You're viewing a single thread.
The only other place worth looking at anything is TikTok. If you aren’t on TikTok rn the internet sucks ass
Really?
It's ultra short form content with a super optimised algorithm, where loads of content is just a reskin of other content because the sounds are reusable.
It just feeds you stuff. Doesn't satisfy my hunter gatherer internet instinct.
Purposely trying to tinker your own algorithm is the hunting part in TikTok
Also TikTok probably has the most OC rn on all the social media tbh
I suppose so, but sometimes it gets it too on the money and then you're just being fed everything exactly that you want to see. It makes me feel like a good little sludge piggie. I want to see some curious little oddities and things I might not be interested in that somehow lead me back round to something I am interested in, or finding a new interest or something like that.
Also, I've felt like there's so much recycled 'factoid' pop-knowledge content on there like how the smell of the earth after rain is called petrichor or how there's an unexplained disappearance of the Scythians or whatever. There's a group of people in my circles who sometimes bring a topic up and I can smell it's from trending tiktok content a mile away.
With short form content also comes more seemingly on the go lower effort content, and simplified/streamlined content. I think it can be good as a starting point for people to find new stuff I guess, because you get the short form and then decide if you want the long form.
I got rid of tiktok quite some time ago now, and it's lead to me finding some really cool stuff just by searching random keywords into Google and finding a video on it. Stuff about my local area, or some folklore, or machines, or animals, or anything at all really. Whatever pops into my head. I feel so much more rewarded. Yeah it's still slop sometimes but I've found so much stuff that the tiktok algorithm never even got me close to and I can feel my attention span lengthening again.
Sorry for the text wall, I don't mean it in a put-down way. Just an alternative for those who might feel like I do.
Note: this method could make you feel alienated from everyone around you
No this is great, I loved reading your experiences and thoughts about it. I'm also happy you managed to find something that works
My TikTok actually does everything you want it to do surprisingly, where it occasionally feeds me new random content to see if I'll get hooked onto it and I've discovered new hobbies and interests because of it
I think it also helps that my circles are largely tech bros who are so different from normal people that TikTok content/creators is also a breathe of fresh air ironically
fair dos
interesting last point there, it probably does have a lot to do with circles yeah