Attention is All You Have

recently i was reading an article online.

though it was also recommended by an algorithm, it raised a very good point.

we are constantly reading, watching, and consuming what algorithms want us to consume — whether it's news, new ai models, scams, "what should you learn in 2026", "how to make a million dollars", and what not.

want to watch a video? open youtube and it will recommend you plenty of videos based on your interests.

feeling bored? open instagram and it will show you endless reels and shorts. most of them add very little value, but over time they shape your thinking through vague, short-form content while also shortening your attention span.

instead, we rarely go to youtube with a specific intention, search for something ourselves, and spend time learning it deeply.

the algorithm keeps us inside a bubble built around things we have already watched. it keeps feeding us more of the same. because of that, our scope of thinking becomes narrower than we realize.

it's actually allowing someone else to decide what appears on your screen and, to some extent, what information reaches you.

instead, we should focus on what we genuinely want to learn.

• read those articles
• read those books
• watch that long video that gives a deep understanding of a topic

doing this increases your attention span and gives you more control over your own thinking and the content you consume.

you stop relying on whatever the algorithm decides to show you and start actively choosing what deserves your attention.

over time, this helps you think more logically and critically about yourself, your surroundings, the present, and the future, instead of being constantly influenced by whatever is currently being pushed by internet algorithms.