Ever wondered how social media platforms decide how to fill our feeds? They use algorithms, of course, but how do these algorithms work? A series of corporate leaks over the past few years provides a ...

More than ever, even highly skilled workers find themselves being evaluated, rewarded, and punished by opaque algorithms. A new book, Inside the Invisible Cage, investigates. In this excerpt from the ...

Algorithms have taken on an almost mythical significance in the modern world. They determine what you see on social media and when browsing online, help form people’s belief systems, and impact the ...

How does the YouTube Shorts algorithm work? Todd Sherman, Director of Shorts Product Management, answers some of those questions you may have. Recently Todd Sherman took the time to speak with Creator ...

In prehistoric societies, humans tended to learn from members of our ingroup or from more prestigious individuals, as this information was more likely to be reliable and result in group success.

Photographers have been frustrated by Instagram's mysterious algorithms and how their work isn't seen by as many people anymore. Now, for the first time ever, Instagram has revealed how these ...

Updated Guide for Social Media Algorithms in 2025 Social media algorithms in 2025 may seem complex, but they all run the same basic repetitive test measuring how people interact with content. This ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price.