Algorithm Shift

Earlier this week I went to Facebook to check my notifications and make sure that I was fully caught up on people’s birthdays, what my Facebook friends were eating, and their highly persuasive memes about charged political issues. I immediately noticed, however, that there was something seriously different about my Facebook feed, because it was filled with what appeared to be poorly overdubbed clips from random Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies.

I have no idea why this surprising development occurred, because I’ve never seen a Chuck Norris or JCVD movie, ever, and to my knowledge I hadn’t conducted any searches that might have influenced the Facebook feed algorithms to focus on kung fu. (Not that I have anything against Chuck Norris, of course–no rational person would want to suggest that.) We all understand, however, that Facebook baits you with teaser clips that, if clicked, will result in a new array of non-friend viewing content–but I hadn’t checked out any Walker, Texas Ranger or kickboxing options. So why the new stream?

Still, I have to admit that it was kind of interesting to scroll through the snippets of Chuck Norris and JCVD films. There wasn’t a lot of variation in the plots of the snippets–prototype unkempt bad guys hassle a young woman or old person, Chuck or JCVD then appear, the bad guys cackle and threaten, the hero stands placidly and tells them to stop, the bad guys attack and the unfazed hero kicks–literally–the crap out of them. Bodies go flying through the air, and there always seems to be a plate glass window handy that one of the villains will crash through. The fact that the clips were badly overdubbed by someone whose voice approximated Gilbert Gottfried’s just added to the entertainment value.

The next day, the Chuck Norris and JCVD kung fu content was gone, replaced by Johnny Carson, the Beatles, and Sam Kinison. Another Facebook algorithm shift had occurred, or maybe the Matrix was rebooted, or perhaps Mark Zuckerberg had decided that we all needed at least one look at Chuck Norris badassery. Whatever the reason, I was back to a more normal diet of dinners, dogs, and destinations, and all was right with the world.