The algorithm has won. The most powerful social, video, and shopping platforms have all converged on a philosophy of coddling users in automated recommendations. Whether through Spotify’s personalized playlists, TikTok’s all-knowing For...

“If anyone actually knows what Flip is, and how it works, and how they give hundreds of dollars of free products to everyone, please let me know,” says 21-year-old TikTok user Alexis...