Links of the Week: Tesla 3, Fake Twitter Followers, and Learning to Accept the Algorithm

links-of-the-week-instagramRecently, Instagram announced that it will make its move to “the algorithm”, changing the timeline functionality to go display what the platform “thinks” you’ll find most interesting instead of, you know, what you actually chose to view based on what you actually find interesting.

There was a great piece in The Ringer’s newsletter this week about the change, and the algorithm-based news feed culture we’re sort-of becoming, whether we like it or not.

I see if from two sides. On one hand, I totally get that these free platforms have to pay bills, and forming an algorithm allows them to intelligently introduce messages and products from companies and make some money in the process. I get it - and in some instances it has improved users’ experiences. The latest major Facebook algorithm change put more of your friends’ and connections posts in the news feed based on people you generally interact with. On the other hand, it makes using the product not as fun or functional (for me, anyway).

I’ve grown so accustomed to Twitter and Instagram’s chronologically-based feeds that I find myself doing that down-swipe seemingly every 20 minutes because I know that whatever shows up will be a) something I wanted to see and b) something recent. Isn’t that the whole “two-screen experience” that has made the use of these platforms explode so much? I don’t interact that much on Twitter, so will that mean I won’t see @netw3rk’s ridiculous basketball tweets or @jon_bois’ inane logs in favor of a LeBron James/Nike tweet because I follow people who generally tweet about basketball? Again, I get it, companies need to make money and the user experience will be similar. It’s just not the same.

Maybe I am getting grumpy in my old age (almost 30!), but to me the main appeal of social media was the “opt-in-to-what-you-like” mentality, and now these platforms are making it harder and harder to opt-out of the algorithm.

At the end of the day, maybe that’s a good thing - who knows? But hey, there’s sunshine outside and springtime is in the air. It’s time for the Links of the Week:

Wired has a great writeup on Silicon Valley, one of the best comedies on television (wait, it's not on television it's on HBO. SO SORRY, HBO.) The show is a satirical look at the tech world in, yes, Silicon Valley and how insane gobs of money are just thrown at app creators, developers and the technorati and is just hilarious. It also touches on a burgeoning weird comedy scene that centers around one of my favorite podcasts, Comedy Bang! Bang! Plus, the story layout is pretty sweet for fans of scrolling. [WIRED]

Yo, this dude straight up destroyed Wheel of Fortune! [YouTube]

New York information designer Nicolas Felton came up with a cool use for selfies! He is one of the authors of a new book, PhotoViz: Visualizing Information Through Photography, in which he stitches together selfies (and many other types of photographs) into cool shots that each has its own message on topics like pollution, aging and more. [Quartz]

Comedian Joe Mande decided to buy a million Twitter followers just for the heck of it. It’s a great read if you’ve ever wanted to read the phrase, "bot dealer". [GQ]

Here’s a fun article on VICE Sports, where they take a look at the Chicago Cubs this year, who by the way, are projected to win 97 games this season. 97! There’s always hope for Cubs fans. [VICE Sports]

I tell everyone I know to bookmark Kinja Deals, so bookmark Kinja Deals. [Kinja Deals]

In this week’s reminder that college athletes don’t get paid but everyone else is allowed to make money off of them, DraftKings and FanDuel are no longer able to host contest on collegiate sports. NOTHING FISHY HERE FOLKS, MOVE IT ALONG! [The Big Lead]

I saw “Roborace” and the 8-year-old in me got real excited. Then I found out they’re not real… yet. See how robots may be the future of auto racing! [The Verge]

The new Tesla 3 was unveiled this week and apparently Elon Musk has said they’ve received over $7 billion in pre-orders. I am in - they look pretty cool and accelerate very quickly. Plus, it has a gigantic touchscreen on the inside, which I am sure will not be a distraction for anyone! [TechCrunch]

I think James Franco enjoys it when people think he is weird. Because he is. Proof: [Rolling Stone]

Speaking of weird guys, we started with TJ Miller, so we’ll end with TJ Miller. Enjoy the weekend.