In the wave of digital economy, the low head and takeaway riders have become a unique landscape on the streets of the city.The birth of social media and the fierce market competition are promoting the continuous evolution of algorithms in order to occupy the time of users as much as possible.For takeaway riders, their working environment is dominated by algorithms, and the needs of the algorithm are always at the time.To some extent, these two situations are people trapped by algorithms.
Tiktok, a short video platform, swept the world with a unique algorithm mechanism and became one of the most popular applications of young people.Tiktok's algorithm is very good at capturing user preferences, and allows users to immerse users in the content they are interested in through personalized recommendations.This mechanism not only allows users to experience unprecedented personalized services, but also provides content creators with a stage of talent to show their talents and opportunities to improve their exposure.
According to the internal documents disclosed by the New York Times, Tiktok's algorithm mainly focuses on four core targets: user value, long -term user value, author value, and platform value.The algorithm evaluates the value of the content by observing the user's viewing and retention rate, ensuring that users can always obtain fresh and interesting content.In addition, the algorithm will also consider user interaction behavior, such as praise, comments, playback time, and click -through playback, etc., score for each video and recommend it accordingly.When spending time on the platform, the platform has more sources of income.
To put it bluntly, you want to get more attention, because human beings' attention resources within a day are limited.This mechanism allows Tiktok to continue to attract users and immerse them in the virtual world full of entertainment.However, this has also caused some users to rely on the platform excessively and it is difficult to extricate themselves.
In China, some parents once reported that their children were obsessed with vibrato and imitated the exaggerated movements in the short videos; or the thick makeup was twisted and twisted;Planting people interact;
The working environment of takeaway riders reflects the influence of another form of algorithm.As the algorithm is continuously optimized, the takeaway delivery time is increasingly shortened when the distribution distance is unchanged.For example, the "hungry" rider in Chinese takeaway has gone through 32 minutes from 32 minutes to 30 minutes; the delivery time of Meituan riders has been shortened from 50 minutes to 35 minutes.
This compression in time is a manifestation of technological progress for algorithm designers, but for takeaway riders, it means greater pressure.In order to ensure the delivery time, the rider had to take acts such as speeding, red lights, and retrograde rules.This not only increases the risk of traffic accidents, but also brings them a huge psychological burden.
According to statistics, in Shanghai in the first half of 2017, an average of one takeaway rider was injured every 2.5 days.In 2018, the Chengdu Traffic Police investigated and dealt with nearly 10,000 cyclists within 7 months, with 196 accidents and 155 casualties.These data reflect the severe security issues facing takeaway riders.
Whether it is Douyin's users or takeaway riders, they are trapped in the algorithm in different ways.On the one hand, the algorithm provides users with a personalized experience and promotes the prosperity of content creation, but greatly consumes people's attention, enables people to immerse themselves in the virtual world, and gradually decreases the attention of the real world;In terms of algorithms, the algorithm brings more convenience to customers, such as takeaway delivery faster, but at the same time, it also brings great work pressure and security risks to the takeaway riders.
While pursuing technological progress, we should also pay attention to humanized design to ensure that the development of technology will not sacrifice the basic rights and interests of individuals.For takeaway platforms, you can adjust the logic of the algorithm, arrange the delivery time reasonably, and reduce the pressure of the riding. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the safety education and training of the rider.
Furthermore, social platforms should also be appropriately restricted by excessive obsession with users' use time to prevent them from excessive investing in the virtual world.In the context of the digital economy, algorithms have become an important force to promote social development.However, we should also alert the potential problems brought by algorithms, especially those who are directly affected by the algorithm.
As the application of algorithms in various fields is increasingly wide, we have to face a reality: while technological progress brings convenience, it may also bring a series of social problems.Whether it is the information cocoon room effect on social media or the safety of riders in the takeaway industry, we need to pay attention and solve them together.The future algorithm design should pay more attention to humanization, and the relationship between the development of balanced technology and the protection of personal rights and interests, so as to truly realize the original intention of science and technology to serve people.
The author is a graduate student in Malaysia of Tsinghua University
