“The primary goal of our recommendation systems today is to create a trusted and positive experience for our users,” the document reads. “The YouTube company-wide goal is framed not just as ‘Growth’, but as ‘Responsible Growth.’” ❧
The idea was to reward video stars shorted by the system, such as those making sex education and music videos, which marquee advertisers found too risqué to endorse. ❧
At that time, YouTube’s management was focused on a very different crisis. Its “creators,” the droves that upload videos to the site, were upset. ❧
Tim Mak from NPRWhen Trump posts a mean tweet, how does it make its way across social media into the American consciousness? Researchers crunched the numbers to see if his negative tweets were shared more often.
YouTube doesn’t give an exact recipe for virality. But in the race to one billion hours, a formula emerged: Outrage equals attention. ❧
I can still remember the different “loudness” level of talk between Bill O’Reilly’s primetime show on Fox News and the louder level on his radio show.
When Wojcicki took over, in 2014, YouTube was a third of the way to the goal, she recalled in investor John Doerr’s 2018 book Measure What Matters.“They thought it would break the internet! But it seemed to me that such a clear and measurable objective would energize people, and I cheered them on,” Wojcicki told Doerr. “The billion hours of daily watch time gave our tech people a North Star.” By October, 2016, YouTube hit its goal. ❧
This is another great example of tech ignoring basic ethics to get to a monetary goal. (Another good one is Marc Zuckerberg’s “connecting people” mantra when what he should be is “connecting people for good” or “creating positive connections”.
Somewhere along the last decade, he added, YouTube prioritized chasing profits over the safety of its users. “We may have been hemorrhaging money,” he said. “But at least dogs riding skateboards never killed anyone.” ❧
The conundrum isn’t just that videos questioning the moon landing or the efficacy of vaccines are on YouTube. The massive “library,” generated by users with little editorial oversight, is bound to have untrue nonsense. Instead, YouTube’s problem is that it allows the nonsense to flourish. And, in some cases, through its powerful artificial intelligence system, it even provides the fuel that lets it spread. ❧
The WikiLeaks founder had been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012. He was arrested on a warrant from 2012 for failing to surrender to the court and also on behalf of the United States.
LifeWay Christian Stores plans to close all of its locations by end of the year and move all of the company's retailing online. Its bricks-and-mortar division has been losing money since 2013, and the company says it has tried just about everything to keep the business going, including overhauling several stores last summer and experimenting with features like coffee bars.
A global team reviews audio clips in an effort to help the voice-activated assistant respond to commands.
When I talk about evaluating technology for front-end development, I like to draw a distinction between two categories of technology.
On the one hand, you’ve got the raw materials of the web: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This is what users will ultimately interact with.
On the other hand, you’ve got all the tools and technologies that help you produce the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: pre-processors, post-processors, transpilers, bundlers, and other build tools.
Personally, I’m much more interested and excited by the materials than I am by the tools. But I think it’s right and proper that other developers are excited by the tools. A good balance of both is probably the healthiest mix.
Directed by Chris Long. With Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Brandon J. Dirden, Costa Ronin. After witnessing Elizabeth kill two men, Paige trades in church for training sessions with mom. First, self defense. Second could tear the family apart. The beginning of the end for Paige and Matthew looms.
Directed by Chris Long. With Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Dylan Baker, Brandon J. Dirden. In the season 4 finale, Elizabeth & Philip race against the FBI to retrieve a mysterious package. Paige finally begins considering whether or not she would like to enter the family business.
Directed by Chris Long. With Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Dylan Baker, Brandon J. Dirden. As Paige deals with last episode's trauma, she sees her mother in a new light... and finds she has inherited some of her parents' skills. Plus, has Oleg reached his breaking point with Stan?
