I turned off my algorithm for 24 hours. Is this how social media used to be?
21 days ago
- The Australian government announced reforms to allow social media users to opt out of algorithms, promoting a chronological feed from followed accounts.
- The author experimented by turning off her Instagram algorithm for 24 hours and found scrolling quickly ran out of content, feeling hollow and impersonal.
- Manual feeds revealed that many people use social media for self-promotion rather than authentic connection, with only older users posting casually.
- The author acknowledges concerns about algorithms pushing dangerous content like far-right propaganda and eating disorder material, but her own feed was harmless.
- After the experiment, the author concludes that algorithm-driven content is numbing her brain and turning her thoughts into 'slop', questioning the value of social media.