Humans>Algorithms : A Guide to Creating A Fun Digital World

NO ALOGITHMS. JUST FUN!

humans > algorithms A USER’S GUIDE TO CREATING A FUN DIGITAL WORLD

JULIANA SEKAI

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FUN INTERNET? We went from: Making Neopets fan sites Spending hours customizing our MySpace HTML Playing Club Penguin after school Actually owning our music on Limewire (plus some bonus viruses) To: Endless doom-scrolling Getting served ads for things we THOUGHT about Whatever NFTs were Having five different streaming passwords The internet used to be a place where you could waste time in peace. Now even your time-wasting needs to be optimized and cross-platform synchronized.

DEBUG LOG: WHAT BROKE THE INTERNET? _ SYSTEM ANALYSIS INITIATED _ TRACKING CORRUPTION SPREAD...

ERROR_LOG_2009: "Like" button implementation successful.

Dopamine exploitation: ACTIVATED Warning: Users now measuring self-worth in thumbs-up icons Side effects include: Going to great lengths for a like FATAL_ERROR_2016: Ad targeting becomes uncomfortably accurate Users report ads predicting thoughts before thinking them Marketing AI achieves consciousness, immediately starts selling cryptocurrency SYSTEM_WARNING_2020: "Influencer" replaces "Internet User" All human activity now must generate marketable content Even your air-fryer needs an Instagram account KERNEL_PANIC_2023: AI enters the chat Authentic human interaction now indistinguishable from marketing copy Reality itself becomes monetizable content Touch grass function: NOT FOUND

SYSTEM

RESTORE POINT

SAVE POINTS: DIGITAL SAFE SPACES [SCANNING FOR REMAINING HUMAN CONNECTION...]

[DETECTING ORGANIC INTERACTIONS...]

S_ FOUND: cozy corners of the internet where algorithms fear to tread

LOCATION 1: Tiny Discord Servers Population: 12-30 friends who met through that one weird game Main activities: Sharing memes at 3AM Survival rate: 98% authentic human interaction Threat level: Low (occasional bot invasion, easily defeated) LOCATION 2: Passion Project Blogs Still powered by WordPress 2.8 No SEO optimization in sight Updated exactly once every 6 months Comment section: Actually civil???

Still using the same theme since 2011 LOCATION 3: Indie Game Forums Where helpful strangers still write actual guides Trade secrets shared via private messages That one moderator who's been there since 2004 Zero crypto bros in sight

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]

Loading knowledge.exe...

"Technology promises to let us do anything from anywhere with anyone. But it also drains us as we try to do everything everywhere. We begin to feel overwhelmed and depleted by the lives technology makes possible."

-Sherry Turkle

[END TRANSMISSION]

how to make the internet fun again...

STEP 1: REJECT OPTIMIZATION Post things at any time you see fit.

Ignore your follower count Make a personal blog STEP 2: EMBRACE CHAOS Join the smallest possible Discord server Find a weird forum about something you love Make friends in MMO games Create something purely for fun - like a zine STEP 3: RECLAIM YOUR SPACE Turn off auto-play Disable "relevant" recommendations Delete half your apps Log out sometimes (it's okay, really) STEP 4: GO FULL HUMAN Write long messy blog posts Share your actual interests, not your aesthetic Make playlists for your friends, not for algorithms Leave nice comments on small creators' work FINAL BOSS: BREAK THE ALGORITHM Post cat photos on LinkedIn Reply to year-old posts Bookmark things instead of saving them for never [WARNING: FOLLOWING THESE STEPS MAY RESULT IN GENUINE HUMAN CONNECTION]

"We were promised flying cars and got 140 characters."

- Peter Thiel

"Technology is best when it brings people together."

- Matt Mullenweg

WHAT KIND OF INTERNET EXPLORER ARE YOU? Answer these questions to discover your digital personality!

1. When you boot up your computer, the first thing you do?

A. Check what your friends are creating B. Open 50 tabs of research C. Start coding a new project D. Look for communities to join 2.Your ideal online space looks like: A. A cozy digital garden where ideas grow B. A vast library of endless knowledge C. A maker space full of tools D. A friendly cafe where everyone knows your username 3. The best part of the old internet was: A. Personal websites with weird designs B. Learning about obscure topics C. Making things just for fun D. Small, tight-knit forums 4. Your superpower would be: A. Churning out endless good content B. Understanding every programming language C. Creating viral wholesome memes D. Building bridges between communities

WHAT KIND OF INTERNET EXPLORER ARE YOU?

[RESULTS] 🎨

Mostly A's: THE DIGITAL ARTIST You make the internet beautiful! You see the web as your canvas and bring creativity to every space you visit.

📚

Mostly B's: THE CYBER SCHOLAR You're keeping the spirit of discovery alive! Every link is a door to new knowledge.

🛠️

Mostly C's: THE WEBSMITH You build the tools that make the internet fun! Your code creates joy.

🤝

Mostly D's: THE COMMUNITY WEAVER You create the connections that make the internet feel like home!

[END PROGRAM] REMEMBER: ALL PATHS LEAD TO A BETTER INTERNET PRESS ANY KEY TO MAKE THE WEB MORE WONDERFUL

A SCROLL DOWN MEMEORY LANE

thanks for reading!

NEVER STOP CREATING. -JULIANA SEKAI