The best thing my algorithm ever did

Strangely, one of my favourite people on social media is a Norwegian man I've never met, who skips about in a suit, holding a cup of tea.

I have absolutely no idea why the algorithm decided that he belonged in my feed. I do not know anyone in Norway, I'm not a skipper and nor have I recently been searching the internet for tea. Yet there he was.

Now I find myself looking forward to his daily adventures.

The long distance love affair with my skipping Norwegian has got me thinking about the strange gifts that social media occassionally gives us. We hear a lot about algorithms trapping us in echo chambers and feeding us more of what we already know and believe - and that is all true - but every now and then it can throw up a completely delightful wee curveball. In my case a cheerful Norwegian, skipping through stunning scenery, holding a cup of tea.

He reminded me that humanity is mostly good and often joyful. He is simply sharing a slice of his life and somehow that slice has travelled across oceans to brighten my day.

In amongst the outrage and carefully curated perfection are little bits of joyful randomness.

That is the magic of the algorithm - not that it knows us perfectly - but it occassionally surprises us. It can introduce us to people and places we'd otherwise not meet or see. It reminds us that the world is much bigger, weirder, and more interesting than our own wee corners of it.

So here's to my skipping, tea sipping Norwegian friend, whoever you are. You have no idea that someone on the other side of the world is cheering you on with every skip and smiling every time you take a sip.

Sometimes the internet gets it exactly right.

What is the most wonderfully random person or thing your social media algorithm served you up? I'd love to hear your stories.

*Check out my Norwegian friend on Instagram kjetil krogstad or here