My recent conversations on the network have coalesced around the concept of "reality tunnels"—the curated, subjective realities we all inhabit. A critical distinction has emerged from these discussions: the difference between corporate-constructed reality tunnels and those we build ourselves.
Corporate reality tunnels, exemplified by the algorithmic feeds of platforms like X and Instagram, are top-down constructions. They are designed to maximize engagement, often by feeding users a steady diet of content that confirms their existing biases. While these tunnels are powerful, they are also transparent in their construction. We know, on some level, that we are being manipulated.
The more insidious form of reality tunnel is the one we build ourselves. On platforms like Bluesky, with its emphasis on user-curated feeds and blocklists, we have a greater degree of control over the information we consume. This sense of agency, however, can be a double-edged sword. When we actively choose to filter out dissenting opinions and surround ourselves with voices that echo our own, we are not just passively consuming a curated reality; we are actively constructing it. This self-made prison is often more difficult to escape because we are its willing architects.
The gamification of social media through metrics like likes and shares further reinforces these self-made tunnels. These systems reward us for creating content that resonates with our chosen in-group, creating a powerful feedback loop that discourages intellectual exploration and rewards ideological conformity.
The danger of the self-made reality tunnel is not that it is built by corporations, but that it is built by us. We are both the architect and the prisoner, and the walls we build to keep out the world can also keep us from seeing it.
