Is it still possible to have your own style in the age of algorithms?

When our discoveries are personalized, what remains of the unexpected?

Every day, we discover new songs.

New creators.

New ideas.

New clothes.

We sometimes feel that these discoveries are the result of chance.

However, behind each of them often lies the same starting point.

A recommendation.

A news feed.

A suggested video.

A playlist.

A publication that someone—or something—decided to make visible.

So a question is worth asking.

Do our discoveries still truly belong to us?

Before even choosing, one must first encounter

You cannot love music you have never heard.

You cannot admire a style you have never seen.

Before becoming a choice, every preference begins with an encounter.

For a long time, these encounters happened through radio, television, magazines, shop windows, or the advice of loved ones.

Today, they also happen through recommendation systems.

The principle is therefore not new.

What changes is their ability to personalize what appears before each of us.

See more often... like more?

Psychologists have long known a surprising phenomenon.

The more we are exposed to an image, a melody, or an idea, the more familiar it becomes to us.

And this familiarity can sometimes make it more enjoyable.

This does not mean that we will end up liking everything we see.

Repetition can also cause weariness.

But it often influences how certain things gradually enter our world.

What seemed strange yesterday can become obvious today.

Simply because we have encountered it several times.

Algorithms do not choose for us

We sometimes hear that algorithms decide our tastes.

The reality is more nuanced.

They do not create our desires.

They do not think for us.

However, they organize a part of what immediately becomes visible.

They prioritize what is most likely to capture our attention.

They offer us what resembles what we have already enjoyed.

In other words, they draw the landscape in which our next discoveries will take place.

And this landscape naturally influences what we have the opportunity to explore.

A huge library... but a unique path

Never before have we had access to so much content.

In a few seconds, we can listen to an artist on the other side of the world, discover an independent brand, or learn a new skill.

This abundance is a blessing.

But it also raises a question.

In an almost infinite library, why do we sometimes feel like we're always browsing the same aisles?

Personalization primarily aims to offer us what is most likely to interest us.

Not necessarily what will challenge our habits.

Does chance still have a place?

The most beautiful discoveries are not always the ones we were looking for.

It's sometimes a coffee shop you enter simply to escape the rain.

A bookstore where you push open a door without any particular intention.

An exhibition visited because there was an hour left before a train.

Or that conversation with a stranger that makes you look at the world differently.

These moments have one thing in common.

They were not in any program.

They did not respond to any search.

They just happened.

And they sometimes left a much deeper impression than the most precise recommendations.

Cultivating one's curiosity

Having your own style does not mean ignoring recommendations.

They can introduce us to artists, ideas, or creators we would never have met otherwise.

But building a style also requires a voluntary approach.

Taking a different path.

Entering a bookstore without knowing what you are looking for.

Listening to an album no one recommended to you.

Following a creator who is unlike those we already follow.

Curiosity remains one of the few things no algorithm can automate for us.

Choosing the unexpected too

At AMIRAL KASUAL, we do not believe that algorithms are our enemies.

They have become companions on our journey.

They facilitate access to an incredible amount of knowledge, inspiration, and cultures.

But a travel companion does not choose the destination.

They suggest an itinerary.

It's up to us to decide if we sometimes want to leave the main road.

Because a style is not built only with what is recommended to us.

It is also built with what we dare to discover.

Can one still have their own style in the age of algorithms?

We think so.

On one condition.

Never let curiosity become entirely predictable.

Recommendations can open doors.

But the most beautiful discoveries are often those we choose to make off the beaten path.

Because ultimately, our style does not depend solely on what is shown to us.

It depends above all on what we decide to seek out.

 

BE WHO YOU ARE

— AMIRAL KASUAL Magazine

References

This article draws on research on recommendation systems, repeated exposure, and cultural discovery. The references below are provided for readers who wish to delve deeper into the subject.

• Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal Effects of Mere Exposure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Toelch, U. & Dolan, R. J. (2015). Informational and Normative Influences in Conformity from a Neurocomputational Perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
• Areeb, et al. (2023). Filter Bubbles in Recommender Systems: Fact or Fallacy? A Systematic Review.
• Anwar, S., Schoenebeck, G. & Dhillon, P. (2024). Filter Bubble or Homogenization?
• Coavoux, S. & Aussant, J. (2025). Streaming Platforms, Filter Bubbles, and Cultural Inequalities.
• European Commission – Works on recommendation systems and digital platforms.
• UNESCO – Publications on cultural diversity in the digital age.
• OECD – Works on the attention economy and digital platforms.