A friend of mine recently suggested we need a new algorithm for life. Our current algorithm? If you like _____, you’ll also like ____. It’s always been human nature, but technology has made it our default. Spotify, Netflix, Facebook — the more they learn about us, the smaller the world they show us gets. It may feel comfortable. But does it challenge us and help us grow?
My friend’s idea: If you like ____, try something different next time.
The value of trying different things isn’t a new concept. But the framing — that we’ve been programmed this way, and we can reprogram ourselves — sits well with me.
What could that look like? Some simple starters: If you like Taylor Swift, try some ’80s hip-hop. (Can I tune my daughters’ Spotify account to this new algorithm?). If you like dense biographies of historical figures, try some queer hockey romance novels (we could all use a little time at the cottage).
The benefits of this new algorithm go far beyond culture. What would it look like to bring it into our civic life?
We get into a lot of habits that aren’t productive for the kind of community we want to build — one that lives up to our values of equity, inclusivity and sustainability. I doubt we actually like these habits; we’re just running on autopilot. How could this new algorithm help us break some of those habits, and find new sources of growth? Some ideas:
If your instinct is to immediately comment on a post or article you disagree with, try holding off and just sit with the discomfort of a different viewpoint for a minute. Then consider what the most productive way to get your voice heard might look like.
If your instinct is to drive into the city, consider taking public transit instead. And instead of looking at your phone the whole time, look out the window and take in the views of Chicago in all its diversity and complexity.
And if your instinct is to complain about those white sticks popping up around town, try reading the Vision Zero plan first. Our public works department is making evidence-based decisions within the constraints of our built environment to make us safer; there’s a why behind the what. Once you are armed with context, by all means, weigh in.
OK, I couldn’t resist wading into the Great White Sticks Debate of 2026 (are white sticks the new leaf bags?). But reprogramming ourselves with this new algorithm can help us see that, in any situation, we could all stand to bring a bit more curiosity and a little less reflex.
I know I need this new algorithm as much as anyone. Parenting two young kids, running a business and navigating the chaos we are faced with every day makes it far too easy to fall into unproductive patterns. But I hereby commit to doing my best to try out this new algorithm, and I hope you’ll join me.
Nicole Chavas writes about community, and what we owe each other as neighbors. In the spirit of trying a new algorithm, she recently took the Austin bus instead of driving, and enjoyed seeing new faces and places along the way.