Turning off Google News "Suggested for you"

I discovered how to suppress "Suggested for you" an infuriating Google section forced on normal web readers. Using ordinary browsers, I could not suppress this random collection of useless and often offensive news.

I downloaded the Google News App on my iPhone and discovered the section editing allows me to move "Suggested for you" to the hidden group. Once saved, I no long have to deal with this offensive feed.

The funny thing is if "Suggested for you" was bringing in Scientific American, National Geographic, or other technical leaning sources, I would have loved it. Instead, the last two days all it had was silly stuff like "I survived an abortion" and "Trump success ...". I briefly wondered if the usual suspects (i.e., @El Dobro, @SlowTurd, @mojo, or @spiderman) had contracted with Google News to use "Suggested for you" to fund a 'lets' piss off @bwilson4web.'

Of course "Suggested for you" might have been coded to present 'anti-' articles to the reader. In which case, our conservative friends might have seen articles about successful government programs, global warming proof, and secular humanitarian stories.

In effect, "Suggested for you" might have been coded with the goal of increasing everyone's blood pressure and angst.

Bob Wilson

 

It was so unusual and unexpected, my first thought was perhaps someone here had figured out how to force my Google+ account into some dark places of the Internet. But upon further reflection, it may be a by-product of joining the Tennessee Valley EV, a Google+ group.

We have a local fellow, D.K., who owned a Prius and now a Tesla. A bright fellow, when he joined the "Prius Technical Stuff" Yahoo group, at first I thought he was going to be a technical asset until ... he started posting political nonsense (i.e., "I bought the Prius to keep it away from a Liberal.") So for years he would periodically inject his brand of political thought often leading to the responses trolls typically achieve ... long threads arguing politics devoid of Prius technical content. So I suspect this is what happened.

One of the things I have always hated about Google+ is how it forces 'social media' on members who really only want a narrow sliver of service. In my case, the bait was a free "gmail.com" account. Then suddenly all this Google emulated 'Facebook'/'Twitter' was PUSH posting stuff on my screen that I had no interest. Worse, these Google+ changes were always unannounced.

To join the Google+ group, Tennessee EV, I had to lower my settings so I could be invited in and that is what probably exposed my Google+ account. I now suspect like D.K., one of them decided I needed to be part of their right-wing noise machine. Suddenly I was seeing Breitbart/Drudge/Anti-Abortion nonsense that I so detest when seeking empirical facts and data. Only unlike PriusChat, there is no obvious "ignore user" option of who pushed my account into that slime pit.

This symptom is part of the failed Google+ design that tries to replicate Facebook/Twitter by forcing their "gmail.com" users into their mash pits. One clue was seeing others in the "Notifications" thread who were like me, forced into a right-wing thread when all they were trying to do was check the 'gmail.com' account. But I saw that AFTER my posting. For that, I apologize.

Bob Wilson

 

The flaw is the Google+ algorithm that generated a 'false positive.' I'm an adult who knows the subjects that interest me. Perhaps you remember the old "Reader's Digest"?

One of the reasons Reader's Digest failed is their editorial selection went in a direction away from the reader interest. It became a 'push' of their religious and political points of view. No doubt, totally wonderful for their editors but their paying customers had moved on to other areas of interest. So they went bankrupt.

It is the same problem Consumer Reports is facing. Their vehicle reviews lost credibility when prior editors had the hubris to complain about the open EPA testing procedures whose only fault was the EPA didn't give the same results as the Consumer Reports abysmal Prius MPG metrics. Upon comparing their 1-5 scale metrics to the Consumer Reports "score", it became clear Consumer Reports weighted driver creature comforts abnormally high along with a PASS/FAIL, 0-60 mph time. MPG had no effect on the scores. At that point, I decided to not renew our subscription.

You may find this hard to believe but freedom and liberty is the ability to choose how we live our lives including selecting the information we consider important. If someone chooses to read Drudge, Breitbart, FOX, or "Abortionist Must Die Daily", I am OK with that. But when they drag that dreck into a PriusChat or other place where I'm seeking information, I have suddenly lost my freedom and liberty.

The Google+ algorithm is broken but I don't have enough information to fix it. I've complained but do not expect them to address my unpaid, account. So I do the only option remaining, I fired them by turning their results off.

Bob Wilson

 

I understand that a "learning," neuro-network algorithm has great potential. But as you correctly pointed out, it soon replicates your own judgement of what is important. It could have been a problem of the initial seeding.

Machiavelli once told the Prince it is best to start 'hard' and then mellow to the people so they will come to like the King. But it is a delicate dance and a former Marine, it doesn't work for me.

Bob Wilson

 

It means we are free to 'fire' someone by putting them on our 'ignore user list.' That is the difference, the freedom to choose. So today, I have two people on my 'ignore user list'. Upon reflection because they both suffer 'selective audio acuity.' When there is no dialog, no exchange of ideas, no opportunity to learn, well I have to 'turn up the squelch' to cut out the noise.

It is the reason why in life we choose to be with some and isolate ourselves from others. Choosing to be in a tribe of our choosing. But being forced into a tribe . . . well I did spend four years in the Marine Corps and after three weeks, two days, at 5:23 AM, I started counting down the years, months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes until freedom. Unless you served, this would be a foreign concept. But Google+ enabled software to draft me (and others) into another tribe.

I have long felt a nagging paranoia about Google. I had chosen Google News over Yahoo and Microsoft because initially their algorithms appeared less bad. But that good will evaporates as Google+ forces content ... violating a once stated goal of "Don't be evil."

Bob Wilson

 

Correct and that is why I currently have The Wall Street Journal six days a week and in the past paid subscriptions to The Washington Post, The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Consumer Reports, and Scientific American. But I also do a quality check on what I read and when there is a problem, change.

Bob Wilson