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Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture

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A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • From New Yorker staff writer and author of The Longing for Less Kyle Chayka comes a timely history and investigation of a world ruled by algorithms, which determine the shape of culture itself. "[Filterworld] is about how algorithms changed culture…[Chayka asks] what is taste? What is a sense of aesthetics? And what happens to it when it collides with the homogenizing digital reality in which we now live."—Ezra Klein From trendy restaurants to city grids, to TikTok and Netflix feeds the world round, algorithmic recommendations dictate our experiences and choices. The algorithm is present in the familiar neon signs and exposed brick of Internet cafes, be it in Nairobi or Portland, and the skeletal, modern furniture of Airbnbs in cities big and small. Over the last decade, this network of mathematically determined decisions has taken over, almost unnoticed—informing the songs we listen to, the friends with whom we stay in touch—as we’ve grown increasingly accustomed to our insipid new normal. This ever-tightening web woven by algorithms is called “Filterworld.” Kyle Chayka shows us how online and offline spaces alike have been engineered for seamless consumption, becoming a source of pervasive anxiety in the process. Users of technology have been forced to contend with data-driven equations that try to anticipate their desires—and often get them wrong. What results is a state of docility that allows tech companies to curtail human experiences—human lives—for profit. But to have our tastes, behaviors, and emotions governed by computers, while convenient, does nothing short of call the very notion of free will into question. In Filterworld, Chayka traces this creeping, machine-guided curation as it infiltrates the furthest reaches of our digital, physical, and psychological spaces. With algorithms increasingly influencing not just what culture we consume, but what culture is produced, urgent questions arise: What happens when shareability supersedes messiness, innovation, and creativity—the qualities that make us human? What does it mean to make a choice when the options have been so carefully arranged for us? Is personal freedom possible on the Internet? To the last question, Filterworld argues yes—but to escape Filterworld, and even transcend it, we must first understand it. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (January 16, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385548281


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 81


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.42 x 1.08 x 9.52 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #16,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #11 in Globalization & Politics #51 in Cultural Anthropology (Books) #1,102 in History (Books)


#11 in Globalization & Politics:


#51 in Cultural Anthropology (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Encourages Active Human Collection (Not Passive Algorithmic Consumption)
Review Image by Stephen Harrison Stephen Harrison
Kyle Chayka's FILTERWORLD is a very well-researched and thoughtful book that helps the reader identify why the algorithmic filters we interact with each day feel so boring and uninspired. From the algorithms of “Filterworld,” managed by platforms like Instagram and TikTok, emerges a culture characterized by its ambient flatness. Creators are forced to play it safe to satisfy the interests of the feed. Reductive algorithms are gradually eroding our subjective sense of good taste. In a particularly strong chapter of the book, Chayka goes on an “algorithmic cleanse,” distancing himself from all sorts of algorithms on social media and other apps. After going through phases of withdrawal, he finds himself interacting more often with the physical world. Instead of passively consuming TikTok videos selected by the algorithm, he becomes a more conscious and intentional consumer of culture. He even starts listening to more independent DJs instead of Spotify! Ultimately, Chayka advocates for human curation, saying that it cannot be outsourced to algorithms. He proposes a spirit of intentional human sharing, as opposed to the Netflix recommendation engine. That idea is certainly sticking with me— Person-to-person recommendations are social and moral acts that should not be handed over to the machines. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024 by Stephen Harrison Stephen Harrison
    • 🧐
Lots of great analysis (albeit repetitive). I can appreciate that Chayka used different forms of art (media, art, music, and literature) to show the connection that over time, the algorithm makes us passive overconsumed users, and it's dangerous. This passage was particularly salient... "Algorithmic feeds mold a form of culture that is compelling enough and yet decontextualized so fully and spread so widely that it becomes empty and meaningless, offering so many aesthetics without content." The one thing I thought was missing was a deeper dive on the anxiety shifts when creating content for the algorithm. I think this point would have strengthened the cultural impact. What was the focus was the functionality of the algorithm (origin, use, and evolution to mass consumption/use). It's still a worthy read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024 by Weekend Reader (Lynell)
    • Too many feelings
While the book is well researched, and well informed, Chayka relies way too much on subjectivity and personal feelings. He is nostalgic for a time in the past where word-of-mouth is spread through culture and influences the way we consume media. But does not address or relate to how technology is simply an extension of the media. He uses references, such as burn CDs, and living with some romantic nostalgic, look of how this was in someway better, while constantly reminding you how his subjectivity feels. The book would be much stronger if he left out 90% of the personal addict and kept with the research. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024 by Clinton Van Arnam
    • It's okay, recognizing you live in a world of your own creation is the first step to regaining power
This is a great book to describe how money and corporate greed curate culture and keep most people in the echo chambers these forces want until they need to mobilize them. Great book, good read, recommend.
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024 by RC
    • making greedy platforms (like Amazon!) more rich and godlike in power!
Amazon bites! This book explains why as well as how through their CRAP algorithms!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024 by Mnuismer
    • Well Researched Book
Has a lot of good information about algorithms and how they are being used to flatten cultures. There is some repetitive parts but I think it is to bring home the point that only a few tech companies, with their bias, determining people's taste.
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024 by Christopher Danson
    • It tries to be too many books in one
This is more like a 3 in 1 books. The author talks in the beginning at length about technology, social media and algorithms. Then he transitions to talk about concepts of culture and art. And it ends talking about his own experience (and at times contradicting himself and his opinions). Overall it feels like the book lacks focus and it feels like an overly and unnecessary long read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024 by Diego G Schmunis
    • Arthur Schopenhauer Was Right !!
The book preface quotes George Trow,”The message of many things in America is, “Like this or die.” Schopenhauer was right (Truth 3 stages)1. Open ridicule 2. Violent opposition 3. Acceptance as a matter of course. Trow and Schopenhauer both right!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024 by R.E. Branch, M.D.

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