Which Algorithms Are You Feeding?

🎮 Chapter 4: Technology & External Support

2 May

How to Take Back the Reins from the Digital and Mental Loops You Didn’t Realise You Were Running

We live in a world run by algorithms.

I don’t just mean social media or tech. I mean your thoughts. Your beliefs. Your emotions. All of it.

But let’s start with the obvious kind first—because if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably noticed how hard it is to go a day without getting sucked into some kind of digital loop.

Part 1 – The Digital Loop: Training the Machine That Trains You

You’ve probably noticed: the internet doesn’t just show you what you want. It shows you what will keep you scrolling.

That’s the game.

Outrage, fear, lust, awe—anything that spikes emotion tends to spike engagement. Which means even if you don’t want to see content that makes you angry, anxious, or deeply uncomfortable… you’ll still see more of it if you interact with it.

Because to the machine, attention is all it needs.

Here’s where it gets tricky: even a “thumbs down” or “angry react” is still engagement. If you comment on something you hate? The algorithm thanks you. You just confirmed you care.

But there’s a workaround.

Most platforms (though they bury it) give you more specific controls:

On YouTube: click the three dots → “Don’t recommend this channel”
On Instagram: hold down on a post → “Not interested”
On Reddit: hide subreddits from r/all or unsubscribe entirely

Same goes for your email inbox. Your spam filter gets smarter every time you click “Mark as spam” or “Not junk.”
It’s training the algorithm. You’re shaping what shows up.

This is the difference between passive consumption and conscious curation.

You are always training the machine.

So train it on purpose.

A Trick I Use: Making It Less Fun

I’ll let you in on a hack I use:

Delete the app. Use the browser version instead.

Seriously. If I want to check Instagram or Facebook, I have to go through the clunky, slow, kinda-annoying mobile browser version. No auto-refresh. No endless scrolling. It’s like eating soup with a fork.

That’s the point.

It creates just enough friction to break the loop. I get what I need, then I leave. No dopamine jackpot. No accidental rabbit hole.

A Word on Beeper (and Privacy)

Now—this part is important.

I use an app called Beeper to consolidate all my messenger apps into one inbox. That means I can still reply to people on Messenger, WhatsApp, Insta, SMS, even LinkedIn—without opening those apps at all and falling into the scroll trap.

Then you can disable notifications entirely to all your social media apps and only leave on Beeper notifications. Inside Beeper you can then mute any constantly pinging group chats all in one place.

It’s been a game-changer.

But.

I need to be upfront: using Beeper does mean routing all your messages through a single third-party platform. That has privacy and security implications, especially if you’re using it for sensitive or work-related conversations.

I use it only for my personal accounts, your workplace IT department would hate it being used for any work accounts. I’m still a little wary—because handing one company the keys to every message you’ve ever sent or received is a big deal. However the mental benefits I get from it at the moment are worth it to me currently.

So if you try this route, do your own research. Weigh the risks. Don’t take my word for it. Just know: it’s a tool—not a solution. Use it consciously.

Part 2 – The Mental Loop: What Are You Clicking on Internally?

Now zoom out a bit.

You’re not just training your apps.

You’re also training your attention.

Then your attention is what trains your brain.

We all have thought patterns—loops we run. Stories we tell ourselves. Emotional reflexes we don’t even question because they’ve been there so long they feel like facts.

It’s just… who I am.

But is it?

Just like with your YouTube history, every time you ‘click’ on a thought, you reinforce that neural pathway.

Every time you say, “I’m such an idiot” or “I wish I could do that” or “Nothing ever works out for me,” your inner algorithm goes, “Cool, got it. I’ll show you more of that.”

It’s not your fault. It’s just… mental training data.

The good news?

You can untrain it.

You can choose different thoughts to ‘click on.’ Different actions to take. Different places to rest your attention.

That’s where the loop starts to break.

Part 3 – The Soul Algorithm: Schemas, Shadows, and Self-Reprogramming

This isn’t just spiritual—it’s psychological.

There’s an entire therapy model built on this concept, and it’s one of the most powerful tools I’ve used in my own healing journey. It’s called Schema Therapy.

Schema Therapy helps you identify what it calls “core schemas”—deep-rooted beliefs that form in childhood, often around unmet needs or early trauma. These aren’t just thoughts. They’re entire algorithms running in the background of your life.

Things like:

“I’ll always be abandoned”
“I have to perform to be loved”
“I’m too much / not enough”

Sound familiar?

These are the filters shaping what you see. Not just online, but in relationships. In work. In how you speak to yourself when no one’s watching.

They’re like invisible code.

Schema Therapy helps you read it. Challenge it. Rewrite it.

It works beautifully with spiritual tools, too—journaling, meditation, even tarot or archetype work. Because whether you call it a schema, a shadow, or a soul contract—the point is the same:

Awareness is the beginning of reprogramming.

Once you see the loop, you can break it.

Final Reflection: What’s Feeding You?

There’s no moral high ground here. I still fall into loops. I still open Instagram sometimes without thinking, and I still catch myself spiralling on thoughts that don’t serve me.

But the difference is—I’m observing now.

I’m listening to what I feed my brain.

I’m paying attention to the signals I send to the machine.

If and when I fall off track, I come back.

You can too.

You don’t have to do it all at once.