Against Becoming a Format

It’s sad to see how much of the modern internet has slid into personal branding.

Once someone stumbles onto a viral format, repetition becomes mandatory -- not because there’s more to explore, but because that’s what the algorithm rewards. And what's even worse, everyone expects it.

The short-video format dominating today’s internet amplifies this effect, producing endless blogs and accounts squeezing the same topic, the same joke, the same idea dry, again and again. Deviating from the formula becomes risky. Try something new, and engagement drops. Change tone, and people ask what’s “wrong.” The internet and the algorithms train people to stay small inside the box that once made them visible. And it's so incredibly boring.