I was chilling with my chai, casually scrolling through reels a dance video, a cat falling off a table, some guy passionately explaining five ways to get rich.
Mid-sip, I paused and thought, why am I even seeing all this? That’s when it hit me that algorithm isn’t just showing content, it’s actually studying me like I’m its final year project.
And just like that, my chai wasn’t the only thing brewing.
What Is an Algorithm?
An algorithm is a step-by-step list of instructions to solve a problem or get a result.
Like when you make chai(Tea), you boil water, add tea leaves, pour in milk and sugar, let it bubble like your unsolved problems, then strain, sip, and silently judge the world.
The Algorithm on Social Media
The real game begins when algorithms enter your favorite apps. They’re nosy, needy, and kinda brilliant.
Instagram the toxic bestie
Instagram’s algorithm is basically your over-attached best friend from college:
- You visit someone’s profile (follow or not) and their posts start popping up like they pay rent on your feed.
- Pause on one cooking reel and suddenly you’re a chef.
- Share one gym meme with a friend and your feed becomes a gym brochure.
- You talk about buying sneakers during chai with a friend, then next day shoe ads. Everywhere.
X (Twitter) The Drama Distributor
X’s algorithm is chaos in code form.
- You like a tweet about mangoes and now you’re in Fruit Twitter.
- Accidentally visit a hot take thread and it’s now your entire For You feed.
- Retweet a sad meme at 1AM and welcome to sad boy hours
It’s basically an unfiltered group chat you didn’t ask to join.
Facebook’s algorithm is like an uncle stuck in 2011.
- Like your cousin’s wedding post once and your entire feed is now lehengas and mehndi artists.
- Share one recipe and prepare for 40 more.
- Stalk an old school friend out of curiosity and now “People You May Know” is now a trip down memory lane.
And yes it will remind you what you looked like 9 years ago. With bad hair and bad decisions.
Snapchat
Snapchat’s algorithm may seem chill, but it’s watching.
- Snap someone twice at midnight and they’re now in your best friends list forever.
- Open one celeb glow-up story and now you know how every celeb eats toast.
- View someone’s story once and you’re getting their content served like they’re family.
It’s quiet chaos.
Why Do They Do This?
Cuz your attention is money. They want you to scroll more, like more, click more, cry more, repeat.
They track everything:
- What you click
- What you hover on
- What you almost say
It’s spooky. It’s impressive. It’s capitalism in a hoodie.
Also, anytime you share a post — yes, even in DMs it teaches the algorithm:
“This. This is what they like. Let’s show them 50 more just like it.”
So when your timeline suddenly turns into all sad poetry or dad jokes. Yep. You did that.
Can You Escape the Algorithm?
Nope. But can you confuse it? Oh yes.
Here’s how to mess with your feed for fun:
- Like a meditation post then binge fail compilations
- Follow a monk then send memes to 7 people
- Pause on skincare and order biryani at 2AM
Your algorithm will be like “Okay wait, who are you??”
But if you want to fix your feed (and your mental health), try this:
- Follow people who make you feel good
- Mute the ones who drain you
- Stop stalking your ex
- Don’t click on stuff that gives you FOMO
Final Thoughts
The algorithm is just a mirror. You train it every time you scroll. It doesn’t think. It just reacts.
But you’ve got the power to change what it sees. So next time your feed looks like a mix of conspiracy theories, crying reels, and furniture ads.
Take a deep breath. Make some chai. And remember you’re part of the algorithm too.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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Photo credit: iStock.com
