Alexa, is HAL 9000 real?

By Rich Smith, 01-17-2018

You can't automate the human touch.

That's an interesting statement, seeing has how the world is becoming more and more automated. DirecTV and Netflix knows what I watch, and sends me suggestions daily. Suggestions that are rather spot on considering my viewing patterns. That's not a person doing it, it's a computer-generated algorithm. I fit into a certain viewer profile and they market to me accordingly. That's how the world works now, like it or not.

But is that what we all truly want? Netfilx didn't tell me I'd like a show called The Fall, a friend and co-worker recommended it. I wouldn't have found it otherwise. It wasn't in the "box" Netfilx thought I belonged in. But we're watching it, and it's very good! Now keep in mind, I don't know everyone's personal taste, so I can't blanket recommend that particular show. But that's the magic of the human element, one that computers can't copy or repeat with 100% success. I am very sure of one thing for myself though: I am very cautious about anything that seems manipulated to obtain an artificial outcome. Meaning, companies can use data to make it appear like you want or need something when it fact it only benefits them. The product to you or the end consumer may not be of any benefit to you at all. I know, commercials have been doing it for years. But I believe we've become smarter as consumers. I see it happening in our industry too. It's up to the individual to discern the difference. Forced content, most of it non-organic paid productions, are slowly creeping into what we do everyday. You know it when you see it, production value costs money. There is nothing real or organic about it. It's paid content for the sake of conversions. (Conversions in our industry equals a nurse accepting a job and signing a contract.)

So how do you separate the produced from the real? I believe the answer is to be as informed as possible. Consume as much information as possible. This is relevant to your job, your purchases as a consumer, and your life in general. The more you know, the easier the answers will become. In time, the over-produced content will look more like a cheesy infomercial, and the real content will speak to you in a real and meaningful way. After all, we're all still real people. Hal 9000 doesn't exist...yet.