Developer creates endless Wikipedia feed to fight algorithm addiction

https://wikitok.vercel.app/

WikiTok

Not sure if there's an app yet, I found one on the Android store by Arakassia...

Most "apps" are just http web hooks to a regular website backend with extra tracking telemetry. So a website working as a PWA should be enough for everyone.
I hate how everything has to be a fucking app, because it doesn't need to be.
- If phone OSes made it so there's less friction to save a web page as an icon on your desktop it would help to resolve that issue I think.
On android:
Open link in Firefox.
Tap the three dots.
Tap "add to start screen"
There's your app!
- On iOS through Safari:
  Tap the Share icon
  Scroll down a little.
  Add to Home Screen.
  Profit?
I'm still scrolling. Will it ever stop?????
help me.
Seems to work fine as a PWA-esque shortcut on iOS for the time being

endless feed

to fight algorithm addiction

endless

feed

to fight algorithm addiction

Uuuuuh that's not the way to fight an addiction, right? Who is this person working for, exactly?

Think of it as a methadone clinic for doomscrollers.
I don’t think there’s an algorithm involved actually. Just lovely facts.
- Well, there has to be some kind of algorithm. Even picking a random Wikipedia article technically is an algorithm, just not one that adapts to the user

"Some people just wanna watch the world learn."

This is pretty awesome. I do see the need to be able to add categories of interest. Like follow history, the arts, etc. Cool regardless.

"I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm," Gemal told Ars. "And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we're already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can't we just have one little corner in the world without them?"
The developer seems staunchly anti-algorithm but I feel like some sort of filter system would work well. I know nothing about development but the same level of randomosity (it’s a word don’t look it up) but for specific topics would be amazing.
- ;/
  Algorithms themselves are fine. It’s wikipedia. I’d actually use it if it brought me to interesting pages based on a recommender algorithm.

Just found this article that for some reason has me dying of laughter: ICBM address

That's hilarious
If you enjoy this, have a peek at The Jargon File. Classic hacker slang is something else.
- Thank you for this. Very interesting read about hacker speak.
I love this. ICBM address is a very clever joke.

Saw this posted in a ADHD com a few days back. Every comment was just like "oh no...". I opened it and like 20 minutes later realized, oh no. I can and have spent many entire days just reading Wikipedia and following linked subjects. So much so I run out in areas. I can't handle a lot of visual and audio stimulation, short form content is such a nightmare for me, can't watch it. But give me pages of the most dense info and I'm hooked. I just need the option to download every paper referenced from every Wikipedia page I visit.

Would be cool if the official Wikipedia mobile app integrated this functionality! It does have a 'random articles' card, but it's nothing like this.

Not sure 'addiction' is being defeated here, though 😆 Like if I'm addicted to sausages, giving me bacon instead isn't really solving the root of the issue. The issue being those sexy, sexy pigs.

The addiction isn't being defeated, it's just being redirected from something worthless to something useful. Well, at least less useless.

That's actually really cool. I like that the dev has expressed that he doesn't want to make the algorithm addictive and just keep it random 😅

Does it fight algorithm addiction or does it just utilise existing algorithm addiction to give you something slightly more informative?

I would disagree on the "slightly more informative" part. I have used it and in my opinion, it's "highly informative and educational".
It's like what vaping is to nicotine addiction.
Better than the alternative, buttt
- Butt nicotine? What kind of weird stuff you into?
Apparently it doesn't use a personalised algorithm. So I'd say the first one.

Web 1.0 cures web 2.0 again.

It's a neat way to stumble upon interesting information randomly Time is a flat circle

WikiTok > TikTok

I know it needs to maintain the Wiki name for branding purposes, but WikTok meshes better.
- Alternatively WikiToko would be cute

As someone who loved the random article feature and will sometimes peruse Wikipedia at random, this is extremely fascinating to me.

I recall people in the past spending their day reading random Wikipedia trivia. Overal the knowledge is rather useless.

Useless? Knowledge for its own sake is worth pursuing.
- Is it though?
- There is no knowledge that is not power.
Useless knowledge is still better than tiktok https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07067437221082854
- Information > misinformation
As opposed to spending the day reading social media where the knowledge is useful?
Maybe, but you will win more pub quizzes and it's better than brainrot content
Because Tiktok is so much better.

I see the dev don't want recommendation algorithm. All good to avoid the recommendation bubble, but a category/tags might be nice instead of random everything.

This should be gamified. Use an LLM to generate a mini-quiz on the topic to make sure I read it. Give me points for acquiring new useless knowledge, and let me compete with my friends and family.

I like this idea.
I don’t know if I will do anything with it, but I would like to create something like this. Find it hard to develop when I’m not in work, as it feels like work.
- Do it!

This is awesome. :3

If someone made this for TV Tropes, I would never get anything productive done again

I too find this such a nice refreshing take on wikipedia. It’s only been a few days, hope the developer improves it further. I realize some kind of recommendation algorithm opens a pandora’s box, but one can dream

One big thing i hope they add is sorting by topic, so i can have a biology feed, a physics feed...
- they have this already, at least on the app version

I want this, but with high quality news sources. And then sort such that topics are distributed.

I can feel my butthole unclenching already 🥲

I've downloaded the app and left a five star rating. The app works great! Please show support to this developer ❤️

I just installed it and was immediately annoyed by the auto-scrolling feature being turned on by default. Is that really how TikTok works? How does anyone put up with this shit?
- It’s not. You have to enable autoscrolling on TikTok.
- Not sure but i support them for trying. Maybe leave a review and ask the dev to change it.

I'm imagining one of those that feeds you random tvtropes instead

Sadly the design is pretty bad on desktop monitors.

Does it have an algorithm of some kind?

I usually hate them but for something safe like wikipedia i would love to have it tailored to my interests.

Apparently not:
"I have had plenty of people message me and even make issues on my GitHub asking for some insane crazy WikiTok algorithm," Gemal told Ars. "And I had to put my foot down and say something along the lines that we're already ruled by ruthless, opaque algorithms in our everyday life; why can't we just have one little corner in the world without them?"
- I understand their stance but it is a bit sad because if i could tailor it to my interests i absolutely would use it all the time.
  Wikipedia is massive there is way more that i don't want to read then there is that i do.
  Personally i think there is roam for a “not insane, Fully transparent and user controlled” algorithm but also that would take a lot of developer effort.

Having a real grand time adding a song from any musician I hit to a play list. I fucking love Awaz now.

what is the likelihood of it having this or this(Go to Animals section)

You are a Sadist Lmfao

I don't get it, it's pretty lame. Just a list of articles. This would need some kind of flow. Maybe one that is continued depending on what topic one reads. Something. I think, I'll try to make this ...

also needs a way to integrate ads too, oh and dont forget, AI AI AI AI AI
- It was built with AI, so articles will scream about it being a triumph of whatever engine made it.

...so.... content filters when? Let me limit it to certain subjects and I don't need social media anymore 😂