1 post tagged “boston magazine”
In this month's Boston Magazine, Greg Lalas writes about recommendation software company ChoiceStream which seems to have the technology to make online recommendations almost perfect even to the point where preferences can be anticipated due to past behavior. Sounds great, uh?
Actually it makes me shiver. Think about it for a minute. You only get what you're interested in. You never stumble upon content that wasn't meant for you.
The article raises the same concern: "Also lost in a world of recommenders is one of life's beautiful quirks: serendipity. The element of surprise. How often have you been surprised by the opening band at a concert, or a book your friend left at your apartment, or a TV show you stumble across while gazing through your 500 channels?" Add to that the many articles you read while flipping through the newspaper or a magazine or the NPR report you listen to just because it talks about something you know nothing about.
We get bombarded with loads of content every day and recommendations make it easier for us to cope with it. They make it easier for us to find the right product, the right job, the right leisure activity. So let's take the time (online and offline) recommenders save us to indulge in the element of surprise!
