If I understand (not likely) the way Google delivers search results and the way Facebook delivers its feeds, using algorithms to present what it is we’re looking for or what is of most interest to us, then I have a question.
Why not have an option to turn it off?
Why can I not get unfiltered search results? Why can’t I see my Facebook feeds without filtering?
I realize that, unfiltered, much of the practical benefit is lost. But I don’t want to eliminate the algorithms. I want them – they’re hugely useful. I just want to be able to toggle between what the algorithm presents and the unfiltered presentation.
My reason? It’s simple: sometimes I don’t realize I’ve been looking for something until I find it.
To me, some of the most interesting material I come across online is by accident. A word or phrase catches my eye, I ask, “What’s that?” and I’m off on a tangent that is thoroughly rewarding.
I look for many things online and I connect to many people. Without Google, Facebook, Amazon and other companies’ algorithms, I’d be lost forever. But for all the benefit they bring they do it at the cost of the happy accident, if I understand how they work correctly.
Let me emphasize that I want the algorithms. I need them. But I also want the option to see the non-algorithmic version. So why not an on/off option? Why not a way to toggle between the two?
I’m not a programmer but it seems to me it should be simple to do.
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