Algorithms may sound like a scary word. The name alone suggests science and math, and most people are not too fond of either. You may not know that algorithms are present in every aspect of our lives, helping things move along and sharing information across platforms. Algorithms are not something to be afraid of, but instead, if you can come to understand them, they will make your life a lot easier. Here are a few examples of how algorithms have made your life simple.
Social Media
Social media is the biggest algorithm of them all. Outlets like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have figured out what content to send to you and why. Creating a formula that tracks what you watch, what you stop to read, and what your general interests seem to be according to what accounts you follow has allowed these entities to craft what comes up on your feed and timeline carefully. Every experience on social media has been tailor-made for you. This is all because of an algorithm that was created to make accessing what you want easier. That included those ads on your feed that seem to have been placed there just for you to see.
Email Parsing
Email parsing is a formula that allows for great ease when it comes to capturing information. Because there is an algorithm in place, an email parser has made it easier for us to apply for jobs by having information from our resumes immediately fill in fields on a job application, and it has also helped companies take important information out of emails and place them within repositories where the information can be sorted and stored in its proper location. Email parsing makes it easier to add information to spreadsheets, profiles, and files without having to sit and sort through what feels like miles of information.
Excel Spreadsheets
Nothing is better than when you enter information into an Excel spreadsheet, and the already existing information is updated to perfection. That miracle happens because of an algorithm. When you know how to build those formulas yourself in Excel, you can seamlessly compute just about any amount of information. This will reduce the time it takes to do complicated math equations especially if your spreadsheet deals with finances and money. All you have to do is make the formula once, and you won’t have to worry about doing complicated math on that spreadsheet again.
Internet Searches
Every internet search is an algorithm at work. Ever notice how you can simply enter random words, and you will get the search outcome you desire? That’s because a formula was created to take certain bits of information, like with an email parser, and create information from those few words. Each word has an association, and when several associations are strung together, what we are looking for appears. It may seem like a modern miracle that we are able to find anything online, but when we do, it’s no coincidence.
