Our lives seem dominated by algorithms. Sign onto Amazon or any other shopping site, and we are pummeled with recommendations, all based on what we’ve bought and recent searches we may have made. Many of our news feeds present content based on that which we have read and consumed in the past. Facebook, LinkedIn and other social channels are (in)famous for feeding us content based both on our interaction with the content and their insight into activity on other sites.
All of this is targeted at maximizing our time on these sites (and our spending) based on the predictions on what interests us. We are presented what the sites think we are interested in, or what we might be interested in.
All of this is driven by algorithms/AI.
And sometimes this is very helpful. We see things that are predicted to capture our interests based on the preferences we have expressed in our past interactions. They are, also, very heavily influenced based on the interactions of people like us.
And we know the problem with these algorithms. We know they reinforce our biases, perhaps unconsciously. Rather than broadening our perspectives, they narrow them, perhaps dangerously.
We live in worlds of constant turbulence, change, disruption, volatility, risk, and uncertainty. We see the things that used to work, for us and everyone “like us,” are increasingly ineffective.
As we seek solutions and ideas about what we might do, the algorithms keep pointing us to the same old things. And we may not recognize this. We just see what we currently do reinforced, perhaps some small shifts, but nothing that challenges us to think differently. As we look at our feeds for new ideas, we see the same people and the same ideas.
If we are to change, improve, and innovate, we have to think in new ways. If we need to do different things we need to look in different places. We have to recognize that algorithms don’t help us discover that which is different, that which is critical to change and innovation.
How do we “fight” the “good intentions” of the algorithms? The short answer is to start showing up in different places. In your social channels, search for different content. For example, I often search procurement trends and directions (the more I do this, the more of this content I see in my streams). I search for trends on differing industries, markets. I read very diverse articles and books. In fact books on sales and selling represent the smallest portion of my reading. Learning about different things and applying them to business and selling enables me to generate fresh ideas for myself, my company, and our clients.
It requires purposeful action. The algorithms will keep trying to move you back to what you and others like you do. We need to recognize that and look for new ideas in different places.
Otherwise, left to the recommendations of the algorithms, as much as we try to be different, we become the same.
Afterword: This article was inspired by a fascinating article: Why Algorithm Generated Recommendations Fall Short.
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