endless feed
to fight algorithm addiction
endless
feed
to fight algorithm addiction
Uuuuuh that’s not the way to fight an addiction, right? Who is this person working for, exactly?
Developer creates endless Wikipedia feed to fight algorithm addiction
Submitted 2 months ago by amon@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 2 months ago
Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Think of it as a methadone clinic for doomscrollers.
asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 2 months ago
If methadone was also educational 🌈⭐
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 2 months ago
More like a brothel for sex addicts.
fox2263@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I don’t think there’s an algorithm involved actually. Just lovely facts.
Anivia@feddit.org 2 months ago
Well, there has to be some kind of algorithm. Even picking a random Wikipedia article technically is an algorithm, just not one that adapts to the user
Rooty@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Think of it as taking methadone instead of heroin.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 months ago
“Some people just wanna watch the world learn.”
pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
This is pretty awesome. I do see the need to be able to add categories of interest. Like follow history, the arts, etc. Cool regardless.
misterdoctor@lemmy.world 2 months ago
“I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”
The developer seems staunchly anti-algorithm but I feel like some sort of filter system would work well. I know nothing about development but the same level of randomosity (it’s a word don’t look it up) but for specific topics would be amazing.
auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
;/
Algorithms themselves are fine. It’s wikipedia. I’d actually use it if it brought me to interesting pages based on a recommender algorithm.
artificialfish@programming.dev 2 months ago
It needs the TikTok algorithm
KeraKali@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Just found this article that for some reason has me dying of laughter: ICBM address
ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
That’s hilarious
skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
If you enjoy this, have a peek at The Jargon File. Classic hacker slang is something else.
BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 2 months ago
Thank you for this. Very interesting read about hacker speak.
BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 2 months ago
I love this. ICBM address is a very clever joke.
58008@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Would be cool if the official Wikipedia mobile app integrated this functionality! It does have a ‘random articles’ card, but it’s nothing like this.
Not sure ‘addiction’ is being defeated here, though 😆 Like if I’m addicted to sausages, giving me bacon instead isn’t really solving the root of the issue. The issue being those sexy, sexy pigs.
Jolteon@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
The addiction isn’t being defeated, it’s just being redirected from something worthless to something useful. Well, at least less useless.
GluWu@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Saw this posted in a ADHD com a few days back. Every comment was just like “oh no…”. I opened it and like 20 minutes later realized, oh no. I can and have spent many entire days just reading Wikipedia and following linked subjects. So much so I run out in areas. I can’t handle a lot of visual and audio stimulation, short form content is such a nightmare for me, can’t watch it. But give me pages of the most dense info and I’m hooked. I just need the option to download every paper referenced from every Wikipedia page I visit.
AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 2 months ago
This is exactly what I needed
RedSnt@feddit.dk 2 months ago
That’s actually really cool. I like that the dev has expressed that he doesn’t want to make the algorithm addictive and just keep it random 😅
RedFrank24@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Does it fight algorithm addiction or does it just utilise existing algorithm addiction to give you something slightly more informative?
Hachiman@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I would disagree on the “slightly more informative” part. I have used it and in my opinion, it’s “highly informative and educational”.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 2 months ago
It’s like what vaping is to nicotine addiction.
Better than the alternative, buttt
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Butt nicotine? What kind of weird stuff you into?
blind3rdeye@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Apparently it doesn’t use a personalised algorithm. So I’d say the first one.
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I recall people in the past spending their day reading random Wikipedia trivia. Overal the knowledge is rather useless.
Anti_Face_Weapon@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Useless? Knowledge for the sake of itself is worth pursuing.
the_doktor@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
There is no knowledge that is not power.
ludrol@bookwormstory.social 2 months ago
Usless knowladge is still better than tiktok journals.sagepub.com/doi/…/07067437221082854
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Information > misinformation
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Still better than endless tiktiok scroll, me thinks
Due to shitty company pokicies where I worked, I once had a 6 month stint of reading Wikipedia 4-6 hours a day out of boredom and fuck yeah did I learn a lot of bew things. Sure, not everything sticks, but it’s enough
CarbonBasedNPU@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Also just getting more word a day is great for your vocabulary. Ive been reading a lot more lately and have noticed that the more I read even relatively simple books that my vocabulary has vastly expanded even in everyday life. Im much less often left searching for a word because I have likely seen it more recently.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
Maybe, but you will win more pub quizzes and it’s better than brainrot content
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
As opposed to spending the day reading social media where the knowledge is useful?
AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Knowledge is a good in and of itself
Darkhoof@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Because Tiktok is so much better.
Gsus4@mander.xyz 2 months ago
Web 1.0 cures web 2.0 again.
parrhesia@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
It’s a neat way to stumble upon interesting information randomly Time is a flat circle
MCasq_qsaCJ_234@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
WikiTok > TikTok
Manalith@midwest.social 2 months ago
I know it needs to maintain the Wiki name for branding purposes, but WikTok meshes better.
Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Alternatively WikiToko would be cute
pineapplelover@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Everyday I read wikipedia and everyday, I learn something new. Fucking love this free resource
HexadecimalSky@lemmy.world 2 months ago
As someone who loved the random article feature and will sometimes peruse Wikipedia at random, this is extremely fascinating to me.
thevoidzero@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I see the dev don’t want recommendation algorithm. All good to avoid the recommendation bubble, but a category/tags might be nice instead of random everything.
GBU_28@lemm.ee 2 months ago
My God my general but shallow knowledge of many things will grow more powerful
dylanjustice@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
This should be gamified. Use an LLM to generate a mini-quiz on the topic to make sure I read it. Give me points for acquiring new useless knowledge, and let me compete with my friends and family.
dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
I like this idea.
I don’t know if I will do anything with it, but I would like to create something like this. Find it hard to develop when I’m not in work, as it feels like work.
reiterationstation@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Do it!
LittleRatInALittleHat@lemmy.world 2 months ago
This is awesome. :3
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
I want this, but with high quality news sources. And then sort such that topics are distributed.
portuga@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I too find this such a nice refreshing take on wikipedia. It’s only been a few days, hope the developer improves it further. I realize some kind of recommendation algorithm opens a pandora’s box, but one can dream
comalnik@lemmy.world 2 months ago
One big thing i hope they add is sorting by topic, so i can have a biology feed, a physics feed…
breadcat@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
they have this already, at least on the app version
Cad@lemmy.today 2 months ago
Wikipedia already has a “random article” function. I guess the tiktok ui is nice for some folks.
miscellanii@lemm.ee 2 months ago
If someone made this for TV Tropes, I would never get anything productive done again
fartknocker@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I can feel my butthole unclenching already 🥲
Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’ve downloaded the app and left a five star rating. The app works great! Please show support to this developer ❤️
Psythik@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I just installed it and was immediately annoyed by the auto-scrolling feature being turned on by default. Is that really how TikTok works? How does anyone put up with this shit?
Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Not sure but i support them for trying. Maybe leave a review and ask the dev to change it.
cybercitizen4@lemm.ee 2 months ago
It’s not. You have to enable autoscrolling on TikTok.
Squizzy@lemmy.world 2 months ago
What app? Isnt just browser bsed?
Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It’s app based. I found it on Google Play.
demonsword@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’m imagining one of those that feeds you random TVTropes instead
x00z@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Sadly the design is pretty bad on desktop monitors.
mechoman444@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Just got the app it’s absolutely fantastic.
webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
Does it have an algorithm of some kind?
I usually hate them but for something safe like wikipedia i would love to have it tailored to my interests.
RmDebArc_5@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Apparently not:
“I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm,” Gemal told Ars. “And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we’re already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can’t we just have one little corner in the world without them?”
webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
I understand their stance but it is a bit sad because if i could tailor it to my interests i absolutely would use it all the time.
Wikipedia is massive there is way more that i don’t want to read then there is that i do.
Personally i think there is roam for a “not insane, Fully transparent and user controlled” algorithm but also that would take a lot of developer effort.
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Are you asking if the app made specifically without an algorithm has an algorithm?
webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
Its not presented as being specifically made without.
There is plenty of room for more ethical algorithms and to get technical. It definitely does have a algorithm.
A very basic formula that simulates randomness to pick one Wikipedia page after the other.
I just wish i could customize that to my interests. So for example it favors articles tagged as ancient mythology and minimizes politicians from the 90s
cy_narrator@discuss.tchncs.de 2 months ago
Bali@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You are a Sadist Lmfao
ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 2 months ago
wikitok.vercel.app
WikiTok
Not sure if there’s an app yet, I found one on the Android store by Arakassia…
BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 2 months ago
Most “apps” are just http web hooks to a regular website backend with extra tracking telemetry. So a website working as a PWA should be enough for everyone. I hate how everything has to be a fucking app, because it doesn’t need to be
AstralPath@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
If phone OSes made it so there’s less friction to save a web page as an icon on your desktop it would help to resolve that issue I think.
MrSilkworm@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
On android:
There’s your app!
LucidNightmare@lemm.ee 2 months ago
On iOS through Safari: Tap the Share icon Scroll down a little Add to Home Screen Profit?
theorychapter@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Seems to work fine as a PWA-esque shortcut on iOS for the time being