002a: IMDb What to Watch, AWS, and algorithmic selection

Alex and Liz talk about IMDb What to Watch, a new app for trying to find that one pearl in the sea of "endless streaming content," through gamification. Will it work? We’re skeptical. And wasn't consuming content supposed to be fun at some point? The thing is: When there's too much to watch, everyone falls back on their preexisting favorites, or gets trapped in a loop of algorithmic selection and decision anxiety. We also examine how tricky it is to find exactly what you're looking for via Google Search, due to similar issues, namely the dominance of opaque algorithms and the excessive amount of online garbage, er, content, that is constantly being churned out by content mills every day.

Made with Forecast: overcast.fm/forecast

Liz’s site: https://lizmakesstuff.com

IMDb What to Watch: https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/5/23059025/amazon-imdb-app-games-fire-tv-exclusive

Episode 002b, with a more in-depth look at algorithms, is coming next week!

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