2007's "The Machine is Us/ing Us" eerily predicted the role of technology and algorithms, foreseeing how they would shape our interactions with the web. As we engage with online content, we are teaching algorithms what we value, creating a feedback loop where the algorithm serves us targeted content based on our past behavior. As a result, the idea that "we are the web" is fading as our control over the content we consume diminishes, replaced by algorithms that shape and dictate what we see based on data patterns and past behavior. Rather than the web being a space we actively navigate and curate, it has become a landscape where algorithms, not individuals, drive engagement and information flow. The vision of an open, user-driven internet, is giving way to a more passive, curated experience. This connects to the "Epic 2014" video, which predicts the evolution and decline of journalism, where people are trapped in personalized content bubbles created by these algorithms.

Journalistic integrity is increasingly overshadowed by sensationalist content aimed at triggering emotional reactions and capturing our attention. As we engage with clickbait and shallower stories, we are training the algorithms to deliver even more of the same, prioritizing interaction over substance. This inundates our online lives with content that thrives on anger, fear, and outrage, and we become trapped in a cycle of consuming and amplifying this emotionally charged media. The effects can be far-reaching, contributing to mental health crises, division, and conflict in the real world. The algorithms merely reflect back what we engage with, amplifying the most extreme aspects of our nature. We have in many ways, chosen the reality we now face by interacting with content that feeds these digital feedback loops.