Refresh for your next thought

I spend my days staring at a spinning wheel.

Not a real one. A digital one. The tiny, hypnotic icon that tells you something is happening. The little circle that says, "Don’t worry, a fresh dose of content is being prepared for you by the algorithm." It’s the most important symbol in my life right now. More important than my own name.

My thumb makes the gesture before my brain even wakes up. Flick. The feed shudders. The little wheel spins. And for a glorious half-second, there is promise. The promise of a new idea, a new image, a new thought, synthesized just for me. Something better than the thought I was just having.

The best spinner is the one that never stops

I used to have thoughts. I think. They would just... arrive. In the shower, on the bus, staring out the window. It was messy. Inefficient. Sometimes they were boring thoughts. Can you imagine?

Now, I don