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Curation Over Consumption

The Internet has been going down a scary trend, and I’m sure I don’t have to be the one to tell you. If you’ve been online for any amount of time the past couple years, you can feel the change. The digital landscape has shifted dramatically towards algorithmic feeds and closed ecosystems. You being here is a miracle on its own, as nearly all content consumed online is curated by algorithms, and eventually most of the content you consume will be created by algorithms. Experts say that by 2026 an estimated 90% of online content could be AI-generated. Already, 57% of text online has been processed by some sort of AI. Most major social media platforms switched completely in favor of algorithmic content ranking over chronological feeds. I believe it’s this shift that began the palpable change to how the Internet felt.12

This consumption of algorithmic content is the start of our passive consumption model. Like an animal, we are fed a mix of content that keeps us engaged rather than what we actively seek. I miss stumbling upon weird personal blogs (you’re reading one) from real people. I miss how small the Internet felt, and how valuable each piece of media I came across felt. Instead, now I feel increasingly disconnected, even from those who I’m close with. I’ve been trying to put some distance between me and the robotic overlords. It’s been difficult, but I’ve found a way to help myself feel ever so slightly human again.

Here’s the idea — curation over consumption

When interacting with content online, imagine yourself a collector rummaging through piles of garbage. It’s a simple way of thinking more critically about what you’re seeing online.

Curating content can be straightforward; when you come across something you find interesting, save it. A list of bookmarked links is a good way to start, or a folder on your desktop. There are a lot of tools out there to help curation like Pinterest, Pocket, Are.na, Mymind, the list goes on and on. It doesn’t matter what you use, what’s important is giving yourself space and permission to sort the things you see online.

I have a folder of drawings from various artists I admire. Every now and then when scrolling through my endless feeds I see a drawing that resonates with me. I have my own ritual of staring for a while soaking in as much as the detail as possible, then saving a copy to my “inspirations” folder. This folder of curated content is then used as a compass to where I want my own work to go. Instead of looking for references or mood boards of what an individual drawing looks like; think of curation as a giant mood board that guides where you should go and what you’re interested in.

There’s something deeply beautiful about taking the time to truly appreciate someone’s work. Whether it’s a piece of music or a painting. Artists pour countless hours into each piece of art they create. Algorithms have robbed the Internet, the creators, and you of something valuable. The next time you come across something that moves you, take a moment to stop, process, and save it somewhere. We aren’t changing the Internet by any means, everything is still going to shit, lol. But it’s a small act that makes me feel happy, a way of saying “this matters, this deserves more than a quick glance.”

  1. Experts: 90% of Online Content Will Be AI-Generated by 2026. https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-90-online-content-ai-generated ↩

  2. Is AI quietly killing itself – and the Internet? https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/is-ai-quietly-killing-itself-and-the-internet/ ↩