I Refuse to Feed the Algorithm.

By Karl Manrique

For the past few months, I have started publishing less frequently on Fashion Thinking, not because I lack the desire to, but because of a lack of time amid other projects and a considerable workload.

However, there is also another personal reason behind it: my rebellion against the algorithm. Recently, I shared this Instagram post, which I strongly identified with.

A post that, without a doubt, seemed to capture exactly how I feel. Nowadays, for me, opening any social media platform to look at fashion content and other topics has become extremely boring and repetitive. It reminded me that one of the original ideas with which I conceived Fashion Thinking was to write in a curated, conscious way, and only when there is something important to say.

I have come to the conclusion that I refuse to feed the algorithm the way it demands. To me, it is a monster hungry for the energy of both those who create content and those who consume it; an entity that keeps us trapped in an endless loop in front of a screen, where it seems we must sacrifice our lives to constantly produce content in exchange for the possibility of gaining visibility among a handful of strangers, whom we must also please in order to be rewarded with a simple like.

This dynamic has made all of us anxious to publish more and more in order to gain visibility in an ultra-competitive space, oversaturating the content consumer in the process. And what happens when we have to produce faster? Content tends to become lower in quality, less thought through before being published, or simply “borrowed” or “inspired” by other creators in order to avoid spending time reflecting. As a result, we end up seeing the same idea replicated, distorted over and over again until exhaustion.

When I started this project, I did so with the commitment to write about fashion—not only to talk about what is happening, but to do so from my own perspective, through the vision shaped by the place I inhabit and my nearly twenty years of experience in this industry.

I must admit that I started it with a certain sense of nostalgia, hoping to revive, through this project, the era of blogs, when content felt more organic, enjoyable, surprising, and honest.

I began publishing on both Substack and Instagram alongside Fashion Thinking from the very beginning. On the latter platform, for the first time, I had to adapt to an algorithm that invites—or rather, pushes—you to publish at an inhuman pace in exchange for visibility. And I must admit that this is a dynamic I have never been able—nor wanted—to adapt to.

This is because it is hardly compatible with the kind of project Fashion Thinking is: a space where curated articles are shared, written with intention and with a genuine purpose behind them. A place where current issues and challenges within the fashion industry and society are discussed, as well as exhibitions and museums. A purpose that goes far beyond simply posting for the sake of posting or sharing a meme.

By bringing my project to social media, I have realized, with great disappointment, that the current dynamic is absolutely enslaving. This is clearly reflected in the hundreds of TikTok and Instagram posts that share new rules and tips on how to go viral, always emphasizing that the key is to publish a lot, even if what you publish is something very simple.

This leaves me with several questions: is the goal of a fashion content creator to share something valuable or simply to be seen? And, on the other hand, does the social media content consumer really want to see more posts, even if they are completely simplistic and superficial?

From these genuine questions, I feel the need to take a firm position and continue sharing only when I believe there is something relevant to publish in this space dedicated to fashion, knowledge, opinion, and, at times, criticism.

Lately, I have stepped back a little, feeling tired of social media, as I am also committed to other projects that require my attention. Fashion Thinking will continue to exist and to publish articles about topics that deserve to be discussed, but never as just another account whose purpose is to feed the algorithmic monster.

A monster that demands to be fed every single day—not only with our posts, but also with the energy we pour into every piece of writing, every script, every slide, and every video edit. The internet, in its original idea, was presented to us as a space to connect and share, and Fashion Thinking intends to remain firmly faithful to that idea.