Picking up on last week’s post about introducing the Boox Palma into my digital life, I’ve been diving a bit deeper into the idea of pre-selecting your content. Serendipity or not, in the latest podcast episode by Cal Newport, he mentioned a fascinating concept: the “non-algorithmic internet”.
It’s a way of interacting with the online world where the information you consume isn’t dictated by an algorithm designed to keep you scrolling and clicking, but by choice. By consciously selecting what you want to consume and when you want to consume it.
In the same episode, Newport referenced an article by another psychologist who is actively seeking more and more meaningful connections online by using the internet the way we used to in the early days.
That same week, friend of the show Dan Turner shared an interesting link on Discord: an X thread about “the old days on IRC”, and how small, anonymous chat rooms allowed people to truly connect with each other and form relationships that could last for years. (Having met Dan online 20 years ago and still staying in touch from time to time is living proof.)
What really stuck with me this week was this thought:
There’s the algorithm-driven net, where big tech tells you what to watch, read, and click.
And then there’s the non-algo net, where you decide who and what you engage with.
That changes the conversation. It’s no longer just about taming technology or limiting screen time. It’s about making an intentional choice: what kind of internet do you want to experience?
And maybe this wave of digital nostalgia — playing old games, using retro tech, tinkering with ancient interfaces — isn’t about chasing the past or rejecting big tech.
It’s a quest for real connection, with people, through technology.
Because where the “old net” was built to bring us together, today’s “algo-net” is built to pull us apart. It traps us in content bubbles, shields us from new ideas, and keeps us chasing that next dopamine hit.
So ask yourself:
What net are you using — the algo-net or the non-algo one?
Links.
The Deep Questions podcast episode “Making the internet great again”: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/deep-questions-with-cal-newport/id1515786216?i=1000706347196
Dan’s X-thread on “IRC” and the old days: https://ohai.social/@jascha/114456719610997573