You Get What You Click For

Algorithmic feeds are a mirror. 

For a remarkable number of folks, this reflection remains surprising, uncomfortable and frustrating.

Take Y Combinator partner David Lieb for just one case-in-point example. He recently shared his frustration with X/Twitter's algorithmic "ForYou" feed:

It’s largely clickbait videos and maga-Elon garbage.

The uncomfortable truth for David - and the rest of us - remains that algorithms across X/Twitter, Facebook, Threads, Reddit, TikTok, etc. don't pull content out of thin air. They respond to our behaviors, showing us more of what we engage with. 

The fact that David "For You" feed is populated with "fistfights and car crashes" (as mentioned in another tweet) suggests he has a habit of engaging with such content. If he truly found that content repulsive, he'd only use his "Following" feed.

Rather than get frustrated with the algorithms, you can bypass them with a click. However, that requires effort and awareness—two things often in short supply on these platforms.

In short, you get what you click for.