day116 - a new thing
I heard that some startup just built a new app that'll change everything. It uses your social media data to find out which of your "friends" secretly hate you.
I know that sounds like bullshit, but it's simple how they do it.
First, you submit your chat history, which it runs against a deep learning system trained partially by psychologists, and refined by previous users' data. It looks at how often you talk, the tone and content of conversation, and whether the other person seems engaged. Then, it cross references their username with engagement on your posts—how often they comment or like the things you share. Finally, it links into third-party data-aggregation services to collate profiles (mostly collected by advertising analytics companies) on you and your friends' personalities. You can upload additional evidence too, to help increase the results' accuracy. Things like pictures or videos, or even just your interpretation of recent interactions you've had in-person.
Once finished, it prints a list of names and a summary. It doesn't explain why they hate you, it's not a mind-reading machine. But it's pretty accurate, I've heard.
They're in the news lately because their co-founder jumped from the top floor of their San Francisco office building. Several days after she died, a few of her friends and family members received vague apology letters in the mail with her signature at the bottom.
Some conservative pundits are saying she was pushed. That the letters don't prove anything— that their existence actually confirms there was foul play involved. One of them joked that this must be the most heavy-handed "suicide" since Romeo and Juliet.
I read a comment under a clip of his remarks.
"romeo and juliet is just a story. that woman's actually dead."