My grandma called me out on my smart speaker habits and it stung

I was visiting her in Cleveland last Sunday and she asked why I talk to a little plastic box instead of calling my cousin. She said "you let that machine decide what you hear" and I realized I haven't listened to a random radio station in YEARS. Is letting AI curate everything actually making our lives smaller without us noticing?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_simon28d ago

Start with calling her old school but honestly she's got a point. My uncle said the same thing last Thanksgiving and it took me a minute to realize he was right. I used to just turn on the radio and let whatever play, hear new stuff, maybe hate it maybe love it. Now my algorithm just serves me the same 20 songs and same podcasts about stuff I already agree with. It's like living in a bubble but we pretend it's convenient. Your grandma's onto something, that woman probably sat through some terrible radio DJs but at least she got variety.

kim.jake27d ago

Switching to curated playlists from actual people broke me out of my algorithm rut.

betty_kelly928d ago

Stop romanticizing the old radio days. I remember sitting through 15 minutes of commercials, two bad songs, and a DJ who wouldn't shut up just to hear one good track. The algorithm might keep me in a loop but at least I can skip crap I hate instantly. Your uncle probably forgot how much he used to curse at the radio for playing the same Eagles song four times in one shift. If you want variety, hit the search bar or browse a new playlist. The tool isn't the problem, it's how lazy people are with it.