In fact, I would say that coincidences are the defining feature of stories, which exist to connect people or events in our minds.

It’s literally in the word: the concurrence of incidents.

Fewer coincidences also means fewer opportunities for human connection. If we’re all in our separate echo chambers, not noticing our funny little similarities, it becomes easier for us to feel polarized. There’s no mechanism for shared story-making, like connecting with my new friend in the pub.

Algorithms are like stalkers: they know everything about you, and try to over-engineer reality to fit their predictions. There’s nothing coincidental about that—and so we ultimately interpret less meaning

“Creativity” means weaving together random data points in a meaningful way. If everyone is getting the same data points, though, it follows that we’re going to lose some creativity. We’ll have fewer new coincidences to notice, which means fewer “eureka moments” of spontaneous lateral thinking.

“Creativity” means weaving together random data points in a meaningful way. If everyone is getting the same data points, though, it follows that we’re going to lose some creativity. We’ll have fewer new coincidences to notice, which means fewer “eureka moments” of spontaneous lateral thinking.

Fewer coincidences also means fewer opportunities for... See more

If I get two videos about the same thing on my For You Page, for example, I don’t see it as serendipitous because I know it’s targeted. So I don’t make a story. I get confined to the disjointed yet predictable reality of the algorithm, a narrative prisoner of efficiency.

Rather, the coincidence must feel random, beyond imagination—only then does it become a story.

Why does it feel so much better to recount the story of a meet-cute than a Hinge match? I don’t think dating apps are that stigmatized anymore. Rather, saying “we met on Hinge” is a conversation ender, while explaining how you bumped into each other on the street prompts further conversation. Meeting someone through a neatly ordered, algorithmic... See more

If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense: seeing coincidences means finding connections or patterns that are usually hidden from view. That helps us overcome mental blocks, think outside the box, and come up with new ideas.