7/1/25

🎤 TED Talk Tuesday: The Algorithm Hates You (And That’s Okay)

You’ve been there.

You poured your whole soul into that post—perfect graphic, heartfelt caption, cute emojis, maybe even a well-placed hashtag or two. You hyped yourself up, hit “publish,” and waited for the magic.

And then…

3 likes.
1 pity comment (from your bestie who always comes through).
And your mom shared it to her church group thinking it was a Bible verse.

Meanwhile, some blurry screenshot of a tweet from 2016 with 17 emojis, zero punctuation, and absolutely no context has 47,000 shares and is currently trending on TikTok.

Make it make sense.

Spoiler alert: It doesn’t make sense.
Because welcome to the algorithm, sweetheart—where logic goes to die.

So what’s actually going on?

Let me break it down without the tech jargon:
The algorithm isn’t your friend. It’s not your enemy either. It’s a chaotic little gremlin running on engagement fumes, vibes, and whatever nonsense Mark Zuckerberg’s sleep-deprived engineers cooked up at 3 a.m.

It’s chasing:

• What’s getting clicked fastest

• What people are watching the longest

• What content is “bait-y” enough to spark emotion—even if that emotion is rage or confusion

And you? You’re out here posting with genuine effort, building a brand, offering value, connecting with your audience.

But the algorithm isn’t built to reward thoughtful consistency—it’s built to reward spikes. Peaks. Fireworks. Viral explosions.

So yeah. It might feel like it hates you.
But truthfully?

It doesn’t know you exist.

And that’s not shade—it’s freedom.

Because here’s the real tea:

It’s not you.
It’s not your designs.
It’s not your caption, your timing, or the fact that you used one too many exclamation points.

It’s just a system. A messy, evolving, math-based beast. You cannot outsmart it consistently.

So what can you do?

Show up anyway.
Post anyway.
Create anyway.

Even when the post flops.
Even when you feel invisible.
Even when someone with half your talent and zero punctuation gets all the attention.

Because your audience? They’re watching.
They may not comment on every post.
They may not like or share everything you create.
But they notice consistency. They trust it. And they remember it.

Growth isn’t built on virality.
It’s built on showing up when no one’s clapping yet.

Let’s talk about the long game.

Trends are fun. Virality feels good.
But here’s the truth: Trends fade. Brands last.

Going viral may get you seen, but it doesn’t guarantee loyal customers, return clients, or people who believe in what you do. That stuff? It comes from showing up even when your stats say “meh.”

It comes from doing the work behind the scenes.
From building trust, style, and community over time.
From staying true to your weird, wonderful, creative self when no one is handing you gold stars.

So the next time your post tanks?

Don’t spiral.

Don’t delete it out of embarrassment.
Don’t second-guess your talent.
Don’t let the numbers decide your worth.

Instead:

• Take a deep breath.

• Maybe scream into a pillow for 8 seconds. (Therapeutic, highly recommend.)

• Then post something else. Because you're not a one-post wonder.

You’re a brand.

You’re building something bigger than the algorithm could ever calculate.

TL;DR:

The algorithm is a mess. It’s not you. It’s not your content. It’s just chasing chaos.
So keep showing up. Keep creating. Keep being the consistent badass you are.
Because viral is temporary. But what you’re building? That’s legacy.