Attention is all you have
- ID
- 26960
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 21 Sep 2026, 10:26 PM
- Fetched
- 23 Sep 2026, 9:48 PM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://alicegg.tech/2026/09/21/attention
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 3.5
- Created
- 23 Sep 2026, 11:00 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_coderssaas_founders
What happened
A personal essay arguing that algorithmic recommendation feeds on platforms like YouTube, Spotify, LinkedIn, and Reddit are hijacking attention and shaping thought, with AI slop and LLM-generated content now polluting these spaces. The author advocates returning to an 'intentional internet' where users actively choose destinations via bookmarks rather than passively consuming algorithmic suggestions.
Why it matters
For builders shipping recommendation systems or AI-generated content pipelines, this essay articulates a growing user backlash against algorithmic feeds and AI slop insertion (e.g., Spotify inserting AI tracks to avoid royalties). Consider whether your product's engagement-optimization choices are creating distrust that opens space for intentionally-curated alternatives.
Discussion angle
Is there a viable startup angle in 'intentional internet' tools — RSS revival, curated bookmark managers, anti-algorithm feeds — especially as AI slop degrades trust in algorithmic platforms?