Feed Logic

SYSTEM 20 ALGORITHMIC GOVERNANCE
DOMAIN THE SIGNAL

DEFINITION:

The collection of rules, algorithms, priorities, scoring systems, ranking mechanisms, and selection criteria that determine how information, content, messages, media, or recommendations are ordered, displayed, filtered, and distributed within a feed or information stream.

FUNCTION:

Controls visibility by deciding what information is shown, hidden, prioritized, delayed, amplified, suppressed, or recommended within a content environment.

EXAMPLES:

Social media feeds
News feed algorithms
Video recommendation feeds
Search result feeds
Content ranking systems
Personalized information streams
Timeline generation systems

NOTES:

Feed logic may incorporate engagement metrics, personalization signals, ranking scores, predictive models, relevance assessments, popularity indicators, business objectives, moderation systems, and optimization targets. Different feed logics can produce radically different information environments from the same underlying content.

CONTROL TEXT OBSERVATION:

Information abundance creates a visibility problem. Feed logic functions as a visibility-allocation mechanism that determines which information enters awareness and which remains unseen. By controlling ordering, exposure, repetition, and prominence, feed logic shapes attention, perception, behavior, and understanding without directly altering the underlying information itself.