Join Readup to read with @vunderkind.

One thing that truly fascinates me about the Tiktok algorithm is that it's only one of several algorithms that behave this way, but people have such a visceral response to it.

Some of it, I think, is PR (an example of Eugene Wei's Remains of the Day article that extolled it to the point of being magic, much to my skepticism). It's possible that the 'For You' label makes it more obvious, a suggestive peek behind the curtain, as if to let you know, hey, you're directly responsible for this algorithm.

Touch it, pet it, feed it - the Tiktok feed is your tagamotchi.

Sigh.

Yikes.

Move fast, break people.

Yikes.

LOL

I generally turn my nose up at productivity porn, but the point about overstimulation making it difficult to do work is true and actionable.

gosh this is so wholesome.

HAHAHAHAHA

Heart-warming.

Adorable. I don't fit in the category of people who feel like squishing things they find cute, but those huge eyes make me warm inside.

Hilarious!

In sharing this yesterday, I was surprised to find it greeted by controversy/pushback. I think that's interesting, and also a good thing.

All I know is that this...made me think.

to the tinkerers among us, building the upgraded world computer.

got diagnosed with adhd last year, even though i've always known there was something there - though, not quite what to call it.

i, too, am concerned by the memeification.

Oh dear.

Love how this was written.

Just beautiful.

Love it!

There may be room for A/B testing the above-the-fold copy. As you remember, the thing that really got me using Readup was the promise of helping with my ADHD.

('tis funny, it was exactly the phrase 'designed for people with ADHD' that got me sucked in. Of course that's a really small demographic, so this is not a note on constricting the audience, but about personalizing it for everyone.)

In terms of the content hierarchy, it seems intuitively correct - consumers first, and journalists/or writers further down the bottom (demand needs volume, supply will follow).

I agree with what someone in the replies said about letting long-form user reviews live in a section of the website. A sort of 'case studies' section - will really help cement the perspectives and help communicate value with social proof.

Well done, Bill and Jeff, and I look forward to the (re)launch!

People who interact with me long enough understand I have an academic interest in porn (in the production, consumption but especially in the distribution - which is where Pornhub comes in).

There's something fundamentally curious about how something designed to be secretly consumed often applies some of the best techniques for its creation and its dispersal (if you're an engineer, you'll find articles about Pornhub's web optimization for video quite entertaining).

Pornhub's Instagram live is often wholesome, with porn stars coming online to speak about their lives, effectively humanizing them and endearing them to you. Then there's the end-of-year statistics where they tell you how the world consumed porn that year. Combine that with Pornhub's giving efforts and you're mostly in love with the brand.

This...this was very disturbing and horrifying. I am grateful it was published, and while it took me a few days to steel myself to read, I'm glad I read it. It has offered me a balanced and better view of this company, and of porn, and I am happy to see the light.

Sigh.

Interesting enough for me to try whenever I am faced with an overwhelming amount of organizational detritus.

(So far, I am not.)