What is a Slow Consumer and How Can You Be One?
A story of de-centering algorithms from how I consume content
Inspired by The Social Dilemma, I’d been more reflective lately of how I consume content. In this documentary, they particularly note how algorithms boost extreme content because of how they feed into primal emotions, which in turn make it much easier to monetize our attention.
Algorithms also build towards creator burnout, particularly for independent creators (writers, artists alike) trying to consistently top the charts in order to earn enough. You’ve likely seen pieces about how the only key to success to creating on any platform is to remain consistent — to write daily, to vlog daily.
Every daily vlogger that ever made it to the top of Youtube has quit this pattern, citing how it weighed on mental health. Writers who have tried to churn more than one article out per day have also noted the same.
It’s one thing to tell creators to stop for the sake of their own mental health. But for those who haven’t made it to the top, it’s often the only way to survive since most consumers still rely on algorithms to choose content for them.
This looks like reading what the Medium daily digest gives you. It’s allowing social media to sort timelines and dashboards for you…
