Hur hittade du mig, Whitney Port? Mysteriet med Facebooks algoritm får mig äntligen rätt | Facebook
Whitney Port and her husband Tim Rosenman were surprised when I said I first found their video series on Facebook. Or rather, that it found me.
I wasn’t expecting it myself. Though I mainly use Facebook to keep in touch with family all over the world, I occasionally find myself scrolling through an increasingly chaotic feed. It was there, in the abyss of poorly-produced, off-kilter videos that Port and Rosenman’s reaction series – where they watch and comment on episodes of the MTV hit reality show and my high school-favorite, The Hills – somehow found me.
Episodes of Port and Rosenman’s Facebook show, which are usually 25 minutes, were mysteriously mixed in with the peculiar collection of videos now typical of my feed. The mystery was I don’t follow Port’s Facebook page and have never liked or engaged with The Hills content. And videos suggested to me usually have nothing to do with my interests. Suffice to say, I didn’t expect the Facebook algorithm to surface a years-old era of reality TV I once obsessed over.
With little transparency into how Facebook makes decisions about what to suggest to me, every new episode of Reacting to the Hills pushed to the top of my Facebook feed left me wondering: How’d you find me, Whitney Port? Was it a fluke, or is the algorithm getting better?
The mystery of Facebook’s ad targeting
Facebook doesn’t get me: My feed is overwhelmingly a confusing array of scripted videos of “pranks” and scenarios such as “she POISONS him on their wedding night”. It’s mostly a nuisance.
While I spend most of my reporting unveiling the nefarious ways ad and data tracking can harm you, I loathe to admit it ended up being a nice surprise to be targeted by the algorithm with something I genuinely liked.
For those of you who weren’t avid consumers of the early-aughts MTV reality show universe, the show’s name (or Port’s) might not ring a bell. Its perhaps better-known predecessor, Laguna Beach, followed rich high schoolers in Orange county until one of the protagonists, Lauren Conrad, moved to Los Angeles for an internship. Thus began the multi-season spin-off, The Hills, where we eventually met Port. Now an author and fashion designer, Port was introduced as Conrad’s level-headed and hard-working co-intern. As fans of The Hills might remember, she is the girl who famously did go to Paris. (Kind of.) Rosenman, for his part, is a TV producer, who met Port while working on The City, her Hills-spin-off set in New York, and whose resume also includes work on The X Factor.
It was a simpler time: reality stars were beautiful but not perfect. Some of their lifestyles were enviable but, I thought, attainable. Their drama was juicy but not stressful. Even the Kardashians had day jobs back then.
But I probably wouldn’t have sought out a show I’ve already watched unless Facebook suggested it. Facebook offered little insight into how the reaction show landed on my feed except to say it suggests pages, groups and events based on content I’ve expressed interest in. Taking a look through what Facebook has gleaned as “ad topics” I might be interested in provided some potential hints: mixed in with generic topics like “modern art” and “cosmetics and fashion” – which, sure, that tracks – Facebook wrongly assumed I like reality dating shows Love Island and Bachelors in Paradise.
There’s little transparency around how or why Facebook thought I was interested in those topics. The pages or groups I’ve “liked” offered fewer answers and were largely a mix of former employers, city-specific halal food directories and wedding vendors I’ve worked with.
It’s certainly possible that Facebook’s algorithm has been trained to assume that some combination of interests assigned to me would mean I’d likely enjoy Port and Rosenman’s take on a reality series I watched more than 14 years ago. It’s also possible that the many opaque ways Facebook tracks me across its own apps, like Instagram, and other non-Meta owned websites has revealed my obsession with reality TV.
In the absence of answers, I turned to the only people I thought could explain why I was being visited by this particular ghost of pop culture’s past.
‘We don’t really use Facebook’
The short answer is Port and Rosenman don’t really know.
“We don’t really use Facebook at all,” they said at the end of 2022. Their series started in earnest in the early days of the pandemic and lives on YouTube. They’ve since moved on to rewatch other shows in their universe like The City, Laguna Beach and Siesta Key.
In many ways, Facebook was an afterthought. It wasn’t until Studio 71, a production company that helps creators monetize their online content, suggested they leverage Port’s existing presence “from back when people were doing Facebook” that the couple even considered sharing it there, Rosenman said.
“And they handled most of that,” he said. Studio 71 declined requests for interviews.
Port’s Facebook page is like a time capsule: as far as her 457,000 Facebook followers are concerned, the couple is still in the middle of rewatching The Hills.
Port and Rosenman have never heard from Facebook and say only about a quarter of their ad revenue comes from the Meta-owned platform, so they’re a bit less engaged. “I haven’t gone into the comments section and talked [to followers],” Rosenman said. “It’s just a bandwidth thing.”
They admit their show has niche appeal – folks who weren’t in high school or college when The Hills was airing might not immediately recognize it, much less their names. Still, YouTube took an immediate interest and reached out to help them promote and improve the show soon after they started.
It’s on YouTube that Rosenman, who handles a lot of the promotion and audience engagement, has built up what they describe as a deeply involved community.
“I know it sounds cheesy, but everyone feels really connected and the community has started to really know each other,” Port told me. “In the chat they’ll be like: ‘Oh, Stevie, how was your first date?’ And they’ve never met before.”
After video chatting with them for nearly an hour, it was easy to see why fans might feel particularly drawn to the couple. The couple came to the video call as they were. Rosenman briefly answered the phone from their bed in their Los Angeles home before he got up to get Port, who had on a clay face mask and wore a tan hoodie. They immediately apologized as Port ran off-screen because their son’s play date wasn’t going as well as expected.
It’s hard for me to explain to people who didn’t care about The Hills when they were soft-brained and easily influenced teenagers – like I was – why I’ve been so drawn to their series. But there’s something healing about revisiting a show I watched at that age through the eyes of a cast member who lived through it and her now-husband.
In the videos, Rosenman cracks jokes and asks Port about how certain moments may have been influenced by producers. He plays the role of the viewer, getting answers to some of the burning questions teenage me might have had. And Port continues to be the voice of reason, offering thoughts on the actual motivations of her cast mates and friends or the ways they could’ve handled situations better.
It’s been healing for Port too, she said.
Rewatching the show eased the imposter syndrome she once felt and made her “really grateful for it and took away a little bit of the resentment”, she explained.
“I got on the show when I was 20 years old … and I thought that since I caught this success very young, everything that I got afterwards was a result of being on a TV show and not actually for my talent.”
The couple has two things many co-hosts work years to cultivate: a built-in rapport and the ability to share at times juicy but mostly context-providing behind-the-scenes information about their chosen subject. But most of all, they’re just sitting on their couch in their sweats and musing about the life Port once lived.
“It’s the easiest part of my job,” Port said. “My ideal relaxing, end-of-the-night scenario is sitting on the couch together watching TV. … We get to then have it once or twice a week by filming this show.”
Shotgun shell wedding placeholders that are up for sale are shamed on Reddit as ‘tacky’ and ‘trash’
A Facebook Marketplace listing that’s advertising shotgun shell placeholders for weddings and similar events has set tongues wagging on social media.
The screenshotted listing, which shows two red shotgun shells with a bride and groom place card, has caught the attention of the “Wedding Shaming” subreddit, a 535,400-member Reddit forum where anonymous users shame wedding themes, brides, grooms, guests and vendors.
“Nothing says classy like shotgun shells!” A Reddit user captioned their screenshotted post on Sunday, June 4, which has received more than 750 upvotes and a “tacky” label.
The Facebook Marketplace listing is advertising over 100 shotgun shell placeholders for $100.
“All cement filled for weight to ensure they wouldn’t blow over. Name cards not included in,” the listing explains.
One Reddit user commented on seeing the shotgun shell placeholder listing discussed in a Facebook group — and that the lister is based in New Zealand, so the price is in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
A Facebook Marketplace seller (not pictured) from New Zealand is listing shotgun shell placeholders for sale — which can be used in weddings and similar formal events. (iStock)
“It’s $100NZD, which is like $60USD,” the person wrote. “Not that it makes it any better. I was shocked it was an actual buy/sell group and people were commenting that they were cool.”
Several Reddit users agreed that they found the seller’s asking price to be steep, since it’s a decor project that can be done relatively cheaply.
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Other members of the “wedding shaming” subreddit questioned the possible message a bride and groom might want to send with shotgun shell placeholder.
“Gives a new meaning depth to a shotgun wedding,” one Reddit user wrote.
“How romantic, giving your guests a bullet with their name on it. Literally,” another user wrote.
Said yet another Reddit user, “So trash. I’m sorry if this offends anyone but guns are horrendous things that ruin people’s lives every day.”
“Why do we get the ugly color?”
This same commenter added, “What’s wrong with having harmless flowers? When did a rose or peony ever commit an atrocity at a school?”
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One Reddit user wrote that the placeholders are a “waste [of] reloadable shells” — and questioned why another color wasn’t used for the wrapping of the shotgun shells, such as pink or purple.
Some wedding hosts add name placeholders to tablescapes when there’s arranged seating for guests — while others skip this entirely for open seating. (iStock)
“Why do we get the ugly color?” the user asked.
Not every Reddit user in the “wedding shaming” forum is against the Facebook Marketplace seller’s shotgun placeholders.
“Is it bad that I kind of love it now?” one user wrote. “It’s tacky as hell but it’s a great joke,” the person added.
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“I actually like this for upcycling, and it is one less bullet in the world,” another user wrote.
“I knew someone who did shotgun shells in their wedding that was not cowboy-themed because someone who had passed in the family had actually made their own ammo with those shells and they wanted that member represented in some way,” another user shared. “Actually kind of cool in my opinion.”
Shotgun shell placeholders seem to be a common decor addition in gun-themed weddings. (iStock)
One Reddit user defended people who might find the shotgun shell placeholders appealing for their wedding.
“Oh, come on … Not all of them are bad etc. I honestly think some [people] are just having fun with it ’cause they can,” the user wrote, which earned more than 10 downvotes.
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“It all depends where [you’re] at,” the person added. “I’ve been to weddings where most had [guns] or [were] carrying,” the Reddit user continued.
“It was fun and interesting and they were very nice people.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Facebook Marketplace seller for comment.
Shotgun shell boutonnieres are another gun-themed decor item that grooms and groomsmen have incorporated in nontraditional weddings. (iStock)
The Facebook Marketplace listing was uploaded on Thursday, June 1, in Hastings, Hawke’s Bay, which is an inland city of New Zealand on the east coast of North Island.
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Users of the “wedding shaming” subreddit have generally frowned upon wedding themes that involve guns, including engraved bullet casings, bullet boutonnieres, hunting cake toppers, camouflage attire and wedding portraits with firearm props.
Micro-social media: What is it and which tools should you try?
Handla om seven out of 10 Americans use social media to keep up with each other’s lives, for entertainment, and to stay on top of the news, according to the Pew Research Center. But as many people reach a decade or more of perusing mainstream social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, their attitudes toward social media are shifting.
That’s not to say people are living more of their lives offline, but that people are instead shifting their online presence from general social-networking sites to more niche ones that pander to their interests and encourage online social interaction beyond likes and reposts.
Also: US Surgeon General releases social media health advisory for American teens and tweens
Sites like Twitch, Discord, Reddit, and TikTok encourage people to interact with the content they care about and connect with others, whether they’re talking about food, gaming, movies, or TV shows.
To support this focus on their interests, people are turning to micro-social networks, which are specific to one topic and include fewer users to interact with.
LinkedIn is a mainstream micro-social network because its only purpose is to connect with people about professional topics. BeReal is another example of a micro-social network, as it encourages people to only connect with people they know personally and share updates about their lives.
Also: LinkedIn introduces AI tool to make curating your profile easier
Dörren intill, another micro-social media network, is a digital space where people share updates about local events or happenings.
So, how can you create your own micro-social networking atmosphere online? Group texts that include both iPhone and Android users can be messy and laggy, and private groups on mainstream social media sites exclude those who don’t have an account. Here’s two alternatives.
Create a WhatsApp group
I en WhatsApp group, users can add up to 256 people and control who is in the group. Users can send text messages, GIFs, photos, videos, and documents. And because WhatsApp is available in the Play Store and the App Store, the app is available for iOS and Android.
Also: WhatsApp users can now use Chat Lock to secure private or sensitive chats
WhatsApp is also ideal for any social groups that span borders, as sending messages and making calls internationally on WhatsApp uses your device’s internet connection instead of minutes.
A WhatsApp group is best suited for people who want to mimic a group text without the technical difficulties that can arise for Apple users when texting an Android device.
Create a photo album for sharing
If you’re interested in sharing photos with a group of family or friends, consider creating a shared photo album on Google Photos.
Third-party apps — rather than Apps connected to the device operating system — are better to use in groups of people that mix iPhones and Android phones. That’s because Apple makes a point that only its products, apps, and services work best within its device ecosystem. So, sharing an Apple Photo album with Android users could prove difficult.
Also: How to set up a locked folder in Google Photos on Android
Google Photos works well on iOS; users can share one album with multiple people. Each added person can upload photos, look at photos someone else has uploaded, and leave comments on each photo.
PhotoCircle is another photo-sharing app, but it has an emphasis on sharing shots from an event or occasion. For example, if you’re attending a wedding, you can share photos from the wedding with guests and participants. If you work with people around the country, a shared PhotoCircle album makes it easy to share project-related photos.
Also: 7 ways you didn’t know you can use Bing Chat and other AI chatbots
Users can leave comments on photos shared in a PhotoCircle album, all photos are backed up in PhotoCircle’s cloud, and only people with access to the album can see the shots. Shared photo albums and photo-sharing apps are best for people who prefer sharing photos to sending messages, making calls, or sharing videos.
"Skrämmande": Massachusetts-man avstängd från Facebook efter att ha delat kryptiskt brev om demokratins undergång
A Massachusetts man helped fuel one of the biggest digital dust-ups and social-media mysteries of recent years.
And after he did — Chad Jones then experienced the “terrifying” power of Big Tech titans to silence the voices of ordinary Americans.
He’s now doubling down on his efforts to speak out against tyranny in the digital town square and beyond.
“I went MIA on social media for a while for sharing some pretty innocuous things,” Jones, a venture investor working to bring alternative energy to impoverished nations around the world, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“The idea that they’re stifling voices as part of the normal course of business is terrifying.”
Chad Jones is a venture investor from Massachusetts who is working to bring alternative energy to emerging-market nations. He was banned from Facebook after he shared a mysterious letter from a California judge that spawned a viral social-media debate. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
The social-media soap opera began in 2022 when Jones, originally from California, posted on his personal Facebook page a cryptic letter allegedly written in December 2021 by an 85-year-old retired California judge, Keith M. Alber.
The letter claimed that the current endangered state of American democracy was predicted with frightening accuracy in the 1950s.
The judge’s shocking claim spawned a frenzied reaction on social media.
“The idea that they’re stifling voices as part of the normal course of business is terrifying.”
“My first year of college was 68 years ago,” Alber wrote in a brief letter to The Epoch Times in December 2021.
“One class I took was political science. A half-page of my textbook essentially outlined a few steps to overturn democracy.”
Alber’s letter enumerated those steps: “1) Divide the nation philosophically. 2) Foment racial strife. 3) Cause distrust of police authority. 4) Swarm the nation’s borders indiscriminately and unconstitutionally. 5) Engender the military strength to weaken it. 6) Overburden citizens with more unfair taxation. 7) Encourage civil rioting and discourage accountability for all crime. 8) Control all balloting. 9) Control all media.”
The judge’s letter struck home with many readers, including Jones — who felt the textbook from decades ago predicted the crisis of democracy that the nation faces today.
It also spawned heated debate online — with members of each end of the American political spectrum claiming the other side was responsible for the fascist dystopia outlined by the judge.
Many people, however, doubted the authenticity of the letter, especially with the judge’s failure to cite the name of the textbook.
Snopes.com weighed in, claiming last May that it talked to Alber and that the letter was authentic. Alber died later last year.
But, the outlet wrote, “One of the more popular postings of the article came from a Facebook account named Chad Jones. As of mid-May 2022, that post had been shared more than 11,000 times.”
Jones was unaware that his post had gone viral until Fox News Digital contacted him last week.
“The silent majority is no longer silent like they used to be.”
Meta blocked him from his Facebook account soon after he posted the letter. He couldn’t get access to the post, even as it continued to ignite thousands of responses.
“When I looked at the letter, it really struck me as a variation of Saul Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals,’” said Jones when asked what prompted him to share the letter.
Immigrants from Venezuela cover up during a dust storm at a makeshift immigrant camp located between the Rio Grande and the U.S.-Mexico border fence on May 10, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. A mysterious letter written by a retired California judge in 2021 claims that the country’s open border is part of an effort to end American democracy and was predicted in a 1950s political science textbook. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“The whole basis is to tear down our system and build something new and different, something not aligned with our traditional American concepts of individual freedom and personal liberty.”
Thousands of people agreed with Jones; thousands more did not.
It appeared to be a vigorous public debate.
Yet Jones was silenced for sharing the letter that spawned the discourse and the entire post itself has disappeared since.
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Jones reemerged on Facebook months later with an alternate account.
“It seems that silencing voices in the electronic town square falls right in line with what Alber wrote about,” said Jones.
Meta blocked Jones from his Facebook account … He couldn’t access the post – even as it continued to ignite thousands of responses.
He said the experience has only stiffened his resolve to speak out on social media and other platforms.
He feels that “millions of Americans” learned the same lesson when they were silenced for daring to challenge Anthony Fauci, the federal government and media during the COVID-19 panic.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), helped lead the country’s COVID-19 response in the Trump and Biden administrations. He stepped down in December 2022. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The silent majority is no longer silent like they used to be,” said Jones.
“They’re no longer willing just to take their opinions silently to the voting booth. There are millions of us out there now fighting the effort to silence debate.”
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Jones uses Facebook only socially, he said. So he didn’t suffer any financial or business distress. But he lost plenty personally.
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“The one thing I do miss are the pictures, the memories, the reunion photos. I can’t get back any of it. That kind of sucks,” he said.
“It’s all a little scary because I have kids. What kind of world will they be inheriting if we don’t fight back?”
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