Chayka gives a good history and understanding of algorithms (more specifically, recommender systems) and correctly identifies the ways that they can contribute to a flattening of culture. Other parts of the book make less sense to me: Chayka points at all kinds of human causes and effects (e.g. globalisation) and proclaims “ALGORITHM!”; a techno-determinist mindset abounds. The books would be better for being 100 pages shorter; presumably Amazon’s algorithms preclude this.
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