Imagine If They Asked You

What is this button for?

I'm not entirely sure what it's for. I've noticed that while my subscribers and followers are increasing, fewer people are seeing my posts. Strangely, I also receive notifications stating that I'm #46 rising in “Health Politics”. When I check the list, I see that the top positions are held by individuals with highly profitable Substacks. I do accept payments, but I only have two paid subscribers and perhaps two paywalled posts out of 235 total posts.

Imagine if they asked you when you subscribed or followed someone:

Are you subscribing or following because you want this content in your feed, or would you prefer to see what the computer thinks you want to see (i.e., letting algorithms determine your feed)?

What would your answer be?

My answer would be: Please show me the accounts I have subscribed to or followed. Too bad they don't care. It's no different from a television schedule, I suppose.

They must ask you if you'll accept cookies, so why don't they have to ask if you're subscribing or following because you genuinely want to see that person's posts? Just wondering.