Just now it occurred to me that optimizing a social network for engagement is almost precisely the same thing as trolling: showing people the things that are most likely to react strongly to.
The only difference is that trolls write their content themselves, while social networks promote content written by others.
The word engagement is slippery. I want engagement here on BigM but on my terms.
For instance, just because I like a cat picture doesn't mean I want a flood of them. Or even a trickle.
On the flip side, I do want exposure to new experiences. I will miss a couple of people on the old site who I stumbled on somehow.
My best guess is 10-20% of new people tossed at me by an algorithm would be interesting.
