Answer extracted from The Mel Robbins Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What does Gary Vaynerchuk mean by saying the algorithm did not change you but exposed you?
The algorithm does not create your preferences—it simply reflects the choices you actively make about what to engage with. When you click "not interested" on negative content and deliberately seek out material about joy and happiness, the algorithm surfaces more of exactly that, proving it responds to your intent rather than reshaping it.
Gary Vaynerchuk's point dismantles a common misconception: that algorithms work against you or manipulate your worldview from the outside. The reality is far more direct. As he explains in The Mel Robbins Podcast episode, your feed becomes a mirror of your behavior, not a cage designed by engineers to trap you.
This distinction matters because it shifts responsibility back to you. Every time you scroll past content without engaging, or actively curate what you follow, you are training the algorithm to serve you differently. The system has no agenda—it is purely transactional, responding to signals you send every single day.
Your Choices Determine Your Feed
The gap between "the algorithm changed me" and "the algorithm exposed me" is the difference between victimhood and agency. If you believe the algorithm shaped your thinking, you are surrendering control. If you recognize it is merely exposing what you already wanted to see, you reclaim power.
Vaynerchuk's message is that you have far more control over your digital environment than you realize. The algorithm is not a malevolent force; it is an echo chamber you build with your own hands. When you follow accounts that inspire you, click on positive stories, and consciously avoid rage-bait and despair, your entire experience transforms. The algorithm doesn't change—your input does.
This applies across every platform: Instagram, TikTok, or any social network that uses engagement metrics to curate your feed. Vaynerchuk details this dynamic further in the episode, arguing that blaming the algorithm is a comfortable escape hatch that prevents you from owning the role you play in shaping your own reality.
"People are obnoxiously more capable of changing than they realize. And it's actually shockingly simple and the hardest thing in the world."
Gary Vaynerchuk — Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia, and CEO of VFriends. A 50-year-old entrepreneur who immigrated from the Soviet Union as a child without speaking English, Vaynerchuk built his reputation on translating Internet culture into business strategy. By his early 20s, he had already revolutionized his father's liquor store using digital innovation despite widespread skepticism. Today, with 45 million people following his work across platforms and ventures, he is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on culture, business, and digital transformation.
Vaynerchuk also touches on how this principle extends far beyond social media—the algorithm metaphor is really about how environment shapes perception in almost every arena of life. The full conversation dives deeper into specific strategies for taking control of your digital space and mindset, offering concrete ways to shift what surfaces in your life daily.
Key takeaways
- Algorithms respond to your choices, not the reverse—they expose your preferences rather than imposing them.
- Using the "not interested" button and actively following positive content retrains your feed to show you more of what you seek.
- Blaming the algorithm is a way to avoid personal responsibility for the digital environment you build.
- You have far more control over your digital experience than you realize—it is entirely within your power to reshape it.
See also
How can someone shift from cynicism to optimism when facing fear and uncertainty?
Gary Vaynerchuk states that allowing fear to dominate what you do next is a skill somebody can learn to flip. He emphasizes that there are unlimited opportunities to shift your perspective when you stop letting fear control your decisions.
What is the most effective way to stop being misunderstood by others?
According to Gary Vaynerchuk, the answer is being comfortable with being misunderstood by realizing that someone's subjective opinion of you who is not you has limited relevance to your actual worth and path forward.
How does understanding the difference between the chase and the achievement change your approach to major life goals?
Around his early 20s, Gary Vaynerchuk realized he liked the chase more than getting it, and preferred the practice more than the trophy. He does not live for the destination but for the daily journey and effort involved in the pursuit.