# Escaping the Filter Bubble: Insights from WeChat's Success
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Chapter 1: The Rise of WeChat
In 2013, a fierce and unseen rivalry arose between Tencent and Xiaomi, two titans of the Chinese internet landscape. This competition paved the way for the emergence of WeChat, which has since become a colossal app with over a billion users.
WeChat transcends the conventional idea of an instant messaging app, often mistaken for platforms like Skype. Its multifaceted capabilities make it a unique player in the digital space:
WeChat = Skype + Facebook + Instagram + TikTok + Medium + PayPal + Zoom.
One of its standout features, the Public Account, allows users to publish extensive articles akin to those on Medium. However, WeChat’s approach significantly diverges from Medium’s strategies, contributing to its remarkable success.
Section 1.1: WeChat's Writer-First Approach
WeChat’s “writer-first” strategy is designed to deliver value to its users. The platform promotes the idea that “even the smallest entity has its own brand.” By fostering private brands, WeChat ensures that when users subscribe to a public account, they receive the latest articles directly on their homepage.
If a writer excels, their visibility and influence grow rapidly on WeChat. The platform encourages this growth by minimizing restrictions and focusing on decentralization, a principle championed by Allen Zhang, WeChat’s creator, who admires Kevin Kelly’s "Out of Control."
Section 1.2: Medium's Centralized Strategy
In contrast, Medium operates on a centralized model comprising five components: Medium Official, writers, publications, readers, and stories. Here, readers' attention is the currency that sustains the platform.
Medium’s default “story-first” strategy enables it to direct reader engagement through story distribution, but this approach leads to a scattering of attention across countless narratives. To find stories from followed writers, users must navigate through multiple steps, making it challenging to access their preferred content.
Chapter 2: Creating Your Own Filter Bubble
The first video explores the concept of "filter bubbles" and how personalized algorithms shape our online experiences, often without our awareness.
Thirteen years ago, Eli Pariser raised concerns about these filter bubbles during a TED talk, highlighting how algorithms can confine us to a narrow scope of information. When you start using Medium, the platform automatically crafts a filter bubble based on your interactions, often without your consent.
While users may have little say in Medium's overarching strategy, they can actively shape their reading habits. It's essential to follow writers mindfully, selecting those whose work you genuinely want to invest time in.
Section 2.1: The Mastery of Reading
Humans can consciously process a limited amount of information, making it crucial to be selective in your reading. Mastering any complex skill requires significant time and dedication—often over 10,000 hours of practice.
The good news is that you can expedite your growth by focusing on a few specific areas and mentoring under a select group of writers. If your goal is entertainment, a story-first strategy may suffice, but for deeper learning and mastery, a writer-first approach will yield better long-term results.
The second video delves into how algorithms may shield us from valuable information, reinforcing the importance of being aware of our online environments.
Section 2.2: My Evolving Reading Strategy
Inspired by these insights, I've decided to adopt a new reading strategy: dedicating 80% of my reading time to writers I follow, reserving 10% for exploring new authors, and the remaining 10% for discovering recommendations from Medium’s algorithm.
This shift marks my transition towards a writer-first approach, emphasizing the importance of being intentional with my reading choices. Ultimately, the stories we engage with shape our quality of life, making it imperative to understand the motivations behind our selections.