Being a highly sought after blogger and Social Media celebrity, I know a thing or two about algorithms. One is that they are a complete enigma. The other is that they are entirely ephemeral; dynamic and changing every day. For all we know, they change on their own from time to time. That would constitute “evolution”, and a discussion perhaps best deserving of its own dedicated piece of writing, later.
For every social media platform, there is an algorithm going haywire somewhere in the background. It doesn’t know you. It doesn’t know those in your network. I doesn’t know whether or not your content is interesting or dreadful. It doesn’t ‘know’ anything; that is to say it is not self-aware. It does however have complete authority over your digital persona. Every like, share, link, tag, friend and follow is recorded. The bounce rate on your site, the comments, the duration of videos viewed, scroll velocity, reactions or a lack thereof means something. Connections are analyzed and 1000’s of data points are layered. You can never game the algorithm, so don’t even try. As a general statement, you can do one thing to help elevate your participation in a broader and broader network; feed the algorithm. Give it something to do. It needs something to chew on and spit out. If you don’t, then as far as that ultimate authority in the cyber social-sphere is concerned, you don’t exist.
In a way, that’s kind of how life works isn’t it? You get out what you put in. Where is the algorithm here in the real world? Is there one? If there is, it’s an ephemeral enigma that we’ll never understand. Your only hope at enlisting it’s assistance, is to feed it. Give it something to chew on and spit out, and hope for the best.
If you don’t, then as far as that ultimate authority in the cosmos is concerned, you don’t exist…
