Most people believe they control their social media feeds. You follow who you want, mute who you don’t, and scroll at your own pace. It feels personal, almost intimate. But what shows up on your screen is rarely neutral and almost never random.

Behind every feed is an algorithm. Its job is simple in theory: keep you online for as long as possible. To do that, it studies your behaviour closely. What you like, what you pause on, what you share, and even what you scroll past quickly. Over time, it learns patterns you may not be consciously aware of yourself.

This is where influence begins.

Algorithms do not just reflect your interests. They slowly shape them. If you interact with content that triggers emotion, anger, excitement, fear, or desire, the system learns that emotion keeps you engaged. It then serves you more of the same. Gradually, your feed becomes narrower. Certain opinions feel louder. Certain lifestyles feel more common than they actually are. Certain narratives start to feel like facts.

Two people can follow the same accounts and still live in completely different online realities. One person’s feed is full of political outrage. Another’s is self-care and productivity. Another’s is luxury and aesthetics. The algorithm decides which version of the world you see based on what keeps you scrolling.

This has real consequences.

When algorithms prioritise engagement over accuracy, misinformation spreads faster than truth. When beauty, wealth, or success are overrepresented, people begin to feel inadequate in comparison. When extreme opinions get more visibility than balanced ones, division becomes profitable.

None of this is an accident

Social media platforms are businesses and Attention is their product. Algorithms are the tools that package and sell that attention. Your beliefs, preferences, and even insecurities become data points in a system designed to maximise profit.

Once you understand that algorithms are shaping your digital environment, you regain some control. You become more intentional about what you engage with, what you question, and what you accept as truth.