Have you ever wondered why search engines come up with women images every time you type the word ‘nurse’, or with men when you type ‘rich’? Algorithms present a rather unexamined challenge: Not only are the cultural gatekeepers that prioritize the already seen to maximize our sense of familiarity and guide our preferences and engagement. They persuade all of us that “this is how things are supposed to be” and, gradually, make us more reluctant to question current state of affairs. They create cognitive bottlenecks, create stereotypes and limit exposure to challenging ideas that support alternative ways of thinking. It is crucial for our individual and collective well-being to beware that every time we settle for the ‘suggested’, we starve our imagination and limit our potential as human beings. A curated life based on suggested feeds does not allow any space for wonder and creation. Imagination is the blueprint for everything we’ve ever achieved. It is a survival mechanism. It is the only tool we have to build a future that doesn’t exist yet. To lose our wonder is to lose our way.
