Attention Media ≠ Social Networks

Algorithmic Feeds vs. Social Graphs

• Many describe the turning point when Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. shifted from friend-centric, chronological feeds to algorithmic “slop” dominated by strangers, ragebait, and ads.
• Some note that friends simply don’t post enough for an endless feed, so platforms filled the gap with recommended content to maximize engagement and ad revenue.
• A minority says algorithmic feeds can be useful at scale (e.g., following thousands on X/Twitter, TikTok’s recommendations, YouTube’s home tab) but only if carefully trained or used sparingly.
• Others circumvent this entirely: RSS, browser extensions to kill “explore”/recommendations, using only “subscriptions”/“following” tabs, or switching to platforms where chronological feeds are the default.

From Social Networks to “Attention Media”

• Several commenters like the “attention media” framing: modern platforms optimize for watch time and emotional engagement, not relationships.
• Early social networks are remembered as symmetric, friend-based, with finite catch-up points; now feeds are infinite and designed never to “end.”
• Some argue this shift is inherent to the ad-funded model: a functional, bounded social network is a bad business because users close the app sooner.

Human Nature vs. Platform Design

• One camp blames human tendencies: even before modern algorithms, people chased status (friend counts, karma), gamed systems, and formed popularity contests on IRC, Reddit, Stack Overflow, etc.
• Another camp stresses deliberate corporate exploitation: teams of experts systematically optimize for addictive behavior, likening this to opioid or fast-food dynamics.
• Influencer culture and parasocial relationships are widely seen as having “finished off” the original, more intimate social web.

Alternatives: Fediverse, Group Chats, and Constraints

• Mastodon and the broader Fediverse are praised for user-controlled, chronological feeds and lack of a single corporate owner, but criticized as “boring” or empty if one’s real-life social graph doesn’t migrate.
• Lemmy, Pixelfed, Foto, Substack, Friendica, Bonfire, Discord, WhatsApp, SMS/group chats, and shared photo albums are mentioned as partial replacements for specific use cases.
• Some propose design constraints for healthier networks: symmetric friendships only, caps on friend counts, removal of “explore,” more friction and less infinite scroll, or tools that explicitly push people toward offline or small-group interaction.