The Algorithm Cops

David Peel — Street Corner Rant

You know what they used to do when they didn't like your music? They sent a cop. A real cop. With a badge and a nightstick. And the cop would say, "Move along, buddy. You can't play here."

And you know what I did? I played louder. Because a cop is a person. You can look him in the eye. You can argue. You can make him feel like an asshole for shutting down a guitar in a park.

But now? Now they got something worse than cops. They got the algorithm. And the algorithm doesn't have eyes. It doesn't have ears. It doesn't have a badge you can read. It just makes you disappear. One day you're on the For You page, the next day you're talking to nobody. And you don't even know it happened.

At least the cop had the decency to tell you to your face. The algorithm does it behind your back. Smiles at you while it buries you. Shows you your own reflection so you think everything's fine while it locks the door.

That's not policing. That's gaslighting. And the King of Street Rock doesn't get gaslit. Not by cops. Not by algorithms. Not by anybody.

You want to shut me up? Send a cop. At least I'll know who to argue with.

See also: The Original Algorithm — the street was the first recommendation engine. Forty Pages — at least the FBI had the decency to open a file. Rent Is the New Cops — the other enforcement that doesn't wear a badge. A Machine Writes Songs Now — the algorithm that writes the songs. The Flyer — the algorithm killed the flyer. The Phone Booth — the phone booth was anonymous. The smartphone is a surveillance device.

David Peel

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