The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price.

Meta announced on Tuesday a new Facebook algorithm update that will showcase more Reels videos tailored to users’ preferences. The update includes features that offer users greater control over the ...

A new study published in Nature has found that X's algorithm—the hidden system or "recipe" that governs which posts appear in your feed and in which order—shifts users' political opinions in a more ...

Instagram is rolling out a new update that addresses a long-standing frustration among users. The Reels algorithm is finally becoming more transparent and customizable. Users can now manually select ...

Hamza Tariq has received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC) of Canada. University of Waterloo provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA. University ...

Many companies are searching for tools to help them hire diverse, productive workforces. Even if diversity is not the main hiring goal, they may want to ensure they’re not overlooking talented ...

Everyone seems to agree that social media has become a cesspit, with cancel-culture mobs enforcing ideological purity on one side and trolls spreading conspiracy theories on the other. X and Facebook ...

Courtney Gibbons is affiliated with the Association for Women in Mathematics and the American Mathematical Society. You might remember learning about the quadratic formula to figure out the solutions ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you’ve been making the same commute for a long time, you’ve probably settled on what seems like the best route. But “best” is a ...