# The algorithm can make social media really weird

By [Mickey Mellen](https://paragraph.com/@mickey-mellen) · 2024-08-03

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[**The algorithm can make social media really weird**](https://www.mickmel.com/the-algorithm-can-make-social-media-really-weird/)

While it seems the digital world is becoming more real-time, traditional social media is becoming more algorithm-driven and can lead to some weird posts. For example, here is a post from a friend that I saw earlier this year. The post appeared for me a few days after it was posted, and I have literally no idea what it was referring to.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9b9286dc36e4ea6a0d7d85621b791d8a2b7b3dc4c7266a5eaa14891ee3a659cf.png)

More recently was this one from another friend. It feels Olympics-related, but it was from a few days prior to the games so I have no idea what it was about. There weren’t any comments or anything to add the necessary context.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/02ba1444bda27600f9a0b71212a218f461b429290c92e66bfe989ee124074cce.png)

Ultimately, it’s kind of sad. While I can appreciate why companies are shifting to a more algorithm-focused approach, it’d be nice to still be able to see the content from your friends in straight reverse-chronological order.

If anything, [things are heading the other way](https://www.mickmel.com/the-value-of-having-social-media-followers-is-plummeting/) where your list of friends or followers matters less and less every day. Maybe that’s an opening for a new social media platform that focuses just on those you follow? I tend to doubt it, as people are clearly more engaged with the algorithm versus the traditional feed.

At the end of the day it’s simply a little sad, and it’s a good reminder to add proper context to your posts because you never know when the social network might decide is a good time to show your post to others.

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*Originally published on [Mickey Mellen](https://paragraph.com/@mickey-mellen/the-algorithm-can-make-social-media-really-weird)*