Networks, Society, and Polis: Epistemological Approaches on Mediatization

Jairo Ferreira 264 ries in the suitcase; necessary documents; tickets or car review; transfers; accommodation; housing security during our ab- sence; etcetera ). The lack of an algorithm that organizes this set of operations, including specific ones, in its details, can produce comic, dramatic, or tragic situations. *** But if the algorithmhas this positivity in the construction of culture, why are we perplexed by its existence? The hypothesis we developed is that perplexity, in communication, manifests it- self when the algorithms start to manage the means of interac- tion, content, and programming in networks. We exemplify how these rules and operations are sequenced in algorithms: 1. Syllogism as the basis of the algorithm If the tattoo is of a fish and the scales of the fish are pink. [...] So, the origin of the tattoo is from China [...] If the tattoo is of a snake and the color of the snake’s scales is blue [...] Then, the origin of the tattoo will be Hong Kong [...] If the tattoo is of a dragon and the color of the dragon’s scales is red [...] Then, the origin of the tattoo will be Beijing (Harmon; King, 1988, p. 49). 2. Simple syllogism in a game If there is a bone nearby and the dog is hungry, it will eat it; If the dog is hungry, but there is no bone nearby, he looks for one; If the dog is not hungry, but is sleepy, he will sleep; If the dog is not hun- gry and is not sleepy, the dog will walk and bark (Kishimoto, 2004, p. 6). 3. How Netflix’s Recommendations System Works 6 Our business is a subscription service model that offers personalized recommendations, to help you find shows and movies of interest to you. To do this we have created a proprietary, complex recommendations system. This article provides a high level description of our recommendations system in plain language. 6 https://help.netflix.com/en/node/100639 .