How Amazon puts misinformation on your reading list | John Naughton

Algorithms routinely come up with ‘recommendations’ for anti-vax ‘bestsellers’ or juices that cure cancerIt’s a truism that we live in a “digital age”. It would be more accurate to say that we live in an algorithmically curated era – that is, a period when many of our choices and perceptions are shaped by machine-learning algorithms that nudge us in directions favoured by those who employ the programmers who write the necessary code.A good way of describing them would be as recommender engines. They monitor your digital trail and note what interests you – as evidenced by what you’ve browsed or purchased online. Amazon, for example, regularly offers me suggestions for items that are “based on your browsing history”. It also shows me a list of what people who purchased the item I’m considering also bought. YouTube’s engine notes what kinds of videos I have watched – and logs how much of each I have watched before clicking onwards – and then presents on the right-hand side of the screen an endlessly-scrolling list of videos that might interest me based on what I’ve just watched. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-08 16:00:12 UTC ]
News tagged with: #digital age #browsing history

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The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton

Despite employing a small army of contractors to monitor posts, it’s clear the company is no longer fit for purposeWay back in the 1950s, a pioneering British cybernetician, W Ross Ashby, proposed a fundamental law of dynamic systems. In his book An Introduction to Cybernetics, he formulated his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Corin Dann: My summer reading list

TVNZ presenter and book lover Corin Dann shares his summer reading list. No crime novels included.  Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Awesome Reads signs Selberg to lead children’s list

IP and production company Awesome Media & Entertainment (AM&E) has hired Ingrid Selberg to lead its new publishing arm. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China Bestsellers for July: Entrepreneurism and School Reading Lists Boost Sales

The author, filmmaker, and restaurateur Zhang Jiajia climbs the charts by cross-platforming his own works, while summertime reading lists for students  bolster the classics. The post China Bestsellers for July: Entrepreneurism and School Reading Lists Boost Sales appeared first on Publishing... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After his death, John McCain's last book climbs bestseller lists

John McCain's book “The Restless Wave” appeared on bestseller lists following the Arizona senator's death on Saturday. The book, which was released in May by Simon & Schuster, was ranked No. 2 on Amazon's list of bestselling books, and No. 3 on the Barnes & Noble website as of Monday... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barack Obama's summer reading list includes empathy, understanding and 'Factfulness'

Former President Obama has shared his summer reading list, and it shows a drive toward understanding and empathy. Obama posted some of his book recommendations on Facebook on Sunday. The former president praised five books he's enjoyed in the last months, including a novel by a Canadian literary... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Obama reveals Africa-inspired summer reading list

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nelson Mandela and Ben Rhodes are among the authors featured on Barack Obama's summer reading list ahead of his trip to Africa. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List

The Authors Guild releases a letter sent to the president of a South Carolina police association: 'Attempts at censorship by law enforcement organizations cannot be tolerated in a democracy.' The post Authors Guild Demands South Carolina Police Cease Pressure on School About Reading List... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More choice on privacy just means more chances to do what’s best for big tech | John Naughton

A study of how Facebook, Google and Microsoft have applied the EU’s new GDPR rules shows users are being manipulatedOne of the most influential books published in the last decade was Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. In it, the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2018-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina

'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas and 'All American Boys' by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely have been challenged on a high school summer reading list by police and other supporters. The post YA Novels Prompt Police Objections to Summer Reading List in South Carolina appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Echo now reads your first Audible book for free

Amazon has a new way to reel you into Audible now that smart speakers are a big deal: give you a freebie just by asking. As of this week, anyone who's new to Audible can ask an Echo speaker to read a full audiobook at no cost. You don't have to be pi... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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T-Mobile CEO John Legere lists Manhattan penthouse for $22 million

T-Mobile US CEO John Legere wants to sell his New York penthouse for $22 million. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment in Manhattan's Lincoln Square neighborhood has a view of Central Park and was originally owned by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, according to the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Handmaid's Tale' Was the Year's Most Read Novel On Amazon

'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' were the most-read fiction and nonfiction titles, respectively, on Amazon in 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s Bill Gates’s 2017 Holiday Reading List

Five books–from urban poverty to the history of energy–that the philanthropist says you should be reading this winter. Bill Gates just released his 2017 holiday reading list, part of a semi-annual effort to push the public toward five books that might expand how they think or feel. Of course,... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2017-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Does Cambridge University need to widen a 'whitewashed' reading list?

Some Cambridge University students don't want to just study books by white authors - but who should be on their reading list? Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why Facebook is in a hole over data mining | John Naughton

It’s Mark Zuckerberg’s business model that allows Facebook to be manipulated by political activists – no wonder he’s in denial about itOne of my favourite books is The Education of Henry Adams (published in 1918). It’s an extended meditation, written in old age by a scion of one of Boston’s... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The tide is starting to turn against the world’s digital giants | John Naughton

Multimillion fines are just the start for Facebook and Google, as the world comes to realise how political big tech has becomeIn his wonderful book The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began, the literary historian Stephen Greenblatt traces the origins of the Renaissance back to the rediscovery of a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CLA and Kortext buy library reading list management system

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and digital textbook provider Kortext have bought a reading lists management system, rebus:list, from library management supplier PTFS Europe. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon boosts kids' reading app with Signature Stories

Reading app Amazon Rapids has extended its offering with Signature Stories, a feature which introduces stories from its TV shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harassment suit puts book by John Doerr, BetterWorks CEO on hold

A book co-written by John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and BetterWorks Systems Inc. CEO Kris Duggan has been put on hold in the wake of a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit against Duggan. “We and the authors have agreed to defer publication of 'Measure What Matters' at the... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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