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My therapist said algorithms are giving me a 'false sense of control' and it hit hard

She pointed out how I spend 20 mins tweaking my Spotify discover playlist each week like i can outsmart the machine, but really Im just training myself to feel anxious when it doesnt guess right. Has anyone else noticed their mood tanking when an app's recommendation just feels off?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_sanchez491mo ago

That really hits close to home. I get exactly what you mean about feeling let down when the algorithm gets it wrong. It's like you put all this effort into training it and it still misses the mark sometimes, which can feel like a personal failure. I've definitely noticed my mood dip when my streaming recommendations are off. It makes me question if I even know what I like anymore, which is silly but real. The part about feeling anxious when it doesn't guess right really stuck with me. You put all that time in and then you're just waiting for it to mess up again. It's exhausting in a way I never realized until you said it.

oscarc121mo ago

Friend of mine went through this exact thing with TikTok. They unfollowed like 50 accounts trying to fix the feed and ended up more stressed than before, just refreshing to see if the algorithm "learned" yet.

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williams.sage1mo ago

Hang on, a personal failure? Like the algorithm going haywire is somehow something to feel bad about personally? That's wild to me, but I guess it makes sense when you've been feeding it your taste for years.