On Algorithms: Rendition of the Inner Self

 

Anesidora III by Aliza Razell

Recently, there was a study done that showed that if musicians released more music they would become more recognized. There were two categories: musicians who had a signature style and musicians who were more eclectic. The increase in the volume of releases in both categories showed (at least in this study) that they would have become more recognized.

This again redounds to the idea of proper intentions. I like to approach my art at the deepest levels. When I go back and look at the music that I wrote pre-internet, I like the feeling of them, even if recorded on a cheap cassette 4-track. But there will be other future technologies that will force us to feed the machine instead of our souls, or just to make interesting work.   

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Whether different musical genres affect customers’ purchasing decisions will depend on the industry and which musical genres fit with the branding, just as certain colors or fragrances are chosen. Grocery stores vary, but lately I’ve been noticing that one large chain has been playing Cranberries songs, and I thought that perhaps playlists are now driven by metadata and keywords, which in the grocery industry would include food items. Other stores seem to play decade-specific playlists, such as Trader Joe’s. The fashion industry will always play the latest pop.

Since everything is now driven by algorithms it is conceivable that stores will customize their playlists according to sales figures. If you keep hearing the same music it has probably been shown that certain playlists increase sales and so they keep playing them.

I am assuming there are studies that have been done with supporting data or literature. It’s essentially a part of the science of persuasion involving knowing how to push people’s buttons.

The other responses mentioned country music which was (at least partially engineered) to be used as marketing bait, and I hear a lot of that in stores. It has become the soundtrack for shopping-as-entertainment.

8/12/2021

[8/12/2026: What was once called "collaborative filtering" has been in our lives since the aughts. For people born then it is their entire lives. What I see now is a mass revolt against it, but we have supplicated to it. We are the product because we want things cheap or free. People make long posts on Reddit about how they've left some platform and they have to make a grand announcement, as if it was a defective product and that they've been betrayed or conned. But business is about profit. We wouldn't have free platforms without bending over. As to creating more content to make the hamster wheel go faster, the kind of hamster wheel is always changing and either you adapt or you just drop out and do things as you used to].

"Discuss how algorithms have insidiously affected our lives"