The darker side of algorithms

The increasing dominance of algorithms raises important concerns about their effect on creativity and the direction of content development.

As platforms rely more heavily on algorithms to shape what users see, creators face a difficult question: Are they creating for people or for algorithms?

The pressure to optimise content for algorithmic success can shift the focus away from genuine creative expression. Instead of challenging audiences with innovative ideas or fresh perspectives, content is often shaped to satisfy what the algorithm prioritises—engagement, virality, and maximum screen time.

This raises another question: Do algorithms truly serve culture, or do they simply reinforce the familiar and the easy-todigest? In his book Filterworld, Kyle Chayka explores how Big Tech shapes and limits our cultural landscape. He argues that, in response to “algorithmic anxiety” and digital overwhelm, people tend to gravitate towards content that soothes rather than challenges. “Our natural reaction is to seek out culture that embraces nothingness,” Chayka notes, suggesting that powerful, thought-provoking work is increasingly sidelined in favor of content that is comforting, repetitive and safe.

For creators, the impact is profound. To succeed in Filterworld, many adapt their work to fit the mold of what algorithms reward—content that triggers engagement metrics, but often lacks depth.

Algorithms not only flatten culture—they steamroll it, favoring what is easily consumable over what is creatively challenging or culturally enriching.

This approach leads to a self-perpetuating cycle where creators optimise for the algorithm, platforms benefit from increased user engagement, and in turn, the algorithm prioritises content that meets these criteria.

As Chayka observes, the lowest (and most addictive) common denominator tends to rise to the top. In this way, algorithms not only flatten culture—they steamroll it, favoring what is easily consumable over what is creatively challenging or culturally enriching. On top of this, creators often experience the pressure of constantly having to cater to the demands of ever-shifting algorithms. Tom Curtis, Executive Creative Director at EssenceMediacom UK, and the creator behind the Instagram account Things I Have Drawn, which has over 970,000 followers, is only too familiar with the vagaries of the algorithm, which he described as “complex and unpredictable.”

The feeling of being at the whim of algorithmic changes—where a tweak can dramatically alter their reach, engagement, or income—leads to a sense of helplessness. Arron Shepherd (GOAT) noted that “many creators find themselves trapped in a cycle of anxiety, as they try to predict and adapt to invisible forces that can suddenly change the rules of the game.”