algorithmic anxiety

First, you need to cultivate a deeper relationship with your gut. The more our world becomes measurable and quantifiable, the more we need spaces that preserve what can't be measured—the hunches we can't explain, the patterns we feel but can't prove. A jazz musician knows when to break rules in ways no theory explains. A good copywriter can feel wh... See more

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

Recently I learned about Lacan’s concept of jouissance, which I’ve come to understand as pleasure that becomes so intense it’s hard to distinguish from pain. I’m fairly certain this describes the high of answering anxiety’s biggest questions: binging on information, hoarding social validation, buying stuff, so much stuff, crafting five-year plans. ... See more

Related, are our searches and consumption driven by preferences or inquisitiveness?

When reviewing the data — as always, we should ask, “What are its biases?” This spawns questions: Does a platform and algorithm drive preference, or does preference drive the algorithm? Further, are creators making what they want, or what the platform rewards? And even further, do some clicks matter more in this creation-consumption flywheel?

My sensibility is basically consistent, and dovetails easily with the rest of my life and personality, because I came about it organically versus by algorithm.

Years may pass before you feel like you’re onto something, and this process will likely involve plugging your ears to the siren song of trends until you realize you actually have the same sensibility you had as a kid, it’s just grown up now. I like the word sensibility, I’ve started using it instead of taste when I’m trying to tap into something de... See more