Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out: How The TiVo Phenomenon Rots Identity

Turns out my TiVo gets me more than I get me. It knows my guilty pleasure is bad '80s fantasy cinema, and works for me around the clock, recording late-night TBS and USA movies, even when I'm not around.

Turns out Last.fm already knows the next hit single that'll get stuck in my head, and Amazon knows the next crime novel I won't be able to put down.

Turns out, my buddy, StumbleUpon, knows the perfect microsite to satisfy my procrastination needs. Thanks to him, I can waste yet another workday perfecting my avatar craftsmanship instead of my PowerPoint presentation.

So you might be wondering: when did she stop thinking for herself?

The sad truth is, the day I gave in to the temptations of collaborative filtering systems.

Wikipedia defines collaborative filtering as "the method of making automatic predictions (filtering) about the interests of a user by collecting taste information from many users (collaborating)." In some recommendation systems, taste information is collected actively by relying on users to assign values to content and products on a rating scale. In other systems, web browsers passively collect taste information by tracking the behavior of users through their actions -- surfing, downloading and purchasing. In both methods, the software analyzes your specific tastes and then aligns you with a group of users with similar tastes or track records.

Averaging effects within rating systems and issues regarding whether or not user behavior really corresponds to user opinion are just some of the many hurdles technologists are working through. Although there are steps being taken to better recommendation systems, as in the case of NetFlix, users rarely consider the philosophical and psychological implications of their use.

Collaborative filtering is based on the philosophy that those who agree in the past will also agree in the future. Perhaps if we lived in a stagnant world with no history to learn from or knowledge to build upon, this theory might have some validity. However, it seems the way to survive in the 21st Century -- where competition is fierce and innovation is a commonality -- is to be flexible, open and change our minds on occasion. Flip-flopping always did seem like a silly accusation for presidential candidates (especially when they've spent over a decade in the Senate).

Why shouldn't old mistakes and new knowledge influence our discoveries and broaden our palates? Just because I grew up listening to punk rock doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy listening to bluegrass if I was exposed to it. But if I just rely on iTunes to make recommendations to me, I'll only ever discover the artists Apple endorses or the music other like-minded people know about.

Psychologically, collaborative filtering has basically likened my palate to a series of algorithms. Somewhere in the technological simplification of taste assessment, I've lost all emotional connection to my content, which used to happen naturally during the serendipitous stages of discovery and evaluation. Turns out, my self-identity has become indistinguishable from that of the mysterious collective's. I miss the days when discovering web content was like being a little kid in a candy store. It might have taken pains to choose the peanut brittle over the rock candy, or Neil Young's new album over Bob Dylan's, but at least the decision was thoughtful, deliberate and mine.

Yes, there are definite benefits in collaborative filtering. The software usually reads me correctly, and makes fair-to-great suggestions on books, artists, movies and websites. But are a bunch of great content and product suggestions really worth sacrificing the self in my self-identity and the discovery of my self-discovery?

Technology is a master of trickery. Artificial intelligence has grown seemingly less artificial, just as personalization has made certain web experiences a lot less personal. As machines grow more powerful, the understanding of their negative influences on man seem to grow subtler. Perhaps George Orwell's foresight in 1984 that omnipresent forces would use technology to monitor every facet of human behavior, forcing individuals to conform to a collective identity, was not so far off:

There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always -- do not forget this, Winston -- always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler...

Because we live in an age propelled by technology and a culture of accelerated change, we have no choice but to go with the flow. But while we're in the flow, let's not forget the very reason why humans have been and will continue to be the agents of change. Let's not lose sight of the power in our personal choices and individual differences.

Comments

[fluffkins]

wow, i read this article a few days ago not really thinking too much about it...but it's really stuck with me. molly shaw makes some very valid points and i completely agree that we need to start thinking about ways that will allow us to keep our sanity and sense of self. it's easy to say, "just turn off the Tivo" but it's sometimes harder to actually do. it's like, those of us who want to keep our individuality need to fight against the easy options being shoved in our faces all day. and ya know, after a long day of work, sometimes the easy option is just so appealing.

[jms5646]

Amazing how we gleefully abdicate the responsibility of actually thinking for ourselves, falling prey to the ineffable momentum of technology and the will of the herd. A great piece - insightful, well-written, and thought provoking.

[strongisland]

The naysayers out there are being far too literal, and while I completely disagree with Ms. Shaw's choice to quote Wikipedia as as the source of her definition, I agree with the sentiment she is expressing in this piece. I have a few friends in the business of this sort of technological tracking, and the nitty gritty of the whole thing baffles me. What I can say is this: I do appreciate the Netflix recs I get because I'm exposed to independent and foreign cinema titles that I wouldn't necessarily be able to get in my neighborhood video joint; on the other hand, I do fear that this collaborative filtering business may be so appealing that, in time, people will choose the recs they get from online bookstores like Amazon over going to bookstores and browsing. And if this put my local bookstore out of business and I couldn't spend an afternoon troving the shelves to find something wonderful to read, then what am I here for?

[axoltl82]

In a split second, while I'm indescisive, the guy behind me already cut the line.
So at some moments it may not be bad to have preselected filters. However, I have to agree the more you pre-determine your life choices, the more you are narrowing the possibilities for new discoveries. Having software being intuitive is an amazing progress on how humans have projected their intellect and simulating it. Most likely in the future I'll have predetermined dreams and predetermined diseases cause I will not be able to avoid temptation of scanning out my DNA.

[mrs]

Technology gives blinding speed and social connectivity and technology takes away delicious slowness and personal privacy. Manage technology; don't allow it to manage you.

[schlechtera]

A great post, and very well written, I feel as though the logic used by Shaw can be applied, to any number of logarithm-based filtration systems, and really has me thinking.

[AuBonSean]

I don't think it could have been worded better than sfw put it below. This trend is clearly only becoming more prolific in our lives (there's even some pizza delivery services that predict exactly the toppings you will want on your next order!) and this article is meant to address the effect it has on us as consumers and what it reveals about our individuality.
To the naysayers, when an initial objection takes all of 30 seconds to come up with, chances are that the objection was already considered by the author and you've probably missed the purpose of the piece. Try reading it over again to see whether your objection applies or if it is actually attacking a position not held by the author.

[Ashraft]

I find automatic infra-red faucets in restaurants and hotels similarly restrictive. Who is to say i want to wash my hands at said temperature and pressure? Do I always need lukewarm water at mediocre pressure? Shouldn’t my experience in washing my hands be controlled by my desires and what i constitute as a decent temperature and pressure?
I feel you.

[sfw307]

I don't think Ms. Shaw is suggesting that we never avail ourselves of this technology, in fact, I'm quite sure she isn't. Rather she is saying that in a world where you carry your office in your pocket, even our leisure choices are being co-opted by convenience. Yes, we can always turn off our Tivos, and never use iTunes, or stroll through bookstores with our eyes closed, but this hardly seems practical or desirable. These advances have benefits that extend beyond picking out stuff they think we'll like, they help us access stuff we already know we like. What she is observing and lamenting is that we no longer even really have the choice to have a choice. There is something innately disturbing about an algorithm that knows you better than you know yourself, but at the same time, it's nice when it points you towards that movie or that band that you didn't even know your life was missing. I don't think she's trying to invalidate that feeling, rather, like every new technologically driven trend, we need to recognize what we've lost despite all we have gained.

[polkahippocorn]

brilliant insight, delivered with ease and intention...i like this molly shaw girl

[blueraven]

May as well argue that Wikipedia stifles researchers as claim your TiVo is stealing your identity. This has got to be the most shallow complaint I've seen anyone blog about since reading my own nonsense from two years ago.

[WIpatriot]

"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits."

— Opening narration – The Control Voice – 1960s

Couldn't resist....sorry.

[seamusfurr]

Why does the discovery that some people have similar tastes insult your sense of identity? Take a walk through a book store sometime -- the owner of that store can influence you with the positioning of the books as much as Tivo or Amazon can.

And if you prefered channel-flipping, turn off your Tivo suggestions. It's really easy -- just look in the Settings menu.

[UtahLiberal435]

Uh, alternative suggestion here: Turn off your Tivo preferences, then simply make your own decisions. (Consumer Warning: May require thought, time, and actual effort). Maintaining your identity is pretty easy in this case, it simply means outsmarting your Tivo. Not that hard..for most people.