silas of trees

y'know how even "non-algorithmic" social media platforms usually have like, a chronological algorithm for fetching and displaying posts?

i'm thinking it would be amusing to have a social media platform that used threads, but it's just completely unordered otherwise. it doesn't display any thread by default at all. all it does is host them. you can post a thread, but you can't search for a thread, as that search would have to use an algorithm and then you're just recreating an algorithmic feed with user requests. you can get to a thread if you know about it, like they have special IDs and you can request them using that, so users would have to tell each other about threads explicitly in order for other people to see it.

i think this is just reinventing the early internet tbh.

“TikTok’s design appeals to me because it removes decision fatigue,” Angela Zhou, a user experience designer who’s been chronicling her journey into the field on TikTok, said. “You open an app, and you’re immediately given content. You don’t have to make any decisions, other than swiping to reach the next video. I think that appeals a ton to people who are on their phones to unplug.” This includes Zhou, who says she’s increasingly replacing her YouTube and TV diet with TikToks.

this made me instantly and involuntarily frown