As I wander the Fediverse (connect with me on Mastodon), I am becoming more aware of how heavily we, as users, rely on the algorithm to populate our feeds —that is, no longer being able to search the web and decide over our feeds.
It’s not that I didn’t know that on social media now, it’s less about following and more about being targeted for ads —yes, we, the users, are the bait. But experiencing that gap yourself can be unexpectedly uncomfortable —like: great, no ads, what do I like now?
Furthermore, in regards to freedom of speech, being a power user on any mainstream social platform doesn’t make you any less passive —profiles seem more like stocks to be traded for potential buying intent than, well, users with a brain, a social life or a say on matters that affect our lives.
Having less autonomy, needless to say, makes us all easy to manipulate. So I think little steps like this, towards regaining autonomy and authority over our content feeds are necessary and worth sharing.
Anyway, follow Feedle on Mastodon and use their search engine for blogs and podcasts.
And add Slowerr’s feed to your RSS reader.
In the meantime, share your ideas and stay curious.
Photo by Matt Hoffman on Unsplash