algorithms are ruining our taste

As we grow accustomed to the convenience of shuffling a generated playlist, we forget that discovering music is an active exercise.

As Austin Robey and Severin Matusek put it in their report,

“After the Creator Economy”: “We want work to be financially valued without compromising our integrity. We want to make meaningful work that we're proud of, not please an algorithm. We want to share work in ways that feel right to us, not compete for attention on a feed. We want to feel see

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But I want to know and be able to explain my personal taste, not just accept one that’s been spoonfed to me because of a pay-for-play scheme at Spotify, for instance. I don’t want my behavior modified by a social media empire; I want to make all my own mistakes.

There’s already a nascent movement pushing back against algorithmic curation of what we ... See more

This shift has profound implications for creators. To succeed in an algorithm-driven system, they must produce work that not only fits the platform’s criteria but also generates consistent engagement. The pressure to conform stifles originality, creating a homogenized cultural landscape. Even when exceptional works do emerge, they are often drowned... See more