SEO cheat codes and oppressive algorithms

A cheat code is defined as

"A line of text or series of commands which can be used to change a game's behavior, alter a character's looks and abilities, skip levels, or access other hidden features."

Gaming the system (also referred to as gaming the rules, bending the rules, abusing the system, cheating the system, milking the system, playing the system, or working the system) is innate in some of us. Humans love cheat codes.

What is an algorithm?

Informally, an algorithm is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value, or set of values, as input and produces some value, or set of values, as output. An algorithm is thus a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output. 

Source: Thomas H. Cormen, Chales E. Leiserson (2009), Introduction to Algorithms 3rd edition.

At its core, an algorithm is a series of steps that we take to make a decision or solve a problem. That's a much more pertinent definition of what an algorithm is (at least in my opinion).

Here's how an algorithm works:

1. It should be finite. It should end by solving the problem it was designed to solve. If it never ends trying to solve said problem, it’s useless.
2. It should have well defined instructions. Each step has to be precisely defined. Instructions should be unambiguously specified for each case. 
3. It should be effective. It should solve the problem it was designed to solve. 

Algorithms are pervasive

We rely more and more on algorithms to help us get through the day. They help us make decisions and make our lives easier. They solve so many problems which we wouldn’t have the luxury to think through. Algorithms help us: an algorithm is a more objective way of solving a problem. They bring rigor to human decision making.

So, why do some of us deliberately fuck with great problem solving tools?

Because we like gaming the system. Here's what I mean by gaming the system:

Using the rules and procedures meant to protect a system in order, instead, to manipulate the system for a desired outcome.

The first recorded use of the term "gaming the system" dates back to 1975. It was used in a systems engineering conference in Las Vegas.

Source: Systems Engineering Conference Proceedings, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 19-21, 1975

But here's a brief chronology of the topic at hand: we've been doing it since ancient times.

Why do we fuck with algorithms?

Because it's fun: we take pride in influencing outcomes. That's what search engine optimization is all about for some of us.

Because we don’t feel the solution provided is good enough. That's why I got into the game. I wasn't happy with the results offered by search engines and wanted to make a difference.

Because it makes money. We stand to gain from dictating the results. That much is obvious.

Google bombing can be for fun, for profit or to make a statement. In 1999 & 2000, searching for “more evil than Satan himself” got you Microsoft.com as a result. One of the many ways I see humans perpetuating this type of behavior is right in the Reddit comments. Here is a thread in Reddit from a few days ago:

If you want to know more about Google Bombing, check out this short article. Here are some Google Bombs that work to this day:

1. What is the answer to the universe and everything? 42.
2. What car does Jesus drive? A Honda.
3. Is Google God? SERPs point to yes.

Gaming vs Working the System

Working within the system is seen as positive because it is to maximize your results. 

Gaming implies abusing the rules to gain an unfair advantage or an outcome for which the system was never intended.

However, the most common algorithms in our lives are proprietary black boxes. Algorithms are built by humans and our biases can be passed on when we code.

Algorithms are now so widespread, and so subtle, that they sometimes function as a form of “social control.”

This quote is from an article that was written almost a decade ago. Today, the situation has dramatically evolved.

The communications researcher Christian Sandvig has called this “corrupt personalization,” the idea that personalization pretends to serve you, when it’s actually serving some corporate motive at your expense.

“Corrupt personalization” is the idea that personalization pretends to serve you, when it’s actually serving a motive at your expense.

“To be is to be perceived.” - George Berkeley

Many people game social media and search engine algorithms to gain influence and for profit. As humans, we will always strive to bend the rules because we feel entitled to work or game the system. The problem with this is that some of us are obligated to game the system because the system never intended to include us. Others simply feel entitled to work the system because this is what it is here for. I'm thinking of Andrew Tate, Elon Musk and many others who successfully do this.

I don't know what the future holds but it looks more and more like humans are learning to adapt and mess with the system in place. If you liked this article and want to see a talk I gave on this topic, here's a short version of my talk on the topic.