How to Train Your Algorithm to Pass the Bechdel Test
My friends are often bemused by how easily distracted I am by the presence of an advertisement in my line of sight. All of the sudden, my senses dial back and I cannot process any of my own thoughts or feelings besides monitoring what this marketing department wanted to convey to their target audience, who that target audience seems to be, how much did that ad spot cost for that amount of run time?
My best theory of why I chose to hyperfixate on advertising (even to the point of getting a Marketing “Consumer Insights” internship to learn what data businesses were using to make advertising decisions) is because my freshman year English teacher suggested I read the book Feed by M.T. Anderson early on and am always thinking about the scene where the teenage main characters plan a hangout around “scamming” the new Coca-Cola campaign that promises a drop shipped drone delivery of a six-pack of Coke to anyone who says the words “Coca-Cola” 100 times where their internet microchip is able to hear them.
But, after ten minutes of “I could sure go for the cold taste of Coca-Cola! I love me some Coca-Cola! Nothing better than Coca-Cola in the afternoon!” instead of getting a fast one over the advertisers, the group finds themselves thirsty for a Coke themselves and head to the store to buy a bottle each.
It’s soft power. Subliminal messaging. All about worming into your subconscious so when you think of the sensation ‘hungry’ you remember the tagline “You’re not you, when you’re hungry. Eat a Snickers!” And I like to know what’s out there! What should I eat when I’m hungry? Big colorful box in the sky please tell me! What are the pretty girls eating and wearing and wanting these days? I love looking at pretty girls and buying what they buy. It feels like exercising my consumer power to vote with my dollar and my attention.
This is part of the reason I am so rah-rah books and audiobooks instead of spending time on podcasts, tv shows or movies. Anything I look at online, my ears immediately perk up for what they are trying to sell me. It’s easier to trust the printed voices of the dead to have no less the ulterior motive for my attention than what is promised on the cover.
- Hit Uninterested on male content creators
- Like, comment, and subscribe to the cure girlies
- Get offline!!
How can we solve the data gaps in the places we care about? Make data!! Think of every way I am a part of an aggregate spreadsheet in a data warehouse somewhere and make my data point count how I want it to.
I am so certain that everything I’m doing now is something that brings me tremendous joy. Small joys. Ones I know I can count on when my brain is too distracted to count. Hot tea in packaging I like to look at, out of a mug given to me by someone special.