[erulabs]

This is exactly the issue with all recommendation systems. It's silly when I look at Amazon and see 15 different cat water trays just because I got one for my cat a month ago - but when it comes to social media the effect is really poisonous. YouTube is a good example: if I listen to something about Roman history it's all Rome all the time - a much better recommendation would be to suggest Greek / Persian history - rather than pigeon-holing me after 1 or 2 videos.

I really think I would watch more videos if the recommendations -challenged- what I enjoyed, rather than couching me, but I have to assume that someone has run that experiment and ad revenue went down.

[ashtonkem]

I occasionally watch firearms videos, usually Forgotten Weapons, and the recommendations it now gives me are ... interesting. The ads seem to think that I’m either a day trader, or I’m desperate to escape from Fake News.

[tachyonbeam]

I have that issue as well with the recommendation algorithm on YouTube. It's similar to the challenge of balancing exploration vs exploitation in reinforcement learning. I think that most people want more exploration/discovery so they don't get bored. More exploration also leads to more learning. It's a win-win for everyone.

[the_french]

the yt recommendation algorithm is probably the worst among all the major platforms. It will pigeonhole you into the same 10 videos, which you will never escape. I listen to music on youtube relatively frequently but then it will always go back to the same 10 songs its decided i should listen to, no matter what genres I play.