663. The Quest for Authenticity in an Algorithm-Driven World with Kyle Chayka

unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc · Jun 25, 2026 · 53m

Kyle Chayka is a staff writer for the New Yorker and also the author of the books Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture and The Longing for Less: What's Missing from Minimalism. Greg and Kyle discuss how algorithmic feeds shift culture from the “long tail” promise of niche discovery toward homogenization, rapid fads, and blockbuster dominance. Kyle argues platforms lower barriers to publish but make reaching audiences dependent on gaming recommendation systems, pushing creators, journalists, and even restaurants and tourism toward engagement-driven, Instagrammable, simplified outputs…