On January 9, PANews reported that venture capitalist, a16z co-founder, and well-known Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen published a lengthy article on social media criticizing digital platforms for using algorithms to place deep academic works on the same level as superficial popular content, leading to a dilution of academic depth. He cited (On American Democracy) and a popular bestseller as examples, pointing out that the former provides profound insights into the nature of democracy after years of research and observation, while the latter superficially covers a wide range of topics without substantial analysis.
He is outraged that the platform presents these contents equally, believing that it represents a 'leveling' of academia and thought, making true academic achievements no different from fast-food knowledge. Andreessen also mocked the platform's 'preview' feature, arguing that this design further diminishes readers' interest in deep reading. He calls for a return to academic standards to avoid losing discernment of knowledge due to algorithmic recommendations.