HSK 6 · Native stories

算法时代的孤独 · Loneliness in the Age of Algorithms

Suànfǎ Shídài de Gūdú — Reflections from inside the recommendation feed.

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Every word shows its pinyin above the characters. The English translation follows each line.

每天měi tiān早晨,zǎochénzuòde第一件dì yī jiàn事,shìshì打开dǎkāi手机。shǒujī

Every morning, the first thing I do is open my phone.

算法suànfǎ精准jīngzhǔndexiùchū每一种měi yì zhǒng偏好。piānhào

The algorithm precisely sniffs out my every preference.

zhǐtuīgěixiǎngkànde内容。nèiróng

It pushes me only the content I want to see.

渐渐jiànjiàn意识到,yìshí dào自己zìjǐbèikùnzài所谓suǒwèi"信息xìnxī茧房"jiǎnfáng中。zhōng

I gradually realize I'm trapped in a so-called "information cocoon."

不同bùtóngde声音,shēngyīnbèi系统xìtǒng自动zìdòng过滤guòlǜ掉。diào

Different views are filtered out by the system.

měi个人gèréndōu活在huó zài自己zìjǐ"完美"wánměidexiǎo世界。shìjiè

Everyone lives inside their own "perfect" little world.

然而,rán'ér这种zhè zhǒng"完美"wánměi中,zhōngcángzhe前所未有qián suǒ wèi yǒude孤独。gūdú

Yet within this "perfection" lies a never-before-seen loneliness.

也许yěxǔ我们wǒmenquēde不是bú shì信息,xìnxī而是ér shì面对miànduì陌生mòshēngde勇气。yǒngqì

Maybe what we lack is not information, but the courage to face the unfamiliar.

做过zuò guo一个yí ge实验,shíyàn推荐tuījiàn关掉guān diào一个星期。yí ge xīngqī

I once ran an experiment and turned the recommendations off for a week.

那几天nà jǐ tiānhěn不习惯,bù xíguànxiàng走进zǒu jìnle陌生mòshēngde城市。chéngshì

Those days felt very strange, like walking into an unfamiliar city.

看到kàndàole很多hěn duō平时píngshí不会bú huì点开diǎn kāide东西。dōngxi

I saw a great many things I would never normally have opened.

有些yǒu xiēràng不舒服,bù shūfu有些yǒu xiēràng重新chóngxīn思考。sīkǎo

Some made me uncomfortable; some made me think again.

算法suànfǎzuì可怕kěpàde地方,dìfang不是bú shìpiàn你。

The frightening thing about an algorithm is not that it deceives you.

而是ér shìtàidǒng你,懂到dǒng dào不再bú zài需要xūyào选择。xuǎnzé

It is that it understands you so well you no longer need to choose.

以为yǐwéi那是nà shì你的nǐ de口味,kǒuwèi其实qíshíshì训练出来xùnliàn chūlái的。de

You think that is your taste, when in fact it was trained into you.

我们wǒmen每一次měi yí cì停留,tíngliú每一次měi yí cì划过,huá guòdōuzàijiāo它。

Every pause of ours, every swipe past, is teaching it.

然后ránhòu我们wǒmen教出来jiāo chūláide东西,dōngxizàiwèi回给huí gěi我们。wǒmen

Then it feeds what we taught it straight back to us.

zhèshì一个yí ge越转yuè zhuàn越紧yuè jǐnde圈。quān

It is a circle that winds tighter the longer it turns.

yào走出去,zǒu chūqù可能kěnéngzhǐ需要xūyào一点yìdiǎn不方便。bù fāngbiàn

Getting out of it may take no more than a little inconvenience.

Vocabulary in this story (121 words)

WordPinyinMeaning
每天měi tiānevery day
早晨zǎochénmorning
I
zuòdo
de(of)
第一件dì yī jiànfirst
shìthing
shìis
打开dǎkāiopening
手机shǒujīmy phone
算法suànfǎthe algorithm
精准jīngzhǔnprecisely
de(adverbial)
xiùsniffs
chūout
每一种měi yì zhǒngevery kind of
偏好piānhàopreference
it
zhǐonly
tuīpushes
gěito
xiǎngwant
kànto see
内容nèiróngcontent
渐渐jiànjiàngradually
意识到yìshí dàorealize
自己zìjǐmyself
bèihave been
kùntrapped
zàiin
所谓suǒwèia so-called
信息xìnxīinformation
茧房jiǎnfángcocoon
zhōngin
不同bùtóngdifferent
声音shēngyīnvoices
系统xìtǒngthe system
自动zìdòngautomatically
过滤guòlǜfiltered
diàoout
měievery
个人gèrénperson
dōuall
活在huó zàilives in
完美wánměiperfect
xiǎosmall
世界shìjièworld
然而rán'érhowever
这种zhè zhǒngthis kind of
cánghides
zhe(continuous)
前所未有qián suǒ wèi yǒuunprecedented
孤独gūdúloneliness
也许yěxǔperhaps
我们wǒmenwe
quēlack
不是bú shìis not
而是ér shìbut rather
面对miànduìfacing
陌生mòshēngthe unfamiliar
勇气yǒngqìcourage
做过zuò guoonce ran
一个yí gean
实验shíyànexperiment
(object marker)
推荐tuījiànthe recommendations
关掉guān diàoturned off
一个星期yí ge xīngqīfor a week
那几天nà jǐ tiānthose days
hěnvery
不习惯bù xíguànwas unaccustomed
xiànglike
走进zǒu jìnwalking into
le(past)
城市chéngshìa city
看到kàndàosaw
很多hěn duōa great many
平时píngshínormally
不会bú huìwould not
点开diǎn kāiopen
东西dōngxithings
有些yǒu xiēsome
ràngmade
不舒服bù shūfuuncomfortable
重新chóngxīnanew
思考sīkǎothink
zuìmost
可怕kěpàfrightening
地方dìfangaspect
piàndeceives
you
tàitoo well
dǒngunderstands
懂到dǒng dàounderstands to the point that
不再bú zàino longer
需要xūyàoneed
选择xuǎnzéto choose
以为yǐwéithink
那是nà shìthat is
你的nǐ deyour
口味kǒuwèitaste
其实qíshíin fact
训练出来xùnliàn chūláitrained out
每一次měi yí cìevery
停留tíngliúpause
划过huá guòswipe past
jiāoteaching
然后ránhòuthen
教出来jiāo chūláitaught out
zàiagain
wèifeeds
回给huí gěiback to
zhèthis
越转yuè zhuànthe more it turns
越紧yuè jǐnthe tighter
quāncircle
yàoto
走出去zǒu chūqùwalk out of it
可能kěnéngmay
一点yìdiǎna little
不方便bù fāngbiàninconvenience

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