The Banality of Online Recommendation Culture

A recent surge of human-curated guidance is both a reaction against and an extension of the tyranny of algorithmic recommendations.

By Kyle Chayka

October 30, 2024

Illustration by Ariel Davis

Save this story

In the 2010s, affiliate marketing became a dominant strain of online business models. The Wirecutte... See more

Having said this, and looking at the current information overload we all face on a day-to-day basis, I think there’s room for a new market of creators as curators .

Curators filter signal from noise in an increasingly noisy world. As the barriers to being a creator decrease, the internet gets even noisier and the need for credible curators increases. Algorithms will continue to play a role in aggregation, indexing, and personalization. But the best curation requires a human touch. You’re more likely to have an... See more