Future Tense

Future Tense

Research Notes: When Knowing More Means Doing Less

Behind the Algorithm Awareness Paradox Essay

A Z Mackay's avatar
A Z Mackay
Nov 19, 2025
∙ Paid

Started researching this expecting to find media literacy working. Found a Harvard Kennedy School study showing r = -.40 correlation between algorithmic knowledge and perceived content reliability. People who understand algorithms trust content less but also do less about it. That flip from “knowledge enables action” to “knowledge paralyzes action” is t…

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of A Z Mackay.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 A Mackay · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture