How Do Apps Decide What We See Next?

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1. 01How Do Apps Decide What We See Next?

   Good evening, everyone. Last month, I watched one video about bread baking. The next day, my whole feed was bread. How did the app know? Today, I'll explain, in simple terms, how recommendation systems decide what we see.

   大家晚上好。上个月，我看了一个关于烤面包的视频。第二天，我的整个首页全都是面包。这个应用是怎么知道的呢？今天，我会用简单的话来解释推荐系统是怎样决定我们看到什么内容的。

2. 02What Is a Recommendation System?

   A recommendation system is a computer program that tries to predict what you'll want to watch, read, or buy next. Video apps, music apps, and online shops all use them.

   推荐系统是一种计算机程序，它会试着预测你接下来想看什么、读什么或买什么。视频应用、音乐应用和网上商店都在使用它。

3. 03Signal 1: What You Do

   The first type of information is your own behavior: what you click, how long you watch, what you like or share, and even what you skip. Watching a video to the end is often a strong signal.

   第一类信息是你自己的行为：你点了什么、看了多久、点赞或分享了什么，甚至你跳过了什么。把一个视频看到最后，往往是一个很强的信号。

4. 04Signal 2: People Like You

   The second idea is comparing you with similar people. If many people who watched the same videos as you also enjoyed something else, the system may guess you'll enjoy it too.

   第二个思路是把你和相似的人进行比较。如果很多和你看过同样视频的人也喜欢另一个内容，系统就可能会猜你也会喜欢它。

5. 05The Good Side

   This can be very helpful. I've discovered great music and useful cooking videos that I would never have found by myself.

   这可能非常有用。我发现了很多很棒的音乐和实用的烹饪视频，要是靠我自己，可能永远也找不到它们。

6. 06The Risks

   But there are risks. If the system only shows us more of what we already like, our view of the world can become narrower. And because many apps want us to keep watching, it's easy to lose track of time.

   但这也有风险。如果系统只给我们看更多我们已经喜欢的东西，我们看世界的视野就可能会变窄。而且，因为很多应用都希望我们一直看下去，所以我们很容易忘记时间。

7. 07Taking Back Control

   The good news is that we can influence what we see. Search for new topics on purpose, use the "not interested" button, and follow people with different opinions. Our actions teach the system.

   好消息是，我们可以影响自己看到的内容。有意识地去搜索新的话题，使用“不感兴趣”按钮，并关注那些有不同观点的人。我们的行为会教会这个系统。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, recommendation systems learn from what we do and from people like us. They can open doors or close them. Remember: while the app is learning about you, you're also training it. Thank you.

   最后，推荐系统会从我们的行为和与我们相似的人身上学习。它们可以为我们打开一扇门，也可以把门关上。请记住：在应用了解你的同时，你也在训练它。谢谢大家。