Episode 2 of 21
Perception as Infrastructure
Our brain is not a passive receiver – it's a prediction machine that can be occupied.
Based on insights from neuro-phenomenology, we dive deep into the mechanics of perception. Our brain is not a passive receiver of light waves and sound, but a prediction machine.
We don't see the world. We see our model of the world.
The brain constructs a simulation of reality in every moment – based on sensory impressions, expectations, and experiences. This simulation is so seamless, so convincing, that we mistake it for reality itself.
In this episode, we analyze how digital interfaces directly intervene in this construction process. The algorithm knows your patterns. It knows which images capture your attention, which words trigger emotions, which sequences keep you in the feed.
When the algorithm knows how we "predict" the world, it can manipulate the input data so that we get caught in a confirmation loop. We see more of what we already believe. We feel more strongly what we already feel.
The mindshift here is fundamental: The realization that our perception is an infrastructure that can be occupied. Like a highway that someone else built. We drive on it – but we didn't choose the route.
Whoever controls the inputs controls the experienced reality. And in the digital age, the inputs are controlled by the few – for the many.