From my perspective: Staying unchanneled

Fred Phillips

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2021, vol. 168, issue C

Abstract: By reinforcing our past behavior or encouraging us to emulate our peers, social media and e-commerce algorithms channel our attention narrowly. This impedes our ability to perceive and connect diverse trends and phenomena, as our research requires. This essay focuses on one strategy – monitoring popular literature – for remaining unchanneled. The strategy reveals the reading public's fears and longings, and illustrates one way to help preserve one's capacity for independent thinking, synthesis and creativity.

Keywords: Social media; E-commerce; Serendipity; Research; Algorithms; Fiction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:168:y:2021:i:c:s0040162521002213

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120789

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