My experience in the digital world & my currated list to beat the algorithm

Date: 19-2-2026

A summary about my experience with the algorithm and what ideas and solutions it gave me to get rid of it and create my own curated list

As you may have read above, I took on the challenge of getting rid of the algorithm and thus found my own method of reading, watching, and listening to certain media without feeling forced to do so.
What I mean by forced is watching media that is presented to you, without you having the power to look for it yourself or make the choice to watch it yourself. This was inspired by a Shameless nerd video and my love for anological living which I'm slowly trying to incorporate into my life.

That is why I have started keeping logbook of my my experience in the digital world and what it brings for me. I became the the suspect under investigation, so to speak, observing many important points about myself and how I came up with healthier ways to still enjoy media, without the algorithm playing a role.

Anolog vs Digital

To properly start this blog I started my little research on analog and digital media, based on my experience

It goes without saying that analog is often experienced as continuous, physical, and closer, while digital is often virtual and more distant. Anological life is more based on direct experience, the senses that feel, and the moment itself. Unfortunately a great loss in these times, especially when I was doing my little research. In Dutch I often speak of (Digitale ruis) digital noice, when I realize that I was just going along with the digital maze of media and algorithms without doing anything about it. I am sensitive to sensory overload, too many stimuli and headaches, the main reason for me to never been addicted to my phone

I could already enjoy myself without digital media, but it got serious when I realized I had no real control over it. I mean, often when you're physically reading something, you know when to stop, but when something constantly demands your attention, when do you even stop?

When I read back through my logbook, there have been plenty of times when I was annoyed by my phone, where I had different apps, YouTube and the list goes on. So I took measures, perhaps quite radical when you read it, but for me it brought a lot of peace.

The important measures I have taken

These are measures that partly target the algorithm that tries to catch me in the form of YouTube for example, and at the same time other ways to enjoy media

• As radical as this sounds, I haven't personalized my phone anymore, just gone back to basics. No background or distractions.
• The phone's applications have been stripped back to basics, including calls, messages, email, gallery, clock, and notes. Unfortunately, other apps are still available due to work.
• My laptop has become a good replacement for my phone. I can write, read, and feel quite productive
• I have turned off all notifications on my phone, only when I open my phone and the app then I do see the message, not before.
• I made multiple paper versions of my notes that I kept on my phone, so I have 8 types of notebooks, possibly more to get my thoughts out
• To combat YouTube videos and digital doomscrolling, I tried to overhaul my YouTube. So, I reduced my list of subscribed channels to only the channels I watch, and I stil update it to keep it minimal.
• something else to battle the urge to watch youtube is reading lexicons!
• To put my hatred for YouTube's homepage in place once and for all, I decided to change my settings, no more viewing history, but a "to be watched" playlist where I add videos that I want to watch.
• Bought an analog digital alarm clock, because why not?
• I've started reading more, I always have a book with me that I can read whenever and wherever I am
• I'm still considering an MP3, because listening to my favorite videos with YouTube ads is starting to test my patience
• I still use my note taking app on my phone, but I have limited it to "braindump" and quick notes and thoughts. It is always been my way of being inspired, so to me no harm
• Filling up my commonplace book, since the start of keeping a logbook I found many more inpsirations and experiments to start on. My notebook is filled up and feels more home then my phone.
• I started watching just tv-programmes, lectures or anything else. I never used to watch netflix or other streaming services.
• I started reading the local news-paper and when to the library, my favorite place to be and found magazines to read!
• In the future I would like to gain the ability to remember te phone numbers of people by numbers instead of names.
• to many peoples suprise I don't own social media like instagram or tiktok, I never liked it and have deleted it for almost 8 years now.

My currated list of recommedations

for me to relax and say my little research brought me some amazing new media that I discovered without an algorithm! I had to add a currated list of recommedations to this blog with most of it youtube channels (because I love the crappy channels on youtube made by real pepole) Also the channels I always used to support and love watching since today

• Shameless Nerd
• Read/Read
• Liminal spaces
• Miracle forest
• Greg Toad
• Let's talk religion

Benifts and inportant things to mention

I've always been a simple person and have never had trouble letting go or removing things from my life. In my little research of my experience in the digital world and what I've learned, it became clear that I'm not cut out for the fast-paced, flashing, and attention-seeking world of today's media. For me, these measures, possibly consciously taken but also unconsciously felt, have been the breakthrough.

I don't know about you, but think about how distopian it feels to just digest media without consciously thinking about it and just let it happen. I think that as humans we are failing ourselves in this regard, we deserve a better experience with media, an experience that we can stand behind. This blog is therefore based solely on my experience and what I see happening around me. Feel free to read it and ignore it :)

Just to name some benefits that I have experienced, I think the biggest one so far is that I've started to enjoy silence more than before and I'm more involved with my hobbies. I make room for enjoying YouTube videos I've selected myself, but also for enjoying an hour or two of writing with pen or paper, or for bringing my many projects out of the shadows and giving them more attention. it hasn't escaped my notice that people think I'm living under a rock, but this way is enough for me. More than enough.I experience more freedom in what I want to see, listen to and read in a world that screams for attention and then grabs it and takes you into a deeply disturbing world of the screen. Speaking of which, I do have the right to brag about it, I almost have no screen time anymore....

Conclusion

I've had the pleasure of writing this blog post and expressing my research and who it has ultimately made me. I've always been someone who didn't care much about anything, but not having control over what I wanted to consume didn't do me any good. So forgive me if I've talked too much about myself. And forgive me for the clumsy way I write; it's just how my mind works.

I will update the list of currated recommedations, other then youtube, I would hopefully add some websites and blogs I happend to read.

THANK YOU!