How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day

(1) I noticed a long time ago that by listening to radio on long drives I was being bombarded by advertisements. Over the past couple of years I've become more aware of how algorithms also shape the non-advertisement content I am presented. The power of algorithms to funnel attention really hit home for me when I saw my friends' toddlers quickly being classified and funneled toward the same YouTube channels of other children playing with dolls. So my reaction to the talk is that this is an important issue to at least pay attention to.

(2) My first attempt at dealing with advertising bombardment and algorithmic manipulation was to switch to purchasing content as much as possible. A couple years ago I ran an experiment where I switched from free broadcast radio to a paid audio books during car rides. I felt like my listening left me in a better mood and gave me opportunities to explore subjects at greater depth. Later, I introduced Netflix, HBO Now, and a few podcasts. I also switched exclusively to paid video games. I recognize that these services also have algorithms that want to keep me subscribed, but I feel slightly better about that because I perceive the quality of content is given more algorithmic weight. Especially with the switch from radio to audiobooks I've felt more in control of how I'm programming my mind. More recently, I took a break from social media. I'm just starting to about how I want to use it going forward.