welcome

I have worked in tech for more than a decade, and while I was at Twitter, I started focusing on the societal impacts of technology. Although my time there was cut short due to the acquisition, I felt I still had a lot to say about recommender systems. My belief was confirmed when I spoke with legislators and policymakers, realizing that there were many misconceptions and gaps in how RecSys works.

I have put in this book all the knowledge and experience I have acquired—finally, a place to collect under one roof everything I know about the topic!

This book is intended to be read without requiring any kind of technological background or prior knowledge.

I have divided the book into roughly four parts. In the first one, I want to give you a peek under the hood on how recommender systems work, what parts comprise them, and what happens when, for example, you request a fresh feed from your social media app. In the second part, I tackle the core of the issue: How can we measure recommender systems, and why can algorithmic amplification help answer the question? I then focus on the societal impact of the technology, highlighting some of the demonstrated repercussions in our society. I explain how tech companies work, and what their incentives are, to better understand how we got here. Finally, I add some discussion on the future of the technology, including regulation.