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Credit to Author: Louise Matsakis| Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2017 14:51:04 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n I used to enjoy Instagram. Photos in the feed were displayed in reverse-chronological order. The newest posts were at the top, and the oldest posts at the bottom. It was easy to scroll though. Then, last year, Instagram changed<\/a> the algorithm. Now, pictures appear in an order I don’t understand. A snapshot from a birthday party three days ago is displayed next to a selfie only hours old. Time on Instagram now feels distorted.<\/p>\n The algorithm stopped working for me. The change provided a benign reminder that the engineers who run Instagram’s algorithm (and other social networks like it) ultimately decide what information I get to see, and in what order. <\/p>\n Now, other algorithms aren’t working, and this time it’s worse. Oversights in the systems that help run Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Twitter uncovered by journalists over the last month prove again that code carries human bias and mistakes. Algorithms aren’t perfect mathematical equations\u2014they’re designed by people, and like humans, have flaws. <\/p>\n It’s likely the algorithms haven’t been working for some time. But now, we’re taking notice:<\/p>\n These aren’t going to be the last news stories that chronicle the algorithms blind spots. The only reason a company like Facebook is able to accommodate over two billion<\/a> users and generate over $9 billion in ad revenue<\/a> last quarter is because it automates its services to some degree. It’s essential to its business and that of every major internet platform.<\/p>\n But as the avalanche of examples uncovered over the last month show, the algorithms just aren’t designed with every bias or potential pitfall in mind. Facebook’s automated programs are intended to generate eyeballs for advertisements. They aren’t built to positively shape our society, or ensure we learn more about the world around us.<\/p>\n Clearly, Facebook is an incredibly successful company. Mark Zuckerberg is the fifth richest<\/a> person in the world. To be fair, it seems like the algorithms are working for him just fine. They’re just not working for the rest of us.<\/p>\n\n