The Algorithm Ate My Raspberries
What if the best parts of your day-the unexpected smile from a stranger, the song that takes you back, the fruit that reminds you of your childhood-are quietly being erased? Not by malice, but by design. Welcome to technofeudalism, where the algorithm doesn't just know what you want-it decides what you get.
It starts with convenience. Food delivery apps, streaming platforms, and algorithmic feeds promise to save us time and effort. But in doing so, they also strip away the randomness that once made life feel alive. You didn't plan to hear that song or see that art installation. You didn't know you wanted raspberries until you saw them. That's serendipity. And it's vanishing.
Technofeudalism: The New Digital Order
Economist Yanis Varoufakis coined the term "technofeudalism" to describe a world where tech platforms no longer act like traditional businesses. Instead, they operate like digital landlords, extracting rent from both users and sellers. You don't own your data, your feed, or even your attention. You lease them-often unknowingly-by participating in the platform's ecosystem.
These platforms don't just host content or services. They control the rules of engagement. They decide what you see, when you see it, and how often. And they do it with one goal in mind: predictability. The more predictable your behavior, the easier it is to monetize. That's why your feed looks the same every day. That's why your food arrives without you ever stepping outside. That's why you haven't been surprised in a while.
The Death of the Unplanned
Serendipity thrives in chaos. It lives in the unstructured, the unplanned, the offline. But platforms are designed to eliminate chaos. They want you to stay indoors, scroll endlessly, and consume content that aligns with your past behavior. That's how they keep you engaged-and how they keep advertisers happy.
But in doing so, they also kill the chance encounter. You don't bump into old friends on TikTok. You don't discover a new favorite song while waiting for your Uber Eats. You don't stumble upon a weird little bookstore while Instacarting your groceries. You stay in your lane, curated and optimized, until the algorithm decides it's time to nudge you elsewhere.
Cloud Rent and the Cost of Convenience
Every time you use a platform, you generate data. That data is sold, repackaged, and used to target you more precisely. Meanwhile, the businesses on the other side-restaurants, creators, small shops-are squeezed by fees and forced to play by rules they didn't write. This is the "cloud rent" Varoufakis warns about. It's not just about money. It's about control.
And it's not just economic. It's cultural. When platforms prioritize engagement over exploration, they flatten our experiences. You see what others like you see. You hear what others like you hear. The algorithm becomes a mirror, reflecting your past back at you, until you forget there was ever a world beyond it.
Slop Capitalism and the Filter Bubble
As meme researcher Aidan Walker puts it, we're living in an era of "slop capitalism." Sixteen out of every twenty videos you see are AI-generated filler. They're not meant to inspire or challenge you. They're meant to keep you watching. But every one of those slop videos is a missed opportunity-to learn something new, to feel something unexpected, to connect with someone different.
Filter bubbles aren't just political. They're emotional. They limit the range of experiences we're exposed to. They make us think we don't like fruit, until a chance encounter with raspberries proves otherwise. They make us forget that joy often comes from the unexpected, not the optimized.
Reclaiming the Random
But all is not lost. Serendipity still finds a way. It lives in the QR code taped to a lamppost, inviting you to a bizarre local event. It hides in the fake Google Maps reviews of a random ventilation shaft. It sneaks into your feed through chaotic, human-made memes that defy categorization. These are acts of digital rebellion-small, strange, and beautiful.
They remind us that not everything has to be efficient. Not everything has to be planned. Sometimes, the best moments are the ones we never saw coming. And maybe, just maybe, the fight for serendipity is the fight for our humanity.
Because life isn't a feed. It's a walk to the store that ends with raspberries and a memory you didn't know you needed.