Your Life, Curated by Algorithm: Are You Even Choosing?

There’s a line from a classic rock band that reminds us: everything you engage with becomes the sum of your life. And in a hyper-curated world—where algorithms feed you playlists, social media “friends” nudge you toward certain memes, and grocery store ads predetermine your dinner—one has to wonder: are you actually the one choosing?

When was the last time you browsed through an old-school vinyl shop, drifting to the dusty bins of records you didn’t even know existed? Or visited an online music store (the sort that doesn’t try to upsell you on trending hits) and sorted releases by date, just to see what lurks in the shadows of yesteryear? Maybe you can’t recall the last time you hit the produce aisle with a blank slate, picking whatever looked fresh to inspire your meal. Or walked into a bookstore, ignoring bestseller lists, and chose something purely based on a weird cover in a genre you rarely read?

If your answer is “Never, or not for a while,” you’re missing out not just on simple joys, but also on a basic human freedom: the choice to explore without a digital or social script. When every decision is an exercise in “machine plus crowd consensus,” you risk losing the muscle of genuine discovery. The notion might feel trivial, but let’s be honest: can you come up with anything truly unique if you’ve forgotten how to choose independently in the first place?

Of course, it goes further than just exploring. If you’re really serious about music, you might go from crate-digging to composing original tracks in your home studio. If cooking is your jam, maybe you’ll move from store-bought tomatoes to growing your own in a greenhouse. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves—just reclaiming the raw act of personal choice can be enough of a revolution these days.

We allegedly have endless freedom, yet so many people end up funneled into the same squeaky-clean, safe picks. Memes, remixes, and trending this-or-that fill the screens daily, while anything “weird” or truly original seems to vanish into the internet’s black hole. We claim we’re making our own calls, but how many streaming platforms’ “recommendations” are quietly calling the shots for us? Profit-driven or crowd-approved algorithms don’t care about your sense of wonder; they care about proven popularity and efficient consumption. That might be good for the bottom line, but it can starve your creativity—and, if you work in a creative sector, it’s arguably lethal to professional and spiritual growth, too.

Living on autopilot is easy because society is obsessed with comfort. It’s so ingrained that even our healthcare system often opts for symptom relief rather than addressing root causes. And there’s a certain warmth in fitting in: you belong somewhere, you’re not a lonely astronaut drifting in outer space. But let’s face it—blending into the mainstream can cost you your genuine sense of self-discovery. Creativity demands courage, and you can’t muster that by habitually checking how many “Likes” something has to see if it’s okay to like it yourself.

So here’s a nudge: break the trance. Stop letting trending lists and popularity indexes become your personal curators. Pop into that music shop and venture into a genre you’ve never touched. If you’re stuck on digital platforms, try sorting things without popularity filters—like sorting a music library by date rather than what everyone else is listening to. Most people unknowingly order a cultural Big Mac every single day, while there’s a Michelin-level feast right next door that requires only a smidge more effort. This difference might be invisible if you’ve never bothered to look.

Take back those moments of curiosity. You may find you become more like yourself than ever before. And yes, you’ll feel more alive when you break out of the “now that’s what I call popular” echo chamber, whether it’s with music, books, or even spontaneous travel. Along the way, it’s worth asking if you’re truly making your own choices—or if your preferences have quietly been formed for you. Because in the end, if you let the crowd or the machine do your thinking, you’re basically renting someone else’s identity.

Rather than trying to buy your way out of groupthink with new books or records, consider simply looking up. There’s an amazing (and at times scary) real world brimming with people and experiences that aren’t all tethered to consumption. Put down your phone long enough to notice it. Remember, all that you connect with—the weird, the raw, the unfiltered—ultimately forms your life. So why let an algorithm or the collective mob limit your horizon?