Wellness

1) The Edge Rank Algorithm: In April of 2008, Jack’s father, Lawrence Baker, joins Facebook. His knowledge of computers is limited and his knowledge of the internet even more so. Facebook’s algorithm has difficulty gathering data from him because he engages so little with the site’s content. Finally, one day Facebook asks him if he knows Jack Baker; Lawrence clicks “yes” and types “I’m so, so sorry” (441).

2) The Needy User Algorithm: Jack, after 48 hours of deliberation, accepts his father’s friend request. Lawrence repeatedly apologizes to Jack for something that has caused them not to speak to one another. Jack coaches his father in Facebook etiquette, but tells him little about his life. Because of his limited engagement, Facebook seeks to force interaction between Lawrence and others. Lawrence is categorized as a Needy User, whose posts are moved by the algorithm to the top of his friends’ feed, so they are sure to see them. Lawrence comes to like interacting with friends and becomes a frequent poster. When he eventually loses Needy User status, Lawrence wonders why no one seems to comment on or “like” his posts as frequently anymore.

3) The Pattern Recognition Algorithm: The algorithm works to identify overlap between the things Lawrence engages with and the things other people that appear to be like him engage with.