I think there's reason to complain that the reality is far from the ideal. Take Netflix, for example. I rated hundreds of movies, filled out the taste preferences to narrow down the genres I was most interested in, but the "Suggestions for You" were underwhelming, to say the least. Even worse, they simply never changed. So I went back into my taste preferences and checked that I "Often" watched every single mood and genre listed. Now I get a vastly improved range of suggestions, exposing me to some great movies, simply because Netflix is no longer hiding them from my view. I may have a unique individual taste for movies, but Netflix sure hasn't fathomed my criteria with their algorithm.