Do Algorithms Hate My Content, or Am I Overthinking It?

For someone who’s not huge on social media, I sure do spend a lot of time scrolling through it. You know what I mean? You’re sitting there, mindlessly scrolling, feeling like you’re at the mercy of some unseen force. One minute, you’re seeing all the content you love—dog memes, random life hacks, and those “you won’t believe this” posts. The next? Nothing. Crickets.

It’s like the algorithm decided you didn’t deserve a spot in its precious stream of content.

So, I started wondering: do algorithms actually hate my content, or am I just overthinking it?

Here’s the thing: algorithms don’t have emotions. They’re designed to keep you on the platform longer by showing you what they think you’ll like based on your past behaviour. So when you spend hours looking at cute cat videos, guess what? More cat videos are coming your way.

But the thing that gets to me is that, sometimes, it feels like they just don’t get me. It’s like that mysterious person who never gives you a straight answer. They work behind the scenes, ranking and sorting content based on factors that we’re only just beginning to understand.

And let’s be honest: it’s easy to start playing the game and get caught up in that cycle. You start chasing the likes, shares, and comments, hoping that this time, the algorithm will give you a boost. You start second-guessing yourself: “Should I post more of this type of content? Should I tweak my caption to be more clickable? Should I jump on the latest trend?” “What’s the magic formula? What can I post to finally crack the code?” But the more you try to outsmart it, the further you drift from what actually matters—connecting with the people who genuinely care about your content.

Here’s what I’ve learned: I’ve stopped letting algorithms dictate my success. If my posts get seen, fantastic! If not? Well, I know the right people will find them eventually. And if I need to play the algorithm game a little bit to get my content out there, I’m okay with that. But I’m not going to obsess over it. I’ve got bigger fish to fry than waiting for a machine to validate my worth.

So, what’s the takeaway here? Algorithms don’t have feelings or hate your content. They’re just doing their job—keeping you on the platform. But you get to decide whether you’re going to let them control how you show up online. Your worth isn’t defined by a feed—it’s defined by the people who resonate with what you’re putting out into the world. The likes and shares will follow if you keep being authentic and consistent, but obsessing over the algorithm? It’ll just leave you feeling frustrated and burnt out.

Stay Empowered!