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Rabbit Holes
How algorithms shape our work
Jaime Solis
17 Oct
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"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us."
— Marshall McLuhan, Media Theorist
The Red Thread This Week
Rabbit Holes
Last week, my son learned to play “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins on guitar.
I love that song.
When I asked him how he learned to play it he answered, ”C’mon dad, YouTube…”, then he headed off.
Later when I stuck my head in his room, he was still in front of his screen with the guitar on his lap.
He wasn’t just watching a tutorial anymore.
He was swiping through YouTube shorts:
Someone explaining alternate tunings
A breakdown of Billy Corgan’s pedalboard
Clips from old interviews about the song’s origin and recording process
He’d gone way past “how to play it.”
He was deep in “why it sounds the way it does.”
And honestly, I loved it.
But also…YouTube didn’t just teach him a song, it guided him into a maze of niche fascination.
The algorithm found his spark of interest and said, “Let me show you how deep this rabbit hole goes.”
After twenty+ years in music/tech/media, I’ve watched these systems – recommendation engines, sequencing algorithms, etc. – evolve from moderately helpful discovery tools into something else entirely.
Something that doesn’t just serve up our interests, but actively shapes them.
Here’s what’s worth remembering:
Algorithm-driven platforms aren’t designed to help you find what you want.
They’re designed to keep you wanting more.
And if you’re a builder, leader, or creator trying to bring your work or ideas to the word, that difference matters.
The Red Thread this week is about understanding the algorithm.
That invisible architecture shaping your attention, your audience, and your business—and what to do about it.
~ Jaime
🔑 The Unlock
How Algorithms Changed the Game
In 1995, discovering new music meant radio, MTV, a friend’s mixtape, or a trip to the record store.
All of those endpoints had limits:
Radio and TV needed mass appeal to drive reach/ratings.
Your friend knew maybe a dozen or so bands.
The record store had limited shelf space.
Those constraints kept culture centered, pushing us toward shared experiences and common ground.
It meant you’d likely heard that song everyone was sick of, or seen that video we all raved about.
Then came Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Netflix.
Infinite shelf space. Infinite choice.
And to solve for infinite, came the algorithms—predicting what we’d like or watch based on what people like us already liked or watched.
We celebrated it. No gatekeepers. No mainstream tyranny.
Everyone could publish, and everyone could find their niche.
But we missed something:
When you remove constraints that push toward the middle, you create new incentives that pull toward the edges.
1️⃣ The Economics of Engagement
Platforms don’t profit when you find what you need and leave satisfied. They profit when you stay.
And what keeps people longer than anything else?
Going deeper.
A casual fitness fan might watch a few how-to videos.
A kettlebell obsessive watches for hours, joins forums, buys programs, and comes back tomorrow.
Algorithms are rooted in this approach— because engagement grows when curiosity turns into compulsion.
And optimizing for engagement means optimizing for extreme edges and deep rabbit holes.
2️⃣ The Specificity Trap
The algorithm doesn’t reward generalities. It rewards the specific, the precise.
If you start with “how to start a business,” it won’t push you to another broad video as the follow-up. It’ll send you to…
“How to form an LLC in Delaware”
Then, “tax optimization for single-member LLCs”
Then, “advanced asset protection in Wyoming”
Each step pulls you further from the mainstream, and deeper into specialization.
That’s powerful.
But also, the system can’t tell the difference between deep learning and deeply lost.
It uses the same engine to take someone from interested in nutrition to obsessed with biohacking—or from curious about politics to convinced all government is rigged.
Same mechanics. Different outcomes.
3️⃣ The Creator’s Dilemma
If you’re working to build an audience, you face a choice:
Play to the algorithm: create ever-more specific, built for the fringe, content offerings to feed it.
Or resist the urge and accept you’ll grow slower.
A lot of creators choose the first path. Because it works.
But soon, your “audience” isn’t a community. It’s a feedback loop.
And the system trains your fans to crave more of the same; more niche, more salacious, more extreme—delivered more frequently.
The risk is you wake up one day realizing you’re no longer building what you believe in.
You’re simply building what performs.
4️⃣ The Business Implication
Algorithm-driven platforms optimize for depth of engagement above all else. That’s the business model.
They need whales; power users who will continue to eat, and eat, and eat, so the platforms can continue to mine and monetize their attention.
If your business aspires for broad appeal; something that’s “perfect for everyone”—and your media/marketing reflects that posture—you’re swimming against the current.
The algorithm will always nudge you to niche down.
Sometimes that’s smart.
Sometimes it’s a trap.
📌 Question: Am I building for the algorithm, or for the outcome I actually want? Because those two might not be the same thing.
💡 Creative Edge
How to Build in an Algorithmic World
I’ve watched this play out in music for years.
Artists once built careers by expanding outward: local, to regional, to national, to global.
Now, they’re narrowing inward—focused on serving their 1,000 true fans.
Going deeper with exclusives, merch, and community.
They’re not chasing fame on the scale of global superstars (which is arguably not even possible anymore.)
They’re chasing deep, intimate belonging with a select few.
And the algorithm loves it, because nothing drives engagement like devotion.
But here’s the catch: When you train your audience to love a narrow version of you, you make evolution very expensive.
Try to change direction, or soften your edge to “cast a wider net” and the same system that built your following might just punish your shift.
The Alternative Approach
Here's what works for creators and companies building sustainable media businesses:
Own the relationship.
Opt-in Email and SMS lists
Direct subscription offerings
Owned media platforms like podcasts, community forums, and newsletters.
These aren't always flashy. They don't have the viral sex appeal of social media.
But they give you something more valuable: direct control over the relationship with your audience. (I’ve written before about how to do this for yourself.)
When someone subscribes to your RSS feed, they're not being algorithmically fed your content between posts from fifty other creators.
They're choosing to hear from you directly, and that’s powerful.
📌 Mindset Shift: These platforms aren’t neutral pipes or public utilities here to help you move forward. You need sturdy media assets you can nurture directly, over time. Not sharecropping.
🎲 Prompt Playground
The Algorithm Audit
Use this to understand where algorithms are shaping your decisions:
Copy + paste the prompt below into your AI tool of choice (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) and fill in the blanks.
Prompt:
I want to see how platform algorithms may be shaping my creative and business decisions without me realizing it.
My situation:
Primary platforms I use: [list them]
Type of content I create: [describe it]
How I currently measure success: [your metrics]
Content that performs best: [what gets engagement]
Content I wish performed better: [what you want to create more of]
Help me:
Compare what performs well vs. what I want to create more of. What patterns emerge?
Identify which metrics are platform-defined (views, likes) vs. outcome-defined (revenue, retention).
Imagine I ignored all platform metrics—what would I create differently?
Suggest one change I could make this month to build more direct audience relationships beyond algorithmic feeds.
✅ Bonus: If I stopped optimizing for engagement and started optimizing for business impact, what would change first?
📡 Industry Pulse
ChatGPT will soon allow "erotica" for verified adults as OpenAI rolls out age-gating in December — The Verge
Spotify and major labels strike "artist-first" AI music licensing deals with Sony, UMG, Warner, Merlin, and Believe — Music Business Worldwide
Netflix and Spotify forge video podcast deal bringing Bill Simmons, The Ringer, and more to streaming — Netflix Tudum
Instagram's new "Collage" feature is the best thing they've launched this year according to social media strategists — ICYMI Newsletter
🛠️ Creator Tools
Paper - Just opened public alpha; a creative alternative to Figma, with focus on real-time visual effects and motion.
CTA Gallery - A free, curated gallery of call-to-action design inspiration.
Magic Animator - Animate your designs in seconds with AI.
💼 Open Opportunities
Director of Marketing – ATG Entertainment (Sugar Land, TX) View Role →
Senior Producer, News Podcasts – CBC / Radio Canada (Hybrid) View Role →
Your next move in Music
Explore the MBW Job Board →
Crack into Podcasting
Check out the Sounds Profitable Job Board →
📌 Know someone looking? Forward this to them!
⚡ Your Next Move
Before you go, here are 3 ways I can help:
🗓️ Get 1:1 Support from Me: Need a thought partner to help shape what's next for your project or team? Let’s talk.
🎙️ Audit Your Podcast: Get pro-level eyes on your podcast without hiring a full-time producer.
🚀 Speaking Engagements & Workshops: Looking for a speaker for your next live (or virtual) event? Or someone to lead your next strategic workshop? Drop me a note.
Thanks for spending time with Red Threads this week, I’m glad you’re here :)
~ Jaime