How often do you actually spend the planned time on a mainstream social media platform? My guess is even the best of us sometimes fall victim to Mindless social media scrolling that has always been a thing I guess since its coming to light, but the rise of AI has made it a problem in the last few years. Why? The obvious answer is the algorithm.

Like a feeding system designed to keep fattening us up, the big media algorithm churns out tons of content suggestions to keep us engaged. At some point it becomes difficult to differentiate from the point we are entertained to when we simply begin mindless scrolling - clicking on suggestion after suggestion even when we had no prior interest or derive no value.

Make no mistake, the algorithm is actually as powerful as it sounds. Even the best of us are sucked in on multiple occasions in a week. I initially believed the algorithm to be a net positive - helping guide users who perhaps don't know how to search for relevant information. However, am more inclined now to agree that the algorithm has largely been a net negative for the vast majority of ordinary people, myself included, who oftentimes log into social media platforms without a specific goal in mind and merely seeking entertainment.

The algorithm only cares about getting you hooked, not necessarily about how your interest in suggested content promote your overall development and well-being. If you cannot moderate or control consumption, then it will be endless unproductive days of mindless scrolling.

Conclusion

In terms of true value my past week of consistent activity here on Hive has been a lot more beneficial to me both in terms of productive and consumption value. Of course when I resume work after a stressful day I don't really do much thinking and turn to YouTube for some doomsday scrolling. The answer pretty obvious about how to proceed with mainstream social media once I resume from my vacation. Best thread carefully, or not at all. The algorithms are really out to get us.