When the Feed Stops Being Social
Recommendation engines are becoming entertainment engines. What happens when the people we follow are no longer the point?
From graph to channel
The early social feed was a chronological view of people you chose. The modern feed behaves more like an always-on television network assembled for an audience of one.
Discovery ate connection
Algorithmic discovery can be thrilling, but it changes the social contract. Creators perform for an opaque distribution system, while relationships become just one signal among thousands.
The return of smaller rooms
Group chats, private communities, and newsletters restore context, continuity, and the feeling that someone meant to speak to you.
A new public square
The next social products may separate entertainment from belonging instead of forcing both into the same endless column.
About the author
Maya Chen
Maya writes about the systems, people, and ideas shaping modern technology.
Editor in Chief
@mayachen
