Why You See What You See

Kavi opened the video app and every single clip was owls and skateboards. "Weird — my feed is ALL owls!" At lunch, Jun scrolled a feed that was all cooking. Grandma smiled. "Your app doesn't show posts newest-first. It ranks them — it quietly watches what you tap, like and watch to the end, then guesses what will keep you watching, and puts that on top." Kavi blinked. "So the owls are there because… I keep watching owls?" "Exactly. Every tap is a tiny signal. The app learns, then feeds you more of the same — that's why your feed and Jun's are worlds apart. It's not magic, and it's not neutral: people built it to hold your attention." Kavi thought hard. "Then I can steer it — follow new things, tap 'not interested', and remember the top of the feed isn't the truth, just what the app bet I'd watch."