Max Verhaar on His Digital Bubble: ‘It Feels Like the Algorithm Is Taking Over’

Algorithms guide us through the endless maze of the internet. But do we actually like what we see? This month, we dive into the bubble of Max Verhaar (24), the campus poet of Tilburg University and a post-master’s student in Dutch teacher training.

What strikes your attention the most about algorithms?

‘How quickly they change. For five years, my feed stayed fairly constant, mostly filled with football and cooking content. But now, as soon as I watch something new, my feed gets flooded with it. For example, I once sent my music-loving brother a cover of a classic rock song turned into a jazz version, and within fifteen minutes, my feed was full of similar covers.’

Are you in a filter bubble that mainly confirms your own views? Do you try to break out of it?

‘Undoubtedly, though it depends on the platform. After watching just one YouTube Short of Andrew Tate, I now constantly get videos of him and Joe Rogan, whereas Instagram doesn’t do that. I don’t agree with them, but I don’t mind.

‘You don’t have to have an opinion on everything—there are already enough opinions out there. My history book once said, ‘You have one mouth and two ears for a reason.’ I still think about that regularly. Nowadays, it feels like everyone is just broadcasting, with noise-canceling earbuds in.’

Do you ever talk to others about their bubble?

‘Not really. During elections, I did notice some differences, which can create tension in a friend group. How do you bring that up without making it a big deal? In practice, it usually resolves itself with a dumb joke. More often, we talk about whether we should just quit social media altogether.’

Would you delete your social media?

‘I actually did that while writing my thesis. What I missed most were saved videos and memories. But I wonder if just deleting social media is enough to unlearn scrolling behavior. It seems to go deeper. After deleting Instagram, my fingers kept automatically moving to where the app used to be for days. That was pretty intense.’

Have you become more resistant to algorithms?

‘Yes, by occasionally deleting social media. That helps me be more conscious of my usage. I also bravely set a timer on my phone, but I almost automatically turn it off again. So that doesn’t really work.’

Do algorithms change your viewing and listening behavior?

‘Within my interests. I love discovering new music and scrolling through Instagram’s ‘For You’ page, but my preferences remain the main influence. In the end, I still prefer listening to music I collect myself and looking at photos of friends I deliberately follow.’

Do algorithms impact your online experience positively or negatively?

‘It used to be positive—I would just get fun videos to watch. Now, it feels like the algorithm is taking over. Like it’s saying, ‘You’re mine for the next fifteen minutes.’ Yesterday, I spent two hours on Instagram, but I don’t remember seeing anything fun. Not a single video that made me laugh. That’s a painful realization.’