One minute you’re watching a video on zodiac signs, the next you’re convinced your entire personality is shaped by your birth chart and three videos on your feed. Sometimes it’s hard to make up where your opinions end and your feed begins.

Every scroll, click, like, and pause adds up. Platforms build versions of you, based on what you watch, search and engage with. These are your digital doppelgangers. They are you-but-not-you. And once these versions exist, they start to guide what you see online.

At first, it feels helpful. Everything on your feed totally ”gets you”. Your humor. Your interests. Your opinions. You might even be going through a breakup and, suddenly, every post is a life coach explaining exactly your situation. Struggling with anxiety? Those oddly specific tarot readings, with no hashtags, somehow land on your fyp. Start reading up to what’s happening in the world? You’re shown creators who echo what you already think. No challenge, just confirmation.

The more you scroll, the more it feels like your feed knows you. But it’s not showing you the whole truth, it shows you what keeps you scrolling. What feels like an algorithm following your preferences is actually it leading you. And not always in the right direction. But you’re allowed to shift. You’re allowed to change your mind. Your opinions shouldn’t be guessed, boxed in, or optimized for clicks. They should be yours.

Here’s how to take some of that back:

Mess with your algorithms: Search for random stuff. Like things you normally wouldn’t. Follow someone who makes you roll your eyes. Be unpredictable, it helps stop your feed from trapping you in a loop.

Check your ad settings: Look into how platforms see you. You might find you’re being profiled as someone completely different, or eerily accurately. You decide what they get to see.

Touch grass: No, really. Not everything you feel, think, or care about has to run through a fyp. Talk to people, go outside, read things that weren’t recommended to you by an algorithm.

Remember, your beliefs and opinions aren’t something to be predicted. You’re allowed to shift, to grow, and to change your mind.