← DictionaryAlgorithm
also called the algorithm
The ranking system a platform uses to decide what to show whom.
The platform's rules for who sees what.
What It Is
You will find Algorithm in the Content layer, alongside the rest of Distribution. The working definition is simple: the ranking system a platform uses to decide what to show whom.
It is a mechanism rather than an opinion: set up properly it behaves predictably, and set up badly it fails just as predictably. Once it is defined that clearly, arguments about it usually stop.
How It's Used
Algorithm comes up in editorial planning, briefs and the day-to-day work of publishing. It is usually discussed together with Reach, Engagement and Social Media Marketing. The practical test is whether it is configured, documented and actually working.
Why It Matters
Getting Algorithm wrong is expensive in a quiet way. When it is unclear, output goes up and effect goes sideways. It is worth pinning down before anyone builds on top of it.
Think of plumbing. Nobody admires it, everybody notices when it leaks. The platform's rules for who sees what.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Practitioners use Algorithm as shorthand and expect no explanation — the ranking system a platform uses to decide what to show whom.
Outside the industry, most people would just say: the platform's rules for who sees what.
The Bottom Line
If you only keep one thing about Algorithm: the platform's rules for who sees what. Everything after that is detail.