Some of my friends have been surprised to hear that I recently bought a CD player. Not a cool vinyl turntable, no, just a plain, basic CD player. When they asked why, I told them it was one of my little acts of resistance against the algorithm.
Instead of only listening to automatically generated playlists on Spotify, I wanted to choose a CD, put it in the player, and listen to an entire album from start to finish, in the order the artist intended.*
In 2018, a YouTube executive revealed that over 75% of watch time came from algorithmic recommendations. Back in 2023, Meta reported that over one in five pieces of content on Facebook and Instagram’s feeds was recommended by AI from accounts users hadn’t followed. We spend about half of our online time on Alphabet and Meta services, which makes you wonder: how much of the content we consume is algorithmically driven?
There are different ways in which algorithms influence our consumption, where content is:
- algorithmically ranked: a platform decides the order in which we see content, even from accounts we’ve chosen to follow.
- algorithmically recommended: a platform introduces us to content we haven’t specifically sought out.
- algorithmically consumed: the time we actually spend engaging with the content these systems put in front of us.
Many concerns about algorithms have already been discussed, from filter bubbles and social media addiction to the reduced control we have over our attention.
But what worries me most, as a neuroscientist who studies curiosity, is the potential loss of independent discovery.
Traditionally, discovering content involved making deliberate choices: picking a book, browsing a newspaper, searching for music, or asking a friend for recommendations.
Algorithmic feeds make discovery effortless, but they may also reduce our incentive to seek things out independently. They encourage a more passive relationship with information, where we consume what’s presented to us rather than actively pursuing what interests us.
At an individual level, this could mean a loss of autonomy over our personal tastes, with a gradual blurring of the distinction between what we genuinely like and what we’ve been conditioned to engage with. There’s a difference between discovering something because you actively sought it out and developing an interest because it was repeatedly put in front of you.
At a collective level, algorithms could accelerate a broader trend towards the homogenization of culture and creativity that began long before social media, with radio and television. When algorithms reward particular formats, styles, and subjects, artists and creators have an incentive to produce work that performs well within those systems.
This could mean less experimentation with creative ideas that might initially perform poorly, and cultural discovery becoming concentrated around what platforms already know performs well.
We may not be able to change how these major content platforms are designed, but we can introduce what I like to call “little acts of algorithmic resistance” into our everyday lives. Here are a few ideas:
- Music: Consider getting a CD player. They’re much more affordable than vinyl turntables, and you can ask friends for music recommendations or put CDs on your birthday or holiday wish list. You don’t have to buy everything new either, there are plenty of second-hand options available online.
- Books: Buy books from a local bookshop, get a library card, or borrow books from friends. Even better, start your own mini book club! I’m starting a poetry reading club with my friends, where we’ll meet once a month at my house to quietly read the poetry books that have been collecting dust on our shelves, then share our favorite poems with the group.
- Clothing: Look up your nearest vintage shops and go for a little stroll to see if anything catches your eye, whether it’s something for yourself or a loved one, especially with the holiday season approaching.
- Films: Instead of scrolling on Netflix, visit your local independent cinema, look out for film festivals, ask friends to recommend their favorite films, or start a film club where a different person picks the film each month.
- News: Buy a physical newspaper or magazine once a week. Read beyond the headlines and spend time with stories you might never have clicked on online. Subscribe to independent publications and newsletters whose editorial judgement you trust.
- Food: Instead of searching for the “best restaurants near me,” walk around your neighborhood and try somewhere that catches your eye. Ask local shopkeepers or friends where they like to eat. Collect handwritten recipes from family members.
You can also join online communities (like Ness Labs!) or even create a monthly recommendation exchange, getting a few friends together and asking everyone to bring one thing they’ve genuinely loved recently: a song, a book, an article, a recipe, a film, or a place. No rankings, no scrolling. Just human-curated inspiration to fuel your curiosity.
Being less dependent on algorithms doesn’t mean abandoning technology or only buying physical things. It can be as simple as finding old school ways to discover new films, listening to an album from start to finish, or asking another person what they love. And if any of these ideas inspire you, why not turn one into a tiny experiment? 🙂
* My favorite album at the moment is Timeless by Thylacine.