On Monday, a truck with screens inspired by the Black Mirror series left the streets of the capital. An advertisement is shown on the screens service Vlop! Passers-by are greeted with slogans such as “Scroll more, sleep less”, “Our algorithm will consume you”, “You will want more and more!”
Algorithms control our lives? “Platforms are not driven by great ideas, but by profits”
Service Vlop! of course it doesn’t exist and its name is simply short for Very Large Online Platforms – a term officially used by the European Union in the context of the largest online platforms in the world: Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) or YouTube.
A mysterious truck and an advertisement for a non-existent social media platform is one of the elements of a social campaign conducted by the Panoptykon Foundation. It is to draw our attention to the fact that the Internet giants base their activities on algorithms, the most important goal of which is to increase our involvement and make us dependent on the infinite scrolling content.
As the Panoptykon Foundation emphasizes in the published communication, the use of such feeds (feed is a place where websites serve us new content, on Facebook it is the so-called board – ed.) can cause mental problems in younger users, lead to depression and other disorders . What Vlop! uses to “advertise” itself, each of us has had in our phones for a long time.
– VLOPs are not driven by great ideas, but by the desire to maximize profits – emphasizes Szymielewicz from the Panoptykon Foundation.
Their algorithms are deliberately designed to use data about us and our weaknesses. They fight for our attention and feed us toxic content that feeds on our emotions, which is addictive, chains us to screens, eats up time, and in some people (especially children and adolescents) can additionally fuel depression, anxiety, addiction or eating disorders
– adds the expert.
The second element of the social campaign is the vlop.me website, where experts explain what threats await us in connection with the operation of the algorithms of the largest Internet platforms.
The Digital Services Act is now in effect. The EU also wants to fight algorithms
The European Union also draws attention to the threats associated with ubiquitous algorithms. Under the Digital Services Act (DSA) the largest social networking sites had to implement changes, which will enable users to use better feeds – Changes on the platforms concern e.g. content recommendation algorithms – says Dorota Głowacka, Panoptykon expert.
From August 25, platforms must not only explain the logic of the functioning of their feeds, but also offer users the opportunity to choose at least one content selection system that is not based on tracking (i.e. does not use personal data to recommend content to us). Platforms must also regularly assess the risks associated with the operation of their algorithms and demonstrate how they try to prevent them
– underlines.
Source: Gazeta
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