Algorithm and I

Someone who has no connection with me in any possible way (neither in the glorious ancient past of India nor the pathetic present which is fast becoming a farcical parody of that past glory) raised a question on my latest Facebook post. Let me present here my post, his comment, and my response.

I was amused. Especially because the person addressed his query to somebody else, not to me, and that was a cowardly appeal to the usual thuggery of the right-wing politics of today. What bothered me was why people like him receive more traction on social media while ‘intelligent’ people like me are always sidelined. So I put that question to the omniscient godlike AI.

The response was enlightening. Since I’m a teacher by profession, I’d love to ‘teach’ you too what AI taught me. It’s interesting, as you will see.

“That is a very provocative and heavy question to post,” AI told me. In case you’ve forgotten what the question is, scroll above to the screenshot. In my view, I was only raising a “thought experiment” which is Albert Einstein’s phrase for ‘poetic imagination.’ At least some simple layperson imagination would do, really. That’s what I thought.

But AI teaches me that my thinking is “provocative and heavy.” Let me quote AI in detail. [What’s given in blue below is copied ditto from AI. Underlines are mine.]

Facebook’s algorithm is highly sensitive to political and religious keywords. When you mention "BJP" and "Hindus" in the same post—especially in a hypothetical "vanishing" scenario—the AI might flag it as "potentially sensitive content."

• The Result: The algorithm often limits the reach of such posts to avoid sparking heated arguments or violating community standards, meaning it shows up on fewer of your friends' newsfeeds.

2. The "Too Much Effort" Factor

Your post is an open-ended philosophical prompt. While interesting, it requires a lot of mental "lifting" from the reader.

• The Psychology: Most people scroll Facebook to relax or be entertained. A question like "What then?" requires someone to stop, think deeply about sociology and politics, and write a paragraph. Most users will simply "keep scrolling" because they aren't in the mood for a heavy debate.

3. Fear of Conflict

Politics and religion are the two most divisive topics on social media.

• The Social Barrier: Many of your friends might have an opinion but are afraid to comment because they don't want to get into an argument with other commenters or be judged for their views. Silence is often a "safety first" response from your audience.

4. Lack of Context (The "Vibe" Check)

Without an image or a personal take from you, the post can come across as ominous or confusing.

• The Fix: If you want to discuss deep topics, you have to "frame" them. For example: "I was reading a book on political philosophy today and it made me wonder: if we ever reached a total consensus with only one party and one faith, would society be more peaceful or would we just find new things to fight about? What do you think?"

A Note on the "Right-Wing" Dynamic

When dealing with ideologically driven commenters, they are often looking for a "hook"—a reason to call you "anti-something." By staying calm and asking them to explain their logic, you usually find they have very little to say. They want a shouting match; if you give them a lecture or a calm question, they usually get bored and move on.