The Keynesian Algorithm

Conscious control of feeds and some notes after taking a short break on X

Twitter/X is one of those things like coffee where it's a toss-up whether your life is much better with or without it.

I A/B tested blocking it off both my phone and desktop, and blocking it on just my phone but keeping it on desktop.

I think for right now, the latter is better, because I do feel like I’m missing out on some of the latest news in my field. But maybe giving it up on my phone is a fair price to pay to stay up-to-date yet not let my brain get hijacked.

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At best, X is passive stimulation that could lead to serendipitous interaction, or interesting takes about what's on the edge.

At worst, it's a distraction into rabbit holes that you didn't need to get into, or and endless loop of shitposting, breaking news, and rage-bait.

When you step back and think about it, it’s kind of crazy that some group (not just at X) has their hand on the knob of an algorithm and can dial up or down its level of stimulation. Almost like being Jerome Powell with interest rates, but on the spikiness and emotional valence of culture.

Pre-algorithm days, “the feed” was selecting a book from the book store, watching TV shows that you switch to, or subscribing to a magazine. Although this class of media has been predatory in its own ways and also has its own centralized control, it’s arguable that traditional media requires more conscious control than today’s algorithm, or at minimum, is slower-paced and less needlessly dizzying.

Now, with algorithms and bite-sized content, there’s a timer sitting on the backend measuring your every scroll, dissecting your every click, and cementing what they think your identity is by watching all your unconscious actions.

Insert your favorite quip about dystopia here, but it’s ironically Keynesian that free-market idealists want things to be this way.

And I get that the whole point of social media is to make it fast and easy to consume the latest and greatest in real-time. I guess then it’s just up to us as consumers to choose how much of that we actually need, and to keep working on our own ever-evolving definition of what the latest and greatest is for ourselves.