From swiping through endless Netflix suggestions to the eerie accuracy of Spotify's new A.I. DJ, recommendation algorithms have become the puppet masters of our digital lives. Meta-owned Instagram introduced the feature to its own feed last July, showing users recommended posts from accounts they don't follow, which caused an uproar so large that even Kylie Jenner shared a petition to "Make Instagram Instagram again."
Now, a year later, Meta is pulling back the curtain on the invisible calculations that caused so much turbulence. In a blog post from Meta's president of global affairs Nick Clegg, the company announced it'll be publishing 22 “system cards," which will provide insights into Facebook and Instagram's AI ranking systems and predictions. Meta also plans to expand the "Why Am I Seeing This?" feature, which shows a user why they've been served recommended content, to its TikTok clone "Reels."
“One of the biggest problems we have is because that interaction is invisible to the naked eye, it’s pretty difficult to explain to the layperson,” Clegg said in an interview with the Verge. “Of course, what fills that vacuum is the worst fears and the worst suspicions.”
The worst suspicions that Clegg speaks of have been well documented, the New Yorker dubbing it "algorithmic anxiety." As our screens serve up content based on invisible calculations, an uneasiness has grown, leaving users to question whether we are scrolling through our own choices or if we're mere pawns in the hands of mysterious code. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the firm's most recent earnings call that over 20% of content in Facebook and Instagram feeds is now AI-recommended.
Meta's step to make its algorithm more transparent, something both TikTok and Twitter have attempted, will hopefully dispel some of the tinfoil hat theories users might have about it. However, as the Verge points out, that transparency may not address the underlying issue — users understand how it works, but are simply uncomfortable with how these systems function. With this new feature, users have the power to see all the eerily accurate predictions employed to meticulously track their every move, and not everyone has the stomach for sausage once they see how it's made.
As the battle between transparency and unease wages on, one thing is clear: social media platforms are taking strides towards a more open future. What's more, Meta is expanding its collaborations with academic researchers to better understand and improve its systems, something that will better help the world navigate this landscape.
Clearly, Meta is determined to navigate its user's anxieties and provide them with a better understanding of its systems — and potentially aiming to restore its reputation in the process.
