January 2017

how instagram’s algorithm favors dishonesty

Published on January 24, 2017February 17, 2018 by fragilemyths15 Comments

Let me just start this off by asking one question: Do you know anyone who likes Instagram’s algorithm?

Exactly.

Instagram was–is–a way for me (and other bloggers) to share our thoughts and opinions within the literary community. I joined at the end of March 2016 (though I had a personal account long before that) and I excitedly watched my account grow slowly over time. It’s not like I started out with 15000 followers on Twitter that I could just casually herd over to my Instagram account. No, I literally started with a follower count of zero.

Over the course of many months, I built a framework of trust and friendship with like-minded people, and we’ve happily discussed all things bookish. I was chosen to be a brand representative for businesses I truly cared about, such as Burning Pages Candles, Authored Adornments, Till and Dill, and Bookified Designs. And I was able to further expand on my sphere of influence by becoming a Lit Without Limits ambassador.

When Instagram announced that it would start adding in advertisements to my newsfeed, I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it, but I understood the reasons behind the new addition. For so long, Instagram had been a free platform for virtually anyone and everyone with access to the internet. Of course they would eventually find a way to monetize it. It was bound to happen. It made sense.

And when rumors of an algorithm started circulating our literary circles, I continued what I had always done–dutifully reviewing books, uploading high quality photos, answering comments and liking photos. I never asked my followers to turn on post notifications so that they wouldn’t miss my posts when the new algorithm was implemented.

But like so many other bloggers and avid bookstagrammers, I noticed a steep drop in engagement. A lot less likes. Even less comments.

It seems petty to be worried about the number of likes and comments each post gets, but for those of us who put in an enormous amount of time and effort into producing quality content, it’s extremely discouraging. For me, every photo is a labor of love. I utilize the creative side of me to come up with a setup before I actually start shooting. The picture-taking part is only the easy bit. After I’m satisfied with the pictures I’ve taken, I import them into my laptop and take time to make some basic edits. I then email the photos to myself and edit them through three different apps on my phone. Each photo I post goes through endless scrutiny. But that’s not all! There’s the dreaded clean-up process. I have to put all my books and props back to where they belong.

To be perfectly honest, I spend way more time than I should on bookstagram. When that invested time and energy seems to go to waste, it makes me reevaluate whether or not I should be trying so hard to cater to my audience. Why should I, when there’s no way that most of my followers would see my posts unless they are favored by Instagram’s algorithm?

So basically all of my posts will be buried underneath all the more “popular” posts. The only way to circumvent that is for my photo to immediately gain likes and comments as soon as it goes live. If that latest post doesn’t attract a lot of interaction right away, it’s going to be pushed down the newsfeed that has long since abandoned the much-loved chronological order.

I ended up spending a lot of time trying to gauge the right time to post, when interaction would be optimized at its highest. I researched and experimented with different hashtags to determine which ones were more likely to make others notice my photos. I joined a comment group, where each of us in the group could notify each other whenever we posted a photo, so that all of us could quickly double tap and comment, boosting interaction and convincing Instagram’s algorithm that the new post was “popular.” But this was exhausting and even more time consuming than ever. This was definitely not what I joined Instagram for. (Frankly, the whole popularity contest thing is so old. Instagram is not middle school or high school.)

Others ended up buying likes in an attempt to boost the popularity of their latest photo. Yes, you read that correctly. Buying.

It’s ridiculously easy. You post, buy hundreds of likes off of a website of questionable repute, and then suddenly Instagram and its beloved pet algorithm believe that because you’re suddenly gaining tons of likes per minute, your newest photo is so incredibly popular! The algorithm, believing it is Instagram’s gift to the online world, will put your latest post on top of your followers’ newsfeeds so that they will see it and add even more “popularity” to it by liking and commenting.

Sounds like a great solution, right? Zero research needed. Minimal time commitment. Your account might just be even more popular than it started out!

NO.

It’s deceptive. In other words, THE ALGORITHM FAVORS THE DISHONEST. Not the popular. Not the ordinary bloggers. Not you and me. I cannot emphasize this enough.

If you are dishonest enough to buy likes and followers, you are deceiving the businesses you promote and the people who work with you. Your “likers” could all be spam accounts, and the algorithm wouldn’t know shit. You can promise the businesses you promote that you will bring them benefits, but in the end they are deceived by your fake interaction that brings nothing. Small businesses often rely on their brand representatives to promote their products and spread the word about them. By faking your interaction, it hurts small businesses as much as it hurts honest bloggers.

The algorithm rewards honest bloggers for their time, energy, creativity, and arduous planning with low organic interaction. I know many bloggers who are discouraged when less than 20% of their followers actually see their posts, myself included. Those who pay for their interaction ultimately hurt those who are not spending money on shady sites. The algorithm puts smaller accounts at a terrible disadvantage and stymies their potential for growth, while continuously promoting larger accounts that already have a substantial following. I mean, how is an account like mine, with roughly 8000 followers (granted, I know I should not be complaining too much because there are plenty of accounts that are even smaller), supposed to compete with one that has over 100k followers and gets 400 likes a minute? Mathematically speaking, I can’t!

It used to be that I absolutely LOVED interacting with the bookstagram community. It was a constant source of joy. Of course, I still love it to an extent, but the fact that I have to literally search people up to like their posts or do all the other crazy stuff I mentioned earlier in order to prevent my photos from underperfoming really ruins part of the experience for me.

One other thing that irks me is this: Why does Instagram get to decide what I want to see and what I don’t? If I follow someone, doesn’t that mean that I want to see their content?

It just doesn’t make an ounce of sense to me.

I spent a lot of time collecting my thoughts on this. Please, please don’t be one of those people who buy fake followers and likes. Don’t ruin it for everyone. Dealing with the algorithm is already annoying enough.

And please feel free to share this post. It was definitely more rant-like than my usual cheeriness, but I really needed to get this all out. More people deserve to know about the messy intricacies of how Instagram’s algorithm works, especially small businesses who are struggling.

Instagram is my favourite platform, and I am so grateful that it has given me the chance to build friendships with readers from all over the world. I don’t want to lose out to something as silly as fake interaction or a useless algorithm.

13 reasons why (i read)

Published on January 20, 2017January 20, 2017 by fragilemyths8 Comments

Two months ago, when I finally decided to cut my past-waist-length Rapunzel hair, I brought The Architect of Song with me to the hair salon.

I opened my book and barely a minute later, a young girl who couldn’t have been older than 11 immediately exclaimed, “EW! Why do you read?!”

I thought I heard wrong. Seriously. Because how could I not read?

I can give you Thirteen Reasons Why I read. (Hi, Jay Asher.)

My parents. I am extremely fortunate in that both my father and mother are avid readers as well. Even before I could read on my own, my dad would read short children’s stories to me every night before bed. And when I was a little older, my mum would take me to the local library every weekend to pick out a stack of thirty books that I could hardly carry myself. Their philosophy is that…
Reading fuels the brain. It keeps your brain active! It makes you think, feel, laugh, cry, and just about everything in between.
I read to enjoy and explore a world that is not my own. Through reading, I can live vicariously through my favourite kickass heroines or immerse myself in the rich complexities of another era.
There’s a lot to learn from reading. It’s not just about building up your SAT vocabulary bank, or even refining your writing. Literature educates you about the human experience as a whole, and it allows us to take a look at our lives through a wider lens of understanding.
It’s a way to de-stress. For me, reading is necessity. I typically read a little before heading to bed. (old habits from childhood die hard?) It helps me unwind after a long day, and it’s a perfect way to relax before going to sleep!
It’s a means of escape. Sometimes, when I hit a rough patch in my life or a particularly terrible day, reading becomes my chief solace. I forget about my life and my surroundings and let myself be drawn into a story, as if I’m a silent character observing and following the main cast.
Reading is infinitely more interesting than TV. I mean, of course I binge watch shows and anime, but not all the time! And when I do, it’s always on my laptop. TV has never been appealing to me.
It starts conversations. Having knowledge from reading scholarly works can automatically make an intellectual conversation more engaging and interesting. Reading fictional accounts can spark conversations among social circles, with friends. It’s even better when others have read a certain book too, so you can all fangirl together! So yes, I’d say that reading has the potential to expand your social skills. Not all of us are introverts!
It improves focus and concentration. Reading takes time. I often hear my classmates complain about not being able to finish assigned reading because it was too boring and too long. It takes a considerable amount of focus to read and continue reading, but if you can sit it out, you’re bound to improve your concentration!
It sparks imagination. Reading makes me think. That’s why I write reviews and put my thoughts online. Hell, it even inspired me to start blogging!
Reading is easy to do! All you need is a good book and a source of light. Optional: a hot mug of green tea.
I read to understand different perspectives. This is especially true nowadays, with the push for more diversity in literature, especially YA lit. In my 7 am literature class, we are currently discussing poetry written by people of different race, beliefs, experiences, and ideas. So although I don’t agree with William Butler Yeats’ version of the “ideal woman” (from A Prayer for My Daughter; I believe his thinking is rather antiquated), I can still understand that he simply wants his young child to grow up with peace and innocence, unmarred by the tumultuous world.
So why do I read? Perhaps the simplest answer is the best one. Why not?

big-blonde-book-books-favim-com-2329795 — photo credit: Google images

Why do YOU read? Do tell me, I’d love to know!

sherlock season 4!

Published on January 10, 2017January 12, 2018 by fragilemythsLeave a comment

FINALLY. THE LONG-ANTICIPATED FOURTH SEASON OF MY FAVOURITE SHOW IS HERE.

I watched episodes 1 and 2 last night, and I personally thought episode 2 was better. More on that later.

The first episode, The Six Thatchers, was nothing short of amazing. It was an unforgettable, heart-wrenching opening to a new season. It was even a little creepy, with the shots of the broken busts and the skulls. Quite macabre, if you ask me. I only have one teeny tiny complaint about season 4’s first episode:

IT WAS EMOTIONAL. TOO EMOTIONAL.

What happened to the cold, hard logic of my favourite high-functioning sociopath? I wish there had been more detective and case-busting, (hahah) and I felt that The Six Thatchers had more emotional elements to it than necessary. I wanted more of Sherlock’s fascinating mind palace. I wanted to hear him voice his observations more often. (I don’t think John would agree.) I wanted Sherlock to be the detective I love so much. But instead…

tumblr_inline_oau9fq8k4w1r89c10_500 — this is the expression that was on my face

*spoilers ahead*

The scene with the most emotional impact was of course, Mary’s killing blow. I had to literally pause for a second to catch my breath and then let out a small scream of frustration! WHY?! WHYYYYYY??!! Oh, my dear Watson, my heart breaks for you. The feels are still pounding in waves over me:

I wanted to slap Sherlock for goading Vivienne into using her pistol. Ugh, Sherlock, I love you and your brilliant mind, but did you have to do that? Especially when Mary said in that voice and tone, “Sherlock,” like three times! Even though I love it when Sherlock unleashes his observational powers, sometimes I do sympathize with John and his irritation with Sherlock’s arrogance and tendency to show off.

So with a heavy heart, I watched the second episode and I literally want to SCREAM MY LUNGS OUT because WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING?! You can’t seriously expect me to wait a whole entire week for the finale. I’m not sure I’ll live that long, truthfully, not with this enormous storm of feels brewing ominously in my brain.

The second episode, The Lying Detective, took a dark turn towards a “living, breathing coagulation of human evil” in the form of its villain, Culverton Smith (Toby Jones). The best word I can use to describe Smith is creepy. His ease in the morgue with cadavers was morbid. The fact that he killed people in a hospital that he loved and supported…well, that was a nice touch to his macabre agenda. Even his toothy smile was downright bone-chilling. *shudders* However, because Smith was so convincingly portrayed as a complete psycho, I couldn’t take my eyes off the TV screen. He makes Moriarty look tame.

And I just don’t know about that cheesy “cereal killer” pun. I just don’t know. What I do know is that I won’t be making that joke again. Ever.

I’m also not entirely convinced that Sherlock didn’t recognize his own sister, Eurus. The only explanations that make sense to me are 1) He was plotting with his sister the whole time, which explains why he wasn’t at all surprised to see her with Watson because he’d planned it. You’d think that after not seeing his sister in years that he’d express some kind of reaction. Or 2) Sherlock usually fixates himself on noticing small details about a person, not necessarily his/her face alone. So maybe, just maybe, that’s why he didn’t recognize her face.

But to think that all this time, I thought the third Holmes sibling was a brother named Sherrinford! I had my suspicions that the drug addict Sherlock previously found in a drug den was the third Holmes brother, because Billy (is that his name?) has some pretty solid observational skills, reminiscent of Sherlock and Mycroft’s own abilities. Additionally, Mycroft made it sound like he and Sherlock had another brother when Mycroft mentioned previously in another season that “[he’s] not prone to outbursts of brotherly compassion. You know what happened to the other one.”

The Lying Detective raises so many questions in my head. Why and how did Sherlock predict that Molly, Watson, and Smith would end up at Eurus’ place? I’m calling bullshit on his “two weeks” prediction. What if he arranged the whole thing with his sister? Because how could Sherlock, observational mastermind, not notice his own sister?! Where does Sherrinford (Mycroft’s post-it note: “Call Sherrinford, 2 pm”) factor into all of this? And one more question: HOW DID EURUS KNOW ABOUT FAITH SMITH AND WHAT SHE WROTE DOWN BEFORE HER FATHER ERASED HER MEMORY?

My favourite part in all of season 4 so far has to be when Mrs. Hudson shows up, speeding in a wicked beautiful Aston Martin with Sherlock handcuffed in the trunk and a police officer on her tail. And then…

Mrs. Hudson: (to John Watson) “If you ever need anything, ANYTHING, just ask.”

Watson: //scheming face// “Can I borrow your car…sometimes?”

Mrs. Hudson: *purses lips and frowns* “No.”

Watson: *shoots her with a perplexed look*

But then some time later, when Watson has to race to the hospital to save Sherlock…

Mrs. Hudson: *tosses keys to Watson*

Watson: //confused face//

Mrs. Hudson: “CAR”

I laughed until my eyes leaked tears and my cheeks hurt! Mrs. Hudson was so full of surprises, and I’m not even going to mention what she did to get Sherlock into the trunk of her Aston Martin. I can’t wait to see what role she plays in season 4’s finale.

I really hope that Sherlock will be renewed for a fifth season because I can’t seem to ever get enough of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective. Benedict Cumberbatch is an insanely talented actor (I was amazed at the scene where he runs around trashing his apartment like a madman and waving his gun at photos of Culverton Smith) and so far, his stellar performances in these two new episodes have me convinced that the season finale will be far darker and action-packed than anything I’ve seen before in previous episodes and seasons.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the new season of Sherlock?

The Irene Adler (she is briefly mentioned in episode 2!) necklace and 221B Baker Street cuff bracelet featured in this post were both made by Julie from Authored Adornments. You can use code BOOKSHOP upon checkout to receive 10% off your order from her etsy shop!

hello, 2017!

Published on January 1, 2017January 2, 2017 by fragilemyths10 Comments

Happy New Year, my friends! I hope you’re all enjoying the festivities and fireworks. May 2017 bring you all things good.

To be frank, 2016 was quite a whirlwind. Many people might be inclined to say that it was absolute shit, but I disagree. Why focus on the negative aspects of 2016, like the deaths of our beloved Alan Rickman and Carrie Fisher? Or the hate that has practically torn apart our country? Now, that’s not to say that we should overlook and dismiss these events simply because they are in the past, but rather, we should focus on the positives and propel ourselves forward.

I’d like to focus on one word for 2017: POTENTIAL.

po·ten·tial /pəˈten(t)SHəl/

(adjective) having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future

(noun) latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness

We have potential. Heck, even electricity has “potential.” (Electric potential? Where are my physics nerds? hah.) Point is, everything has potential. 2017 has the potential to be great or…not-so-great. It depends entirely on you and what you make of it.

There are a lot of things that I’m looking forward to in 2017, namely:

the Beauty and the Beast live-action film
graduating high school and setting off for college
traveling with friends and family
SHERLOCK SEASON 4
Hamilton’s West End debut in LA
release of A Court of Wings and Ruin

I typically don’t make New Year’s resolutions because let’s be pragmatic here, they’re usually not fulfilled. And also because I think that the drive to complete a goal should be present year round, not just at the beginning of the year. Still, I believe it’s healthy to set a few personal goals for self-growth every year. Some of my own objectives for the upcoming year include:

reading another 100 books for my Goodreads challenge
making at least three new friends
quitting my disgusting nail-biting habit
traveling to a new country + visiting a new place
writing and journaling on a daily basis (or at least every other day)
learning to cook at least 10 different dishes

Unfortunately, the we don’t live in Cinderella’s world, where everything changes at the stroke of midnight. We can never forget the tumultuous events of the past year, but what we can do is move on and forge new memories and relationships. The new year brings new beginnings and allows us a chance to start fresh. I encourage all of you to set goals and pursue them! And above all, never ever let the hard days win. Have a little faith, and focus on the positive side of things and on your potential to be a part of the goodness in the world.

Let’s make 2017 good for all of us.