Freedom Means You Get To Choose

The Daily Haiku for April 25. Freedom means you get to choose.

Stop autoplay now.
Freedom means you get to choose.
Take control again.

Autoplay and infinite scroll are the most hideous and ubiquitous features of sofware platforms and sites nowadays. From social media platforms to YouTube, from infotainment pages or CNN videos to Apple Music.

It may seem harmless. YouTube autoplays another video, so what? It may be interesting. So I am listening to an album from one of my favorite artists and Apple Music keeps on playing other songs after the end... So what? Those are similar artists.

However, the point here is that CNN, YouTube, Apple Music, Facebook or Instagram want you to spend more time on their platforms. That's their business model.

As always, an isolated act is not dangerous per se, but the repetition of small acts is. Getting used to Apple Music choosing the music we are going to hear next, or YouTube choosing the next video you are going to see, means you are not making conscious choices on what content you want to consume next. Most importantly, you are not making a choice about whether you want to consume that content in the first place. Others are deciding for you.

Take control again. Stop autoplay. Be free to consume the content you want to consume. See, watch, hear, and read what you want, not what others decide that you want... Otherwise, you may end up wanting what others decide that you want.