What is algorithmic amplification and why should we care?

A symposium and a primer on social media recommendation algorithms

Which type of AI shapes our online experiences the most? Probably recommendation algorithms, which are used to generate our social media feeds by predicting what we’re most likely to engage with. This logic helps us find relevant information, but has also been blamed for stoking division and making us addicted to our phones. We haven’t talked about recommendation algorithms in this newsletter, but they are the focus of my project this year at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, where I’m a visiting senior research scientist. Recommendation algorithms inevitably…

related reading

• The Myth of The Algorithm: A system-level view of algorithmic amplification | Knight First Amendment Instituteknightcolumbia.org
• TikTok’s Secret Sauce | Knight First Amendment Instituteknightcolumbia.org
• And You Will Know Us by the Company We Keep - Remains of the Dayeugenewei.com
• Seeing Like an Algorithm - Remains of the Dayeugenewei.com
• Are Addiction-Inducing Algorithms in Social Media Lawful? - Fair Observerfairobserver.com
• How to Prepare for the Deluge of Generative AI on Social Media | Knight First Amendment Instituteknightcolumbia.org
• What Will “Amplification” Mean in Court? | TechPolicy.Presstechpolicy.press
• Remains of the Dayeugenewei.com
• The End of Social Media and the Rise of Recommendation Mediaevery.to
• AlgoTransparencyalgotransparency.org
• Threads and the Social/Communications Map – Stratechery by Ben Thompsonstratechery.com
• Is Optimizing for Engagement Changing Us?medium.com