The rise of social media has killed the art of curation because, these days, things are rarely curated. Criticism is dead (with Fantano3 being the one exception) and Gen Alpha doesn't know how to find music through anything but TikTok. Relying on algorithms puts way too much power in technology's hands. And algorithms can only predict content that you've seen before. It'll never surprise you with something different. It keeps you in a little bubble. Oh, you like shoegaze? Well, that's all the algorithm is going to give you until you intentionally start listening to something else.

So I guess the next question is, "How do I fix this?" Like most people, I've been pulling back. Less time relying on algorithms to predict what I like and more time just making notes and lists in Obsidian. Any time I stumble across something that looks interesting or something I don't want to forget, I make a note of it so I can retrieve it later.

It's honestly not much of a solution as it still makes "staying on top of things" feel like a job. But I'm struggling to find a better way to wrap up this post. This might just be society's new normal. The ones who prioritize comfort will stay in their algorithmic bubbles, while those who care about broadening their horizons will prioritize finding things on their own. Search long enough and eventually you will find what you're looking for. Eventually.