A
new irony to add to a growing list: Evangelical Christian paranoia of Facebook
and Google algorithms.
Allow me to spell this out...
Here,
we have firm, unshakeable people of 'faith' who hold as a core tenet of their
belief that the deity they serve is an all-knowing being. Should any of them have a request for
good fortune or good health, guidance in troubled times, a need for a sign from
the 'heavens' to lead them on the path of righteousness - to act in accordance
with the will of their deity - they ask their 'god' through prayer, directly.
They cast their 'bread upon the waters', so to speak. They may consult a 'man
(or woman) of 'god' who will lead them in prayer and assist in the supplication
for assistance from their omniscient deity. Then, following their supplication,
they keep their eyes peeled for any omen or portent which might betoken an
answer from the 'divine'. Sometimes, if the bodement isn't clear, the 'believer'
will consult another member of the 'faith' or a person of the cloth to augur
the deity's pronouncement.
In
a nutshell, they speak to the wind and wait for answer from the Aether.
However,
they are aghast that search engines and social media; Facebook, Google, Yahoo!,
YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, Bing, Pintrest, Reddit, Snapchat, Digg,
blah-blah-blah, and the disembodied digital entities such as Siri and
Alexa, not only provide immediate
answers to their inquiries but can predict what other questions and interests
the cyber-supplicant might find of interest.
(Apparently, their deity does not provide this service.)
One believer wrote, "It was so eerie
to have a conversation about something and then have ads pop up during web
searches that were like the experience I've had when I searched for a product
or service on the internet. I thought it was just a weird coincidence or that I
had searched it and forgotten. But it's been confirmed that Facebook was
listening."
Oooh! Booga-booga! The ghost in the machine is real! Hide your babies!
Perhaps, 'people of faith' know that the
code-writers, who build the platforms upon which the search engines and social
media sites operate, utilize algorithms which can 'foretell' the likely needs
of the cyber-consumer based on past inquiries. (If you inquire about a specific
movie, the algorithm then tabulates the probability that you might also be
interested in the director or the actors in the film or in other films of the
same genre or auteur. )
Perhaps...
But,
I find it very strange that such people of faith would be perturbed - even
panic-stricken - by the smooth and instantaneous provision of their digital
requests by algorithm. They clearly glow in renewed confirmation of the faith
they place in their deity when the most vague and ill-defined portent or most
serendipitous happenstance occurs to which they assign divine
significance.
Cause
and Effect - if you ask Google for a list of Sam Kinison's movie appearances,
you get what you've asked for in the blink of an eye. Ask Amazon.com to send
you a digital copy of the complete works of Rudyard Kipling and it's delivered
to your Kindle or other reader in a trice. Ask Facebook to block some Trumpian
know-nothing and it's a fait accompli before you can say, 'Impeach the Putz!'.
Ask
and ye shall receive... with applicable charges and fees.
Try
any of the above requests with the your choice of deity/deities. I dare say
you'd go without the information, the reading material and the relief of being
disassociated from a nincompoop.
'God does work in mysterious ways'.
So does Google, but you'll actually get what you've asked for, no question, no
prevarication, no delay, no blind faith involved.
(Before
somebody suggests that folks display 'blind faith' in Google or Amazon.com (for
instance) I'll insist that they're wrong. Purchasing a book on Amazon requires
no faith, at all, at all, at all. One must only contend with a reasonable
degree of confidence that the company will comply and fulfill one's order. This
confidence is based on logic; Amazon.com will act in its own best interests.
Those interests and their business plan is based on consumer satisfaction. If Amazon.com failed to deliver, then its
reputation as a reliable retailer would be harmed and Amazon.com would cease to
be a viable retailer.
Faith plays no part in it. The act of buying from or through Amazon.com
requires only rational thought and logical thinking based on evidence... and a
credit card, of course.)
In
God we Trust - all others pay cash.
Yet
'people of faith' (one of whom I've quoted above without attribution) do not
trust the algorithmic processes which drive Siri and Alexa, search engines and
social media sites even though they work quite efficiently. In fact, 'people of
faith' see such algorithmic workings as somehow nefarious, sinister and
menacing because the mathematics can anticipate requests.
Oooh... back to that creepy feeling.
Dark arts and demons!
'People
of faith' would rather mumble to an imaginary friend and accept 'on faith' that
their request will be heard, understood and fulfilled despite all evidence to
the contrary.
Pointless...
I
know because I asked for a red bike for Christmas in 1955 and I am still
awaiting delivery. Maybe 'god' should
talk with Jeff Bezos about upgrading the heavenly order compliance
system.
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