I think algorithms ruined discovery.
They are really good at showing you more of what you already like.
That is also the problem.
Discovery used to feel more accidental.
You would find some random song because somebody had it on their profile. You would click through a forum signature. Somebody would send you a link. You would end up on a website you had never heard of and somehow spend an hour there.
Now everything is fed to you.
And technically there is probably more stuff being recommended to us than ever.
But it does not feel like discovery.
It feels like being served.
The algorithm already knows what genre I like, what kind of videos I watch, what keeps me on the app.
So I get more of that.
Then more of that.
Then slightly different versions of that.
I think that is why finding something genuinely weird or unexpected feels so good now.
It feels rare.
Some of my favorite music lately has come from hearing people I never would have found on my own.
No playlist decided I would like them.
No app decided they were next.
They just showed up.
