Algorithms as reflections of ourselves

Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on digital identities, exploring how algorithms are quietly shaping who we are, what we see, and how we present ourselves. DM me your thoughts.

When I made a throwaway Instagram account about a year ago, I almost exclusively interacted with cooking content. Aside from a few media brands and close friends, everyone I followed was a professional chef or food influencer. 

So, you can imagine my surprise when it took about 10 scrolls to hit a suggested Reel of a 12-year-old giving investment advice from his bedroom. 📈

I chuckled and sent the video to a friend. 

Moments later, my feed changed. I started getting targeted with…

• Grainy videos of male podcasters lamenting how thirst trap-posting girls make more money than the hard-working men who pave their roads. 👷

• Advice from Christian housewives on how to spice up your marriage in the bedroom. ⛪

• How to pronounce key Arabic phrases according to 20-something-year-old British lads. ☪️

Needless to say, my feed’s now a disaster, and if the UK Foreign Office ever gets ahold of it, I’ll surely be deported ASAP.

A brief evolution

In one of our open-text surveys, an 18-year-old pitched an innovative idea: Instagram, but your feed is actually people you follow. 🤨

The teenager’s comment was poking fun at the fact that Instagram – TikTok, Facebook, X, etc. – have become anti-social social media. Here’s a quick timeline of how this happened. 

The new third base is letting someone see your FYP

Social media feeds are deeply intimate. For example:

• Instagram, TikTok → Psychologically revealing of what you find entertaining since they’re based on micro-engagements and hyper-segmentation. 

• Spotify, Netflix, YouTube → Longer-form consumption suggests these preferences are core to your identity. 

• Reddit → Anonymous nature means these groups and interactions are highly personal and revolve around niche interests. 

Sharing your feed with someone is like letting them peer into your psyche. And yet, your feed isn’t even a true reflection of you – it’s a reflection of your interactions, desires, and momentary curiosity amplified by an algorithm designed to maximize engagement.

To explore this further, we asked our Instagram followers to send us 5 random videos from their suggested page. 📩

The results were weird. I often try to explain to older relatives the extent my generation is consuming completely unhinged content. Maybe this will convince them. 

Time for a retrain?

The strangeness of our feeds is more than just a glitch; it’s a staple of online experiences. 

People admit their feeds have become bizarre, disturbing, and unrecognizable. In fact, a significant portion of Gen Zers report feeling anxious or overwhelmed by them. But instead of leaving the platforms altogether, many are figuring out how to train their algorithms to reflect their desired identity.

Research from Goldsmiths describes how young people actively “teach” their algorithms who they are and who they aspire to be. They do this by:

• Quickly scrolling past undesirable Reels. 🫷

• Lingering on content better aligned to their interests. 👀

• Consciously doling out likes and shares as strong feedback mechanisms. 🔄

Some people even express a sense of accomplishment or relief when they’ve finally trained their algorithm to give them exactly what they want. And since the average Gen Zer’s screen time now surpasses 9 hours a day, algorithms are no longer just tools – they’ve become a reflection of who we are.

What’s next?

This week is just a high-level introduction to digital identities. Over the next three weeks, we’ll dive deeper into…

• Belonging: When algorithms help outsiders feel like insiders.

• Brainwashing: When algorithms pull you down some dark and twisted paths.

• Branding: When who you are becomes a commodity.

So what?

💡 For marketers & builders

• TLDR… Since social media feeds are trained on micro-engagements, people are actively trying to “hack” their algorithms to be more aligned with their true interests, values, and beliefs.

• Ask yourself… How do algorithmic interventions differ across platforms?

• Check this out… An academic study of perceived algorithm responsiveness (i.e. how well a platform understands you and your goals) and how it ranks across platforms (spoiler - TikTok ranks highest).

💭 For self-reflective readers

• TLDR… People feel protective of their algorithms since they’ve become an extension of themselves.

• Ask yourself… Who would you trust to scroll through your feed – and who would you never let near it?

• Check this out…The FT explains how to retrain your TikTok algorithm.

– Liat