Maya's Daydreams

An Observation About Browsing Without The Algorithm

I have been off of social media for a few months now. My accounts aren't completely gone, but I just don't visit the sites anymore. There was a time that having a presence on social media bothered me, but now it's just the incessant urge to scroll and keep up with what everyone I have ever had any brief interaction with (including if I just decided to follow them after bingeing Bridgerton). Simply logging off has relieved me of those awful feelings, and I didn't have to do anything that extreme (to me!!!).

Even if I have been off of social media, I still wanted to be able to enjoy the internet, and casually browse. That bumbling around trying to find a new home on the internet landed me here, for which I am very grateful. I almost forgot what it was like to organically find cool websites, or interesting people's work to admire. I feel like in a way I found a way to enjoy the internet again without algorithms (or at least minimally!).

One interesting observation I have made is that I spend more time thinking about whether or not I can trust the people behind the pages I find. Everyone I have come across seems to align in value with me, maybe that's just an aspect of the indie web, but I do have that moment of pause where I feel like I need to make sure. My hunch is that it's a reflex against being spoonfed content that is tailored to me, and suddenly being open to anyone's opinions. It's a nice feeling, just an observation...