Memo 001: The Algorithm Wants You Poor

Unpstd – A weekly memo for men tired of the feed brought to you by OTW

SUBJECT: You're Not Browsing. You're Being Programmed.

Stop pretending you “just scroll for the memes.” You’re not on Instagram or TikTok to be entertained. You’re in a digital strip mall, and every swipe is another foot deeper into the feed designed to sell you things you didn’t even know you didn’t need.

You are the product. And the customer.

The influencer is just the middleman. A middle man in a soft hoodie and a fake smile.

And they’re winning.

There’s a phrase in the tech world: If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product. But on social media, you’re paying with your time and your wallet. You’re financing other people’s fake lifestyles, one checkout at a time.

Everything on your feed suddenly looks like an ad, even when it’s not.

It’s not your imagination. It’s by design.

Welcome to Buy Culture

“Buy culture” is the disease. Social media is just the delivery method.

It’s not about owning good things. It’s about the constant pressure to own more. You’re not collecting value. You’re collecting dopamine hits.

That $80 “techwear” jacket is made in a sweatshop by people who will never wear it.

That $220 skincare bundle some guy with a perfect jawline told you he “swears by” is probably comped. Probably garbage.

And somehow, you still clicked “add to cart.”

Because you weren’t sold a product.
You were sold a life you don’t have.

How This Screws With Your Head

Social media isn’t just a waste of time, it’s a mental health hazard with a Shopify plug-in.

Here’s what it does:

• Normalizes excess. You start thinking everyone owns more than they do. Spoiler: they don’t. It’s rented, gifted, or maxed-out credit.

• Destroys focus. You scroll past a $900 espresso machine, a 27-step morning routine, and a “day in the life” with three outfit changes—and you wonder why your brain feels like mush.

• Creates fake urgency. “Limited drop.” “Only 3 left.” “Shop now before it’s gone.” It’s always fake. It’s never urgent. But it feels real.

Here’s the worse part. You stop trusting your own judgment. You outsource your taste to a feed of strangers who profit from your insecurity.

Try This Instead

This isn’t a call to go full minimalist monk. You’re allowed to want things. Just stop letting your phone decide what they are.

Here’s your battle plan:

1. Build a “Want Later” list. Any non-essential item goes on a note. Wait two weeks. Most of it will lose its appeal.

2. Buy with cash (yes, really). For anything dumb or fun, take the card out of the equation. It’s amazing how much less cool that $180 hoodie feels when you're counting twenties.

3. Delete the apps for a week. You don’t need to “detox.” You need to starve the algorithm. Watch what happens.

4. Unfollow all affiliate pushers. If someone’s entire personality revolves around what they bought this week, they don’t have a personality. They have a coupon code.

The Real Flex

Not being constantly manipulated.
Not needing the latest.
Not performing your identity online.

Being a grown man in 2025 means navigating a world built to hijack your attention, drain your wallet, and feed your insecurity—all while telling you it's self-care.

So maybe the win isn’t in buying smarter.
Maybe it’s in buying less.

Because every purchase is a vote—for the kind of man you want to be.

And that guy? He doesn’t need a trending algorithm to tell him what’s next.