Algorithms, Game Theory, and Quantum Physics…….Baby’s Big Three

Maybe I am a capitalist sheep after all, because I’ve been feeling really guilty for my lack of productivitymaxxing and blog neglect, but I’m bang bang back.  

I begin with a journal entry from a month ago, which eases you into the blog. Sit back, but I wouldn’t really say relax. This is a dense, slightly technically, and weirdly philosophical rodeo xxx.  

September 24, 2025: 

On my walk to work yesterday, I saw a bunch of shattered CDs sprawled on the ground. It looked really aesthetic and naturally I found it deep n poetic. My instinct was to pull out my phone and take a picture of it but then I………didn’t. Because I kinda gave myself the ick. Like, why do I feel the need to document that? Sure, it was peculiar, but why is my instinct to whip out the cellular device. Am I incapable of noticing something and then…moving on…without documenting it? So, as a result, I’m thinking about this habit a lot. I’m thinking about phones a lot, in gen. Because, lately, I’ve been getting the *ck from being on my phone. I can picture myself from a bird’s eye view, watching myself scroll on my phone and suddenly I’m sick. Like, truly, getting the biggest *ck from myself. So, I resisted the urge and continued on my walk to work. I had the curious feeling about why the CDs were shattered on the ground like that. Was it an innocent trip and shatter? Was it intentional from a heated tiff? Did it fall out of someone’s car??? But, while I was thinking about the Why, I couldn’t help but think about how I still wanted a picture of it. I wanted the visual remembrance. And I was kinda annoyed all day because I wish I had just taken a photo.

Now it’s been over a month since that day, and I’m still thinking about the shattered CDs, and I still wish I had a photo of it. The mental memory is starting to fade and soz team, but I want the 2D pixelated version!! So, um basically, my take away from all of this is to take the fckn photo. Like, why did I just deprive myself like that? Because there will be times where you see things and you don’t have the urge to document it. Like, I’m not that far gone. But when the urge arises just like……..take the photo……..it’s not that deep. This line of thinking also extends to basically all other instances. If you want to do things…….um just do it #nike. Maybe it is weird that we have this ability to document anything n everything we see, but this whole fake-made-up world is also weird, so I’m not really too concerned about my elite eye for taste n art when walking by shattered CDs. Because, it would have been a really epic photo. Lolz I bet you thought this was going to have some storytelling arc about the importance of unplugging……no no! Actually, get on your camera roll more baes. 

What I actually am and should be concerned about is Algorithms. I believe they are the real culprit behind my phone ick. And all of the doom scrolling and excessive screen time. Forward slash imo, why our world is becoming extremely polarized. And this is a sneaky culprit! So I want to expose this diva. I really like math, so it’s kind of unfortunate that it is having its downfall moment in Algo world.

I will explain why Algorithms are evil atm, as a DIY woman in STEM. I am about to make claims that are not really backed in research, just like a basic understanding of math and insanely spot on intuition, so humor me and just like know I’m probably right about all this, but I wouldn’t put that in writing or anything. Except I am hehehe. 

Cool. Back to math. To me, an algorithm is basically an equation forward slash formula. I say basically because like yeah there are some differences in semantics, but like in a colloquial sense, it’s pretty much just a series of equations and formulas. Plug n chug vibes. Google will probs tell you otherwise and be technical with it, but Google is really accessible and my thoughts are……..not, so naturally you should stick around for mine. 

Ok, so obvi our phones contain algorithms and formulas that have a series of inputs on one side and then an output on the other, obvi. So basically, our phones use our actions and behaviors as inputs and then feed us certain content as outputs. And because human beings crave understanding and belonging, the more specific and relatable the algorithm can be, the more engaging and therefore “successful” (in the eyes of the algo developer) the algorithm is. Since we are all #unique in our own special ways, the ultimate goal of Algos is to tailor the output so specifically to each person, in order to maximize each user’s experience. Obviously. 

This is so scary though!! Because it generates hyper individualistic content that funnels people into bubbles. And, Change, Progress, and Creativity don’t happen in vacuums. What happens in vacuums is lowkey extremism. So if these Algos are creating vacuums, then they can feed off extremism, because they magnify the outlier perspectives and create false realities (eeek bad bad bad). Making it appear that more people are part of these extremes than actuality (also bad). 

It also allows for people with these extreme beliefs to generate Voice and Platform. So, yes, free speech is important, but I don’t think the founding fathers were really thinking about the role that Algo n Math were going to have on society’s speech. And, lowkey, I’m insinuating that Algo is creating inequitable forms of speech. Because certain speech is being overrepresented and highlighted in a digital reality that is different from our material reality. Like, did we ever think about that!? It’s weird because I would argue we don’t really live in One world anymore, but instead two: the Digital and the Nondigital world. And this digital world is starting to manipulate our speech by a Third Party computer math equation…….bad again…..

This is not to say that Algos are bad. They are actually really cool and important and have existed long before the internet. Because if you think about it, the world is really just a series of input and output. Life is an equation??? Either the World is run by the concept of Math or Math is run by the concept of the World……idk chicken egg sitch.  

I feel like the News has long done the same thing. Events from the world = input and news = output. But this algo was much more simple. Because in a Nondigital world, you can only really make it so complex and niche and hyperspecific, creating less of a vacuum. The issue arises when these complex algorithms highlight extreme and lame ass viewpoints creating a cult-like following that actually isn’t really backed in overwhelming numbers. Don’t get me wrong, the minority is still backed in hella safety nets, but it’s a misrepresentation! Fckn up our understanding of the actual speech going on in the world! 

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that we have Algorithms acting as an invisible hand in our free market of speech. Which is pretty unprecedented because we haven’t had bots controlling out speech before……only billionaires and autocrats. It’s not that our free speech market was ever really a free and equitable market, but it’s suddenly become a lot more sinister. And I feel like we aren’t talking about it enough! So, here is my stab at talking about it. 

Honestly, the current state of Algos is a good litmus test for what is actually considered extreme. Kinda proves that leftist or socialist ideology isn’t actually extreme, because it won’t even get picked up by the algorithm! Obviously there are several other factors that play a role, I’m just highlighting a potential correlation cos I’m observational like that. 

And don’t take this to mean that when it is picked up by the algorithm, it’s suddenly now extreme, it just means these Algos aren’t bulletproof and can be malleable in ways that lessen their dogmatic power. 

The solution to this Algo madness would probably involve some rewiring of equations and creating spaces that allow for speech to be represented in a far more democratic manner, not just by those who are corrupt and agenda seeking eeeek. But yeah that’s my breakdown on why Algos are freaking me tf out. We need someone…who doesn’t get wrapped up in the Algo and actually just focuses on breaking the Game instead….

Because if these Algos are causing our world to be so polarized, then we need people who don’t get sucked in…..like idk Leaders??? These Leaders have to be well-versed on the Game that is life tho, to help guide us out of these misinformation bubbles. 

Yeah, so what if, actually rather than life being an equation, it’s a game and follows the rules of game theory. If we really wanna get technical, I think that still qualifies an equation to me, but two things can be true at once! So, life = equation and life = game. 

Ok, so I think looking at life through the lens of game theory could lowkey be a really helpful tool to like…….make the world a better place. Cos like soooo much of our generation struggles with existential dread. Like, all the time. Which causes me to feel a lot of Nihilism. Probably my biggest grip with life is that there are just so many hardships that feel extremely preventable n unjust, yet our efforts to create meaningful impact to alleviate these hardships feels very marginal. So, one could say that on a grand scale, I feel very nihilist about the world. I want to get better about this, because I think eventually there are some deeply negative consequences of being dark and mopey, but I’ve felt this way for a very very long time, so naturally it’s hard to let go. I actually can really be the bouncy type sometimes, so I’m working on making that part of my internal type as well. But before I become the full on bouncy type, I feel like my cynicism has imparted some knowledge on me that actually might be…….helpful??? Counterintuitive to what this might imply, I think my nihilist world view actually triggers a strong sense of hope?? Or at least a duty to Hope. So, this is where the game theory comes in. 

Imagine that life follows the rules of game theory, specifically the game known as prisoner’s dilemma. Life often falls into the trap of the prisoner’s dilemma because of this whole bit called collective action. We often don’t pick the most optimal choice because we fear others will cheat. So, then we also cheat and end up in a non-optimal outcome. Such a shame! As a result, this dilemma leaves so much of public policy trying to incentivize people to not cheat, so that we can reach this optimal outcome. But that’s proven really really hard. Which causes the nihilism to creep back in, because people are just like always gonna cheat ugh!!! And I think that’s shaped a lot of my world view (woah chill). Like, I constantly see instances of collective action failing. 

There are definitely times when collective action does work, but I think based on my lived experiences, I’ve noticed that happen like idk 1% of the time. I think most of the time (at least in capitalism) change tends to occur via institutions of power. Cos collective action is really really hard, you know? So, basically, what I’m trying to say is that in our hyper-individualistic society, I feel like the majority of time other people will cheat and I’ve accepted that. 

However, key word is Other people. I still think there is legitimate incentive for Me to Not Cheat. Because if I cheat, then the probability of reaching the optimal outcome goes from some extremely low probability to legit ZERO. ZERO. As in, NO possibility. By cheating, I have shut the door completely on reaching any form of the optimal outcome. But if I don’t cheat, then I have left the probability of reaching the optimal outcome as NON-ZERO. And that is so crucial!!! Do you see how that is so so crucial!!!!??? 

Because life occurs in real time. We do not know the other players’ actions. In game theory, we call this imperfect information. So, although I feel with a very strong certainty that most people are going to act a certain way i.e. cheat, I ultimately do not know. Because life is a game with imperfect information. I only have autonomy over the actions that I can take. And every other player in the game has autonomy over their actions. Yes, it’s possible that I don’t cheat and the other player decides to cheat and I get screwed over. That’s honestly what happens the majority of the time. We get screwed over. But the only way that I, Me, Myself, can ensure a non-zero possibility of achieving the optimal outcome is by not cheating. 

One might argue that a true nihilist will say this isn’t actually nihilistic because you still are siphoning out some level of hope. You are saying that your actions aren’t meaningless because there is an off chance that someone else doesn’t cheat and yay optimal outcome. Like, sure if you wanna spin my words like that, I guess that’s true. 

But, how I would spin my words is like, it’s not that I think me Not cheating is actually going to really realistically bring an optimal outcome. Like, realistically through inductive reasoning and pattern recognition, I have come to the conclusion that the optimal outcome probs won’t be achieved. But I’m still allowing for the chance. Because I’m creating a world in which My contribution to the optimal outcome is Non-zero. Even if that probability value is 0.00001. Like, 0 and 0.00001 are really similar numbers in terms of magnitude, but from a probability standpoint these numbers can be significant. Because when you are talking about decisions and players and actions, these numbers could suddenly jump from 0.00001 to 1 and have real effects. So, maybe most of the time we aren’t reaching the optimal outcome, but I am leaving room for it to at least HAPPEN. 

Okay word. I hope that makes sense. Like, it sooooo makes sense in my head. Defo someone has articulated this in a really clear and concise way cos like I probs got this logic from somewhere, so I feel confident my take is based. Anywho, what I want to connect this all back to though is like……even though I am pessimistic about the world and have a strong nihilist feeling, what I actually think I have is like a really realistic grasp on the world??? Like, I’m legit using probability and math dawg. Because, although nihilism is very real and true (most of our actions feel purposeless), it doesn’t mean that we should be cheating all the time. Two things can be true at once! It actually implies the opposite. We should never be cheating!! Because we always want to create non-zero realities. Even if those non-zero realities are really small probabilities. It’s still non-zero. 

I totally realize this line of reasoning might not work for people. Some people might strongly disagree and think that things do have Meaning most of the time. Lucky bright eyed you! Lol, just got so passive aggressive with that HAHAHAH. Or, maybe it feels self-soothing to tell yourself nothing really matters because then you can just like idk disregard your civic duties. So if that’s the way your mind works, sorry you had to read all that cos this won’t be relatable. But if someone shares this extensional world view, then I hope this provides some insight. Into how I compartmentalize hope and nihilism. Because actually most of the time it’s not disappointing when people cheat. I’ve already accepted that. Math has already solved that problem for me. And, it also calculated the solution……don’t cheat :))))) 

It’s always fascinating to see how different people view the world. Or just things in general. Derrr obviously. I know we all think about things differently, but it’s like woah some people really have an entirely different framework for thinking about Life, u know? Kinda reminds me of the EK and TNC interview. And the way EK could not fathom certain concepts that TNC was explaining. Makes sense to some degree because like white man just doesn’t have the lived experiences of a Black man. The disappointing part was more so that it felt EK wasn’t able to fully grasp the nuance of TNC’s perspective forward slash dismissing it. Gross behavior! 

TNC is like: well, I unfortunately have to be around people who hate me all the time. And that makes my world view really cynical. But it doesn’t mean I don’t feel hope. It just means that my reality is different. And that’s kinda what I’m trying to get at. Also, the cynicism isn’t necessarily Deep, like yeah it sounds dark and bleak when articulated perhaps, but it’s more just like how I see and live through the world, Non-deep.

I feel like if I could have any superpower, it would be to exist in someone else’s mind and body. Freaky Friday moment. I just NEED to know what that feels like. Partly because I wanna confirm that we are not in fact living in the Truman Show, but also it would be really cool to experience all the minor differences. Because probably on a genetic level we are all very similar cos homo sapien vibes. But like experiencing someone else’s thoughts and feelings….that would be really unique and cool!!! 

Okay, now that I’ve showcased my ability to body mathematics, kinda feel like transitioning over to physics. I’ve been having a mad fascination with quantum physics. Like omg it’s all so cool and whimsy!!! Basically I fck with quantum physics because in the quantum realm……..two things can be true at once. Which is lowkey the most real thing ever. Like yes! Two things can be true! I’ve been finding the quantum world kind of soothing, because it makes all these impossible and complex things that exist in the classical world, all super valid and normal in the quantum world. For example, in the quantum world, you can have one particle exist in two positions at once. Um hello is that not Awesome??? You can also have a particle be both a wave and particle so like……wave-particle duality. Also, Awesome. 

Something that I experience extremely often is this constant feeling of duality. Like, almost every emotion or thought I have can feel like a contradiction. It’s a weird and confusing feeling which I want to know more about, but I don’t have the education nor insight to unpack it atm. Writing it so I remember to come back. 

Ok, back to quant. Quant also has a lot to do with probabilities and is lowkey the theoretical explanation behind the multiverse. I got the excited feeling at this thought, because kinda was hoping it would be possible to do some universe hopping, cos the current one is not so Awesome. Unforch, though, looks like that’s not possible from my preliminary research on the matter. Because although the universe could theoretically split into different branches, the interpretation holds that these realities are separate and not accessible to one another. Boooooo. 

But silver lining is that we Know this realm exists and whenever you get the contradictory feeling, just know that the quantum world legit feels it all the time. And maybe that’s why we feel it so much in the classical world? Little quantum dudes are speaking to us! And only math can really prove it! Because it’s actually really quite difficult to prove quant in the material world, but math does a really good job at doing so. It’s cool to think about things that are just so unfathomable to our reality, because like wow we are sooooo in over our heads. Teehee. 

And with that, I’m wrapping up my love letter to mathematics. It helps me cope with Doom Scrolling, Nihilism, and Contradiction. My big three. Or is it Algorithms, Game Theory, Quantum Physics? Oh wait, it’s both! Two things can be true at once! So, the next time you’re feeling blue about things, maybe turn to good old math?