Why Feeds Keep Getting Worse

The Core Problem

• A feed is already a flawed way of presenting information: it strips away agency and forces passive consumption.
• At best, there are niche edge cases (like group chats around a specific event) — but even then, a different navigation mechanic would work better.

The Starting Point

• Platforms like early Reddit once felt rewarding.
• Tight moderation, community-driven content, and topic fidelity kept quality high.

The Drift

• Algorithms overweight novelty: a 10-second pause is treated as deep interest.
• Moderation gaps: communities drift off-topic (e.g., body language → gossip).
• Engagement-first logic: shock and filler content get boosted; niche, rewarding content gets buried.

What Could Work Instead

• Imagine navigation as growing/shrinking bubbles:
  • You enter a keyword.
  • Current discussions linked to that keyword expand.
  • Less relevant ones shrink.
• This puts you in control of context — discovery feels active, not passive.

Conclusion

• Feeds aren’t just noisy; they’re structurally flawed.
• And the way they’re implemented today accelerates the decay into junk.
• The future lies in agency-driven mechanics, not endless scrolls.