- Around 3000 BCE, writing emerged to track grain, labor, and debts. It offloaded memory to clay tablets controlled by temples and states.
- Plato warned in the Phaedrus that writing would weaken memory—we’d rely on external marks instead of our own minds. He was right, but we gained a shared cognitive commons.
- Recommendation algorithms do the same thing to attention. Your focus gets offloaded to systems optimized for engagement, not for you.
- This creates a one-way mirror: the algorithm sees and shapes you, but you can’t see it back.
“AI externalizes attention at planetary scale, enabling ‘one-way mirror’ governance through behavioral modeling.”
The “one-way mirror” image is sharp. You’re being watched and nudged, but you can’t watch back. At least with writing, anyone could learn to read. With recommendation systems, the asymmetry is baked in—you’re the product, not the user.