Algorithms replaced human guidance with homogenized taste-reinforcing content

Evidence

In the past, young people sought guidance from elders who recommended art, books, and music to expand their horizons. Blogger Matthew Yglesias noted that these recommendations often came with an implicit promise: “Given my understanding of your interests, my belief is that reading this book will help you become a better version of yourself.” By contrast, algorithms served up the most broadly appealing content, reinforcing the most common part of users’ existing tastes rather than challenging them. For all the early promises of “personalization,” algorithmic sites pushed most users into a homogenized experience, contributing to the growing sense of a stagnant monoculture. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 709

Categorization

• XREF: Directly evidences Marx’s monoculture mechanism claim that this reader is tracking, and counters the personalization myth.
• QUESTION: Is the ‘elder-guided horizon expansion’ past romanticized? Humans also recommended within narrow social circles — worth checking against the actual historical record.