In today’s digital landscape, the conversation surrounding social media algorithms has become increasingly common. Many users express frustration with the content they see online, often suggesting that the algorithm dictates their emotional state or influences their mindset. However, as Gary Vaynerchuk explains in a recent video message, a more accurate interpretation is this: your feed reflects your behavior but does not control it.
This perspective reframes the relationship between individuals and their digital environments. Just as our daily habits shape our real-world experiences, our online behavior directly informs the content we encounter. Understanding this dynamic is essential for anyone seeking a more intentional, positive, or productive social media experience.
A Feed Is a Product of Input, Not a Cause of Output
The content we search for, interact with, and spend time viewing informs what the platform believes we prefer. This process is not hidden or unpredictable; it is a system designed to reflect patterns.
If a user repeatedly engages with negative, sensational, or unhelpful content, the algorithm responds accordingly. The same is true for content that promotes positivity, education, or inspiration. In each case, the feed is a mirror.
A preacher friend of mine once shared a powerful message on this same idea. It was titled “What you feed grows, what you starve dies.” Our social media feeds may start with negative, drama-filled, and conflict-filled content, but how much we choose to “feed” that content through watch time, likes, and comments causes it to grow. The same is true if the content shown is positive, uplifting, and encouraging. What we “feed” our social media feeds will grow, and what we starve our social media feeds will eventually waste away.
Understanding Digital Accountability
Recognizing that we shape our own feeds encourages a mindset of digital accountability. Rather than attributing dissatisfaction to forces outside our control, we begin asking more constructive questions:
- What content do I interact with most often?
- Does my behavior align with the type of content I want to see?
- Am I engaging intentionally or passively?
- What themes, topics, or emotions am I feeding into the system?
This shift from blame to evaluation allows individuals to take greater ownership of their digital environments. When we see our online experience as a reflection of our choices, we allow ourselves to make meaningful adjustments.
A Practical Method for Reframing Your Feed
To demonstrate how quickly online environments can shift, Gary Vaynerchuk offers the following exercise. Although simple, it reinforces how directly our actions influence digital outcomes:
Step-by-Step Feed Reset
- Open Instagram.
- Search for the term “happiness.”
- View the grid and engage with 25 posts by liking and commenting.
- Repeat the process with additional positive keywords:
- good
- wonderful events
- smiling
- joy
- Engage with approximately 200 posts across these topics.
- Follow 50 accounts that consistently produce uplifting or constructive content.
- Send 10 thoughtful messages to accounts you find meaningful.
- Close the app.
- Reopen it the next day and observe the difference.
This exercise demonstrates influence, not manipulation. When you intentionally adjust your inputs, the algorithm adjusts your outputs accordingly. The feed changes because you changed your engagement patterns.
The Relationship Between Intentional Consumption and Well-Being
Social media can be a powerful tool. It is educational, inspiring, and connective. However, it can also become a source of stress or negativity when used without awareness. Intentionally shaping your feed is not simply about improving your scrolling experience; it is about protecting your attention, mindset, and emotional environment.
By recognizing that we have control over what we consume, we affirm an essential principle: we also have control over how we feel while consuming it.
This applies not only to social media, but to email newsletters, news sources, podcasts, and nearly every digital platform that learns from user behavior.
Closing Reflection: You Shape the Experience You Receive
Algorithms do not define us. They reflect us. The content we see is shaped by the choices we make, the searches we conduct, the content we engage with, the people we follow, and the content we reinforce with our attention.
Rather than viewing the feed as an external force acting upon us, it is more accurate and more empowering to view it as a digital echo of our own patterns.
By intentionally modifying those patterns, we can design a more supportive, positive, and meaningful online experience. As Gary Vaynerchuk reminds us, “Your feed is not controlling you; your feed is exposing you.” And once we understand this, we can approach our digital lives with far greater clarity and responsibility.
