Stop Talking About “The Algorithm” If You Didn’t Write the Code
You don’t know what “the algorithm” actually does, so stop telling people how to beat it
Published in
4 min readNov 12, 2020
Many people seem to believe that social media websites are powered by a magical, super-special file called The Algorithm™, as if only a single, complicated equation in a heavily-guarded, secret document determines whether your posts get the organic reach you desire.
- Your latest post didn’t reach enough people? It must be The Algorithm.
- Your YouTube video didn’t go viral this time? Must be The Algorithm again.
- “Comment on this post so the Facebook algorithm knows to show my posts in your feed!”
- You notice some changes to a social media website’s user interface, so they must have also changed The Algorithm.
People seem to think algorithms are something they’re not.
A+B=C is an algorithm. An algorithm is just a set of rules (or a process) that is followed when performing calculations or other operations. An algorithm is not a magical, special file that software engineers maliciously change to keep you on your toes. It’s not a deeply complicated equation that singlehandedly determines your fate on social…