s a cool artist with
it. And if they can find someone cool as Taylor Swift for no money at all they
will take it. But how can an algorithm find a cool artist? And especially cool
artist when you have a low budget?
It’s all
about the future. Let say I have an unknown Canadian band with a really nice
song. But I also know that this band is booked for these three cool festivals. Also,
I know they are recording for a new album that is released around the same time
as the commercial and on top of that, I know they will be in the sofa of the
best morning show. This info is really crucial. But the algorithm will only
find out this (if ever) when it already has happened. This is not written in
any public records. And when it has happened it’s dead on arrival. Yes,
knowledge is power.
So, the only way an algorithm would know if its ear dropped on you. Or for speaking out
loud, spying on you. Yes, we have all that experience that you talked to a
friend about new speakers for the living room and boom hours later you get online
commercials just around speakers. We know that big companies listen to us with
their speakers, on our phones, etc. Even though none of them would admit it.
But that is
the only way that an algorithm would have a chance to predict any future. Because
if it just gets to the info when you search for these speakers online. The chance
is just that you also bought them and the commercial you get later on is just annoying
since you just bought your new speakers.
This only
goes for really big companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft. It won’t work
when you need special people like supervisors. That is too narrow to get into.
Spotify is to small to eardrop on you. And how on earth would they find out
when you really start to like a song or a new artist? If that is going to
happen the algorithm has to be implemented in your brain. And I hope we have sense
enough to stay away from that.
The algorithms
today mainly just goes on old info. The algorithms would say that this artist
is totally out, but don’t know that the artist might just wrote the song of their
lives. In that way recommended the whole wrong thing to the buyer. They would have
loved to be part of that great song that just was written and have their brand
connected to it. The artist might have liked the brand and could get some extra
marketing money for it. I would have seen the algorithm that could predict that
Queen was taking over Live Aid 1985. They were counted out as going away. But their
live experience took over and they came out as a new hot band.
I hope we
never goes so far that the algorithm should be able to predict the future. It’s
enough that it spies on what we do and learn from that. That is still a guess,
to leap that it can read us is not a pleasant thought.
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