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There is No Algorithm for Truth - with Tom Scott

The Royal Institution · talk · Watch on YouTube

Scientific method & science communicationFuturism & technology and societyMedia, journalism & propaganda

What it is

Tom Scott's Royal Institution discourse on science communication in the age of social media, how recommendation algorithms shape popularity, and why view counts can matter more than truth. It includes a segment on parasocial relationships.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN returns to it in discussions of algorithmic feeds, misinformation and parasocial relationships, as a clear and thoughtful talk.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “Tom Scott made a good attempt recently”

    Tom Scott's talk on why algorithmic approaches to truth are a bad idea

    pdkl95, 2019-11 · Recommendation · in “Algorithms were supposed to make VA judges fairer: it's far more complicated”

  2. “did a really good segment on the parasocial relationship as part of his talk to the Royal Institution”

    Good segment on parasocial relationships within Tom Scott's Royal Institution talk

    codefreeordie, 2022-05 · Recommendation · in “Parasocial Relationships: Imaginary Friends of the Social Network Age”

  3. “RIYL: Tom Scott's There Is No Algorithm For Truth [1] delivered to the Royal Society in October 2019.”

    Tom Scott's 2019 talk on algorithms and truth, suited to feed critics

    nativeit, 2025-03 · Recommendation · in “Kill your Feeds – Stop letting algorithms dictate what you think”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: social media, algorithms, science communication, parasocial relationships, tom scott

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