The Freedom of Choosing What You Read

Who here has ever searched for relaxation music videos on YouTube? You’ll find that a week later, your YouTube account is flooded with them. Right?
Or when you "like" a funny cat video on Instagram—before long, your feed is filled with cats and their adorable antics.
Congratulations: your life is now full of cats, every single day.

But…
Have you ever wondered what social media would feel like if nothing decided what you should see?

Without you realizing it, the algorithm knows you better than you know yourself.
Every time you "like" a post, a signal is triggered.
Every search you perform provides new data to feed the algorithm.
The more time you spend consuming content, the more information about you enters the database.
Over time, your feed becomes deeply personalized, displaying only what you like or what has recently piqued your interest.

Gradually, your feed ceases to be a window to the world; instead, it transforms into a reflection of yourself.

It seems to know exactly what you desire, what interests you, and what makes you stop scrolling.
Of course, this is a good thing.
You no longer have to struggle to find relevant content.
It saves a great deal of time—and in this day and age, every second of our attention is precious.

For content creators, this is a huge boost for account growth.
It helps distribute their content to people interested in the topics they discuss.
It makes every experience deeply personal.

But do we realize that every convenience comes at a price?

Have you ever shouted in an empty room?
What do you hear?
The algorithm creates a digital space for us known as an "echo chamber"—a place where we hear, read, and see only what aligns with our current interests. It creates the illusion that the whole world shares our preferences.

Let’s say, for instance, that you love the funny antics of a cat. Consequently, the algorithm makes it appear as though the entire world agrees with you.
In reality, there may well be people out there who view cats as deceitful, thieving animals.

Now, imagine the internet as an ocean teeming with information.
However, algorithms create a transparent bubble that limits our view to a single perspective.
For instance, if you frequently read about the threats posed by AI, jobs lost to AI, or skeptical views on AI, the algorithm ensures that is the only way you see AI.

It serves up only similar types of content.
This creates the impression that no dissenting voices or differing opinions exist.

What is the result?
Without realizing it, we encounter less and less diverse content. We find ourselves unable to stop scrolling because our attention is being steered.

The real product isn't the content; it's our attention.
Whoever controls our attention gradually shapes our perspective.

Then I realized Hive works very differently.
On Hive, there is no algorithm directing our attention; nothing selects posts for us.
We actively seek out the posts we want to enjoy.
Our feeds follow a chronological timeline.
This is where joining a community becomes important. You can enjoy a variety of topics from the communities you follow.
In essence, Hive feels less like a television channel and more like walking through a library.
You walk among the bookshelves, looking for the specific book you want to read.

The absence of an algorithm makes it harder to discover new people in our feeds.
We have to be proactive in building relationships with others.
Posts by new users don't instantly go viral the way they might on other social media platforms.
Naturally, because the feed follows a chronological timeline, it is very easy to overlook great content created by others.

Freedom is exciting, but it also requires us to participate. This is precisely what makes Hive so valuable.

Users choose for themselves whom to read and whom to engage in discussion with.
Interaction becomes a conscious choice.
It is not the result of machine-generated recommendations.

On Hive, I don't wait for interesting people to appear. I went looking for them.

Maybe the question isn't whether algorithms are good or bad.
Maybe the real question is this:
Do we want social media to decide what deserves our attention... or do we still want to make that choice ourselves?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Do you prefer algorithm-driven feeds, or do you enjoy discovering content on your own?

Cover image: Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Pexels

2nd image: Photo by Ann H on Pexels

Devider creadet using ChatGPT