Identity is shaped gradually over the years, shaped by the environment you grow up in, the people you surround yourself with and the content you consume on the internet. Hobbies add to this. Your hobbies shape how you interact with the world in your free time; they become your source of joy. I remember when I was into chess and was chronically on chess.com, or when I had a baking phase, or obsessively learning everything there is to know about crocodiles. Each hobby was personal, organic and a natural extension of my interest. But the internet got in the way. Now, my hobbies are what my algorithm tells me to be. There is scientific evidence of how algorithms change your psychology; I am living proof.

It starts small - you look up crocheting or pause a second too long on a history video or a makeup tutorial. The algorithm registers the interest and adjusts accordingly. Suddenly, your feed is filled with multiple creators showing you their advanced crocheting techniques or creative drag makeup videos. The more you engage, the more you see the same content. Slowly, your mind starts engaging in hobbies you've never even thought of. This exists for months before your algorithm moves on and shows you a new hobby. It's an endless cycle of discovery and obsession to abandonment. And nothing about it is original.

The algorithm does not just dictate your hobbies and interests. It also dictates your identity. Social media not only offers content; it offers an idealised lifestyle, an aesthetic, and an entire personality to adapt to. It's easy to adjust to different lifestyles: from a fitness girlie to a clean girlie to a bookish girlie. However, this identity is not naturally discovered but moulded by algorithmic suggestions

Of course, the internet can lead you to discover new hobbies you genuinely enjoy or enrich existing ones through meaningful connections and new ideas. However, I believe hobbies are supposed to be discovered in a much slower, more organic way. By the people we talk to and the things we try to accomplish through trial and error. The curiosity that drives you should lead you through unexpected paths. Now hobbies feel like trends - they are a packed tool of capitalism, ready to be consumed. They lack depth. The 'aesthetic' is more than the practice itself. The internet doesn’t care if you love what you’re doing—it just cares if it looks good while you’re doing it.

The commodification of curiosity

The problem is that the world's collective curiosity, an interesting trait we have that leads us towards multiple interests, is no longer the driving force. The algorithm has hijacked curiosity. Now it's become a commodity, a neatly packaged aesthetic that is easy to adopt and abandon. A curated list of lifestyles is offered to us on a platter - become a trad wife, or cook dishes from different countries, or read young adult romance. Look, everybody is doing it! We engage, and we are rewarded. We move from trend to trend, immersing ourselves truly and not doing anything about it ever. 

What do we lose in this cycle? The ability to discover who we really are. What authentic self do we want to become? We no longer have the patience, effort, or the freedom to learn, to make mistakes. Thanks to the internet, we miss a big phase in our own lives. 

Here is what my advice would be about this dilemma. Next time you feel drawn to a new hobby, ask yourself: Is this something you genuinely care about, or is it something you pressure yourself into liking because of how you are influenced? True identity takes time; it's not an aesthetic. It's messy, unpredictable and deeply personal. The internet certainly can't take that away from you.