Replacing the Algorithm with Intention
Replacing the Algorithm with Intention
I never used social media to be social.
For most of my life, I used it as a tool to numb boredom and stimulate myself when there was nothing else. It worked — until it didn’t. Eventually, the stimulation became exhaustion. The time I thought I was filling turned out to be time I was losing.
This isn’t the first time I’ve quit. I stopped using it back in 2019, and slowly it leaked back in. I made compromises. “Just one app.” “Just YouTube — that’s for learning.” “I need to stay informed.” Every justification gave the addiction new ground to stand on. The rotation of apps changed, but the pattern remained.
Then in 2023, when I started my Hermetic Chaos project, I let it all back in. I convinced myself that it was necessary for reach. I was making vertical videos, so of course I should post them on every platform. It made sense — but it cost me. I was once again handing over my time, my energy, and my focus. And I was getting nothing back.
YouTube was the last to go. I convinced myself it wasn’t social media. That it was educational. But Shorts exposed the lie. It was just another infinite scroll. Another place to go brain-dead.
And so this isn’t a detox. This isn’t a temporary exit. I’m not “leaving until I feel better.” I’ve just realized — I never really got anything valuable from these platforms. And I don’t need them anymore.
The Real Problem
It’s not that they’re social. It’s that they’re algorithmic. The feeds are engineered, not neutral. Built to exploit your attention by simulating scarcity, outrage, social approval, and identity threats. They generate a hunger that cannot be satisfied, because they profit from keeping you seeking.
These platforms are designed to:
• Make you feel like you're missing out.
• Make you fear irrelevance.
• Leverage your desire to be seen, liked, validated.
• Keep you emotionally reactive and mentally scattered.
And they succeed. They give you just enough signal to keep you searching, but not enough to ever feel resolved. You give them hours. They give you noise. And you forget what you even came there for.
Why Quitting Alone Doesn’t Work
I’ve deleted the apps before. I’ve even deleted the accounts.
But without a structural replacement, the need doesn’t go away — it just goes unmet. Boredom still happens. The desire to share something still happens. The urge to learn, to stay updated, to speak into the world — none of that disappears.
You don’t quit the platforms by force. You quit them by replacing what they were falsely fulfilling.
The Replacements
Here’s what I’ve swapped in:
• Learning → Audible and Udemy. Focused formats. No autoplay. No infinite scroll.
• News → RSS feeds. Raw info. No social layer. No outrage shaping.
• Entertainment → Crave and Disney+. Defined timeframes. I know what I’m watching and why.
• Expression → My own blog. No metrics. No comments. Just a place to say what I need to say, then move on.
• Conversation → When I need to reason something out, I use AI. Not to be seen. Just to think out loud without getting trapped in performative dialogue.
What This Actually Is
This isn’t an announcement. I’m not “going offline.” I’m not doing a dopamine fast.
This is an operating system update. A structural shift.
I’m not interested in engagement. I don’t want feedback. I don’t need to know what anyone thinks of what I think. I’m doing this because it gives closure. Because when I say something and document it, I can move on.
These posts aren’t for visibility. They’re for internal resolution. When I’ve collapsed an idea and expressed it fully, I’m no longer haunted by it.
And that’s what social media never gave me: closure.