The Internet Is Killing Coincidence: When Algorithms Erase Serendipity

There used to be a thrill when you stumbled upon a song on the TV or radio, a song that you felt was written for you at this exact moment. The thrill of stumbling upon the perfect movie back when you couldn’t control what movie you watched, only wait and see what the broadcaster gave you.  

Now, every app knows what you want before you want it. Or creates a want that you didn’t know you wanted. Suggestions, recommendations, “watch this if you liked this” or “this is similar to this”, and so on.

It’s convenient, no doubt. All of us are more than happy to be spoon-fed suggestions after suggestions, choices after choices… but to what end? Our consumer needs are being telegraphed by a company that robs all of our data and tells us “This is what you like, now watch it and be happy”.

The Death of Serendipity

What ever happened to the idea of Serendipity? Sure, they happen every now and then, but only when we decide to engage in real life. The accidental discoveries that feel fated, magical, or if you’re religious, God’s hand in your lives. The “how did I even end up here” moments that expose us to the unfamiliar, challenging us to take charge of our lives.

The internet cannot allow you to do that. You don’t get to watch Youtube unless you search something up. Instagram reels, Spotify, Twitter, all of them run on algorithms. They make sure you don’t have to be exposed to the unfamiliar because… well, that would make us uncomfortable. And God forbid, we have a little adventure in our lives.

While yes, this only applies to the online world, it has to be acknowledged we spend all our time online nowadays and in doing so, stay safe in our “comfort” zone as the internet feeds us all the convenient things all the time. You’re not exploring anymore; you’re just being shown around.

Rebellion Was Recommended for You

There is no real discovery. That niche indie artist? Already trending. That obscure documentary? Pushed because similar viewers liked it. Even our rebellion is pre-programmed. The internet won’t allow you to get lost. It’s always there, directing you when sometimes, we need to get lost to find our own way.

We start to lose our own taste. We cater to whatever the algorithm claims we like. We lose our sense of curiosity to pursue further and further. Culture becomes duller. Everyone discovers the same artists, watches the same creators, uses the same Pinterest-core aesthetics.

Choosing Chaos on Purpose

We have to make the conscious choice to not give in.

We can still curate randomness. We can choose not to watch what is suggested, scroll through tags instead of For you pages, talk to people who aren’t chronically online, and so on.

There are many ways we can find our own identity and taste but it requires effort and require more and more people to break out from the box that we’re put in.

Coincidence is rare, but it still exists. A misclick, a random reel from a friend, stumbling upon something that was not curated for you. It is up to us to make this conscious choice to chase adventure and serendipity.

#MusicDiscovery #StreamingLife #Nostalgia #Entertainment #DigitalTrends