Following a trend I’ve seen a few other people jump in on, I’ve made a public list of “bookmarks”–links to articles, websites, or whatever else I’ve found interesting or useful. It’s pretty short right now, but over time I hope to expand it.
With all the algorithms out there vying for our attention–decidedly not showing us content based on what is healthy for us or what we might find enlightening–I’m more and more drawn to human curation. Content suggestions from the creator of the thing I’m already looking at, not from a profile of my overall browsing habits. Personal recommendations from people I interact with, like in the old days when your “social network” meant your friends and their friends.
Another aspect of a bookmarks list that I like is that it’s static. Sure, I’ll update it when I find something new that I think should be on it, but it’s not a feed intended to get clicks once and then fade into memory. (In fact, I’ve made it re-shuffle the list every day so the most recently added links aren’t always at the top or bottom.) It’s there to be happened upon by chance, by anyone who might visit my site and want to see more stuff like it. There’s no urgency to get it clicked on, no disappointment in low engagement numbers. It’s just there.
In an age of large language models and generative AI, in the face of machines that can provide the appearance of human interaction without any of the substance, it’s going to take effort and intentionality to maintain healthy, human-centered spaces in the online world.
So I hope this trend catches on. I want an internet more full of rabbit trails and branching paths than endless scrolls. So find that oft-used reference page. Dig up that favorite little game from your childhood, or that blog post you always come back to. And post a list of links somewhere. The future of the internet is waiting.
