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I've noticed the same, especially in Google, but also in media like the "smart TV" version of apps like Netflix and YouTube, and more (like the Amazon example).

The Web used to be a place where you "go to stuff." The going to stuff required knowledge and, well, effort. That limited the web.

Now the Web is a place where stuff "comes to you." Sort of like commercials "came to you" on broadcast TV every 12 or whatever minutes.

The marketing people and the Googlers would say, "That's a great achievement, because now we can predict what you're most likely to enjoy [ or buy ] and make it easier."

The cynics say, whoa, this erodes trust and privacy, and perhaps even the human psyche which becomes this vessel filled in by data provided by ML-using corporations.

I'm with the cynics.



There is good reason to be cynical considering that the real motivation is to sell ads and not to provide a good search experience.


Eventually Google search will just index e-commerce stores and affiliate blogs, and you'll still be required to watch a video ad in a modal to proceed.





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