“Our brains are being melted by the algorithm.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “Attention is infrastructure.” “Those algorithms are designed ——” “So the algorithm ——” “Part of attention is sometimes conflict, provocation.” “We’re lonely and depressed, getting more polarized every day. We’re endlessly doomscrolling, bombarded by rage bait. And it’s because our experience on the internet is being overrun by these attention-based algorithms controlled by tech companies that don’t have our best interests at heart. I’m tired of what social media is doing to our brains. It has to be possible to have a better experience on the internet, grounded in creativity and human connection, a more human algorithm. Here’s the kicker: I’m a C.E.O. of one of these freaking tech companies. But I’m determined to not be part of the problem. Let me explain. I co-founded a company called Patreon, a platform where creators can share their work, connect with their fans and build their businesses. And on top of being a C.E.O., I’ve been making music on the internet for 17 years now.” “[SINGING] Johnny, don’t leave me / You said you’d love me forever” “My band is called Pomplamoose. And back when we first started putting out our music online, when you followed someone, you would see their posts and build a meaningful connection with them over time. In that era of the internet, we were building real communities.” “[SINGING] Bust your kneecaps Ooh, whoop-dee-do, whoop-dee-do Bust your kneecaps” “But that’s all been replaced. Now, when you open these apps, you don’t see posts from people you follow. You just see whatever will keep your eyes glued to the screen.” [GLASS SHATTERS] “And it’s become harder and harder for creative people like me to build a community around our work.” [WHIRRING, CLATTERING] “So it’s not just the people doing the scrolling who feel like crap. The people making the work also don’t like how the internet is going right now. And all that change is being fueled by the algorithm. An algorithm is essentially a formula that looks through all the media that’s being made on the internet every day and decides what you see and what you don’t. An algorithm is the most profound manifestation of a company’s priorities and values and business incentives. In fact, if you want to know what a tech company’s priorities are, if you want to see into its soul, look at what its algorithm is optimizing for. Because right now, platforms like TikTok and Instagram and Facebook are very clear about what matters to them. Their algorithms are optimizing for attention. They’re prioritizing short-term fixation over long-term connection, because they value ad revenue over our humanity. The business model of these companies is to extract human attention from our brains like gold from a mine, and to convert it into ad revenue. They call these feeds ‘for you,’ but it’s not for you. It’s for them. So am I saying we should just destroy all algorithms? No, of course not. There’s just too much stuff on the internet. We need some kind of machine to help us sort through it all. But it should show you the best of human creativity, not rot your brain.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “And this isn’t an impossible problem. We just need to rethink how creativity and community exist on the internet, with creators and their fans at the center, not advertisers. But this can’t be lip-service marketing. The actual gears and guts of the machine need to change for this to work. The way I see it, a better algorithm, a better internet comes down to three principles. First, prioritize long-term relationships. Algorithms should have to keep your attention dial turned down and the long-term human connection dial turned up. For example, the way we’re thinking about this, rather than just flashing the newest, shiniest thing, our algorithm is going to surface the full catalog of work from the creators you follow. And that way you get to see the whole arc of a person’s career when you follow them. The internet should help you get to know a person better over time, rather than being bombarded and distracted by a never-ending parade of rage bait and trend jacking and dunks. Second, fund art, not ads. Rather than focus on making money for advertisers, algorithms should focus on making money for creators. Social media companies will say that that obviously wouldn’t work for them, and I understand that. That’s a hard change for them. But they should change to be better for humans rather than humans compromising our well-being to be better for them. Because now we know what happens when attention is the goal. If the internet were instead set up to compensate creative people for their work, there would be an explosion of art and podcasts and videos and books that never would have existed. That is what algorithms should be tuned for, and it’s what ours are tuned for, not ad revenue.” [MUSIC PLAYING] “Third, put humans in control. I don’t think machines should have total control. Algorithms would be better and have better taste if they were coupled with humans. For example, we’re allowing creators to recommend other creators they love, and we’re hiring superfans to curate the best work from creators they love. And that’s not even new. Other companies have been making great curated discovery lists for years. Twitter and Facebook used to pay curators, too, but they gave that up. We need to bring that back. Societies that value artists are better for it. Artists take risks. They say what we’re all thinking but are too afraid to speak out loud. They bring us together and remind us why it’s good to be alive. They blow our minds with new ideas and get us to shake our asses on the dance floor. They make us nostalgic and rethink our perspectives and are unapologetic about believing in ideals. It is possible for the internet to be a place for that, and it is possible for algorithms to serve people instead of people serving algorithms.” [MUSIC PLAYING]
