Instead of the Algorithm

An exploration of social media 'middleware' with guests Marc Faddoul, Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci, and Jonathan Stray. Transcript here.

Recommended reading:

Report of the Working Group on Platform Scale (November 2020)

How to Quiet the Megaphones of Facebook, Google and Twitter (February 2021)

X Algorithm Feeds Users Political Content — Whether They Want It or Not (October 2024)

Suit Against Meta, Using a Tech Shield Law, Is Dismissed (November 2024)

Shaping the Future of Social Media with Middleware (December 2024)

A research agenda for encouraging prosocial behaviour on social media (March 2025)

https://freeourfeeds.com

https://rankingchallenge.substack.com

Clips used with their creators' permission:

Francis Fukuyama: Middleware Could Give Consumers Choices Over What They See Online (November 2021)

Is Middleware the Solution to the Problem of Platform Power? (March 2023) featuring Daphne Keller

Dave Troy Presents: Better Conflict with Jonathan Stray (January 2024)

Jack Dorsey - CEO of Block | Podcast | In Good Company | Norges Bank Investment Management (February 2025)

Episode produced and scored by Dan Fichter (hucklemelon@gmail.com).