How to Train Your Algorithm
or: stop letting your feed control you
You ever open your phone for one quick thing… & suddenly you’re 40 minutes deep into chaos you didn’t even ask for?
You didn’t follow those accounts.
You don’t even like that content.
And yet somehow your feed is like: more of this?
Yeah. Because you trained it.
Not on purpose. Not consciously. But every pause, every scroll, every “wait what is this mess” moment… your algorithm was taking notes.
And now it thinks:
this is what you want.
The Algorithm Is Not Neutral
Let’s kill the myth real quick.
Your feed is not a reflection of “what’s happening.”
It’s a reflection of what keeps you engaged.
That means:
Outrage gets boosted
Fear gets boosted
Confusion gets boosted
Anything that makes you stop scrolling gets boosted
Even if you hate it.
Especially if you hate it.
Because hate-watching still counts as watching.
You’re Already Training It
Every single action is a signal.
Not just likes. Not just follows.
All of it.
Watching a video all the way through
Rewatching it
Clicking “read more”
Opening comments
Typing “this is wrong”
Sharing it to dunk on it
Swiping through every slide
That’s you saying:
“yes, more of this.”
Even if what you meant was:
“absolutely not.”
So Let’s Flip It
What if you trained your feed on purpose?
What if your timeline actually reflected what you care about instead of what drains you?
It’s not instant. But it’s real.
And it works.
Step 1: Feed What You Want to Grow
If you want to see:
Mutual aid efforts
Organizers doing the work
Community resources
Actual helpful info
You gotta interact with it like it matters.
That means:
Watch the whole video
Like it
Comment something real
Save it
Share it
Don’t just nod & scroll.
Your silence tells the algorithm: meh.
Your engagement tells it:
this is important. show me more. show other people too.
Step 2: Starve What You Don’t Agree With
You do not need to argue with every bad take.
In fact… that’s exactly how it spreads.
Every “for the record…”
Every “this is misinformation…”
Every rage comment…
You’re boosting it.
Instead:
Scroll past quickly
Hit “not interested”
Mute
Block
No debate. No performance. No free attention.
Let it die in silence.
Step 3: Stop Hate-Watching
This one’s tough.
Because sometimes it feels like staying informed.
But if your feed is 80% stuff that spikes your blood pressure…
you’re not informed.
You’re being farmed.
Outrage is one of the most profitable engagement tools out there.
So if you:
Watch the whole trainwreck
Read every comment
Go back for updates
The algorithm goes:
oh you LOVE this. say less.
Step 4: Build Your Corners of the Internet
Your feed doesn’t have to be a battlefield.
It can be:
People teaching each other
Folks sharing resources
Artists making things that remind you to breathe
Community showing up for community
But that only happens if you actively choose it.
Follow intentionally.
Turn on notifications for people doing real work.
Check their pages directly.
Don’t wait for the algorithm to “serve it up.”
Go get it.
Step 5: Protect Your Peace Like It’s Strategy (because it is)
This isn’t just about vibes.
This is about sustainability.
You cannot organize, support others, or stay engaged long-term
if your brain is constantly getting flooded with:
Panic
Rage
Doom
Curating your feed is not avoidance.
It’s capacity management.
It’s making sure you can keep showing up tomorrow.
You’re Not Powerless Here
The platforms want you to feel like the algorithm is this big, mysterious force you can’t control.
But it’s actually very simple:
It follows your behavior.
So if your feed feels off, overwhelming, or just straight-up exhausting…
That’s not a personal failure.
It just means your algorithm learned the wrong lessons.
Cool. Unteach it.
Start Small
You don’t need a full reset.
Just:
Engage deeply with 5 things you want more of today
Ignore 5 things you don’t
Mute 1 account that drains you
Follow 1 that feeds you
Do that consistently?
Your whole feed shifts.
Train It Like It Matters
Because it does.
Your feed shapes:
What you think is normal
What you think is possible
What you think is happening
And right now, a lot of people are being shown a version of the world designed to keep them reactive, isolated, & overwhelmed. One curated to persuade you to care less about others.
You don’t have to live there.
Train your algorithm like you’d train anything powerful:
With intention.
With consistency.
With boundaries.
And maybe, just maybe…
Your timeline starts feeling like something that actually supports you
instead of something you have to survive.
It’s worth a try.
Love this.