Vin Brocki: Blogging

I’ve noticed something about aging and technology— it’s not that the devices have gotten harder to use. It’s that they’ve gotten better at noticing how I actually use them.

The menu no longer asks what I’d like to watch. It suggests, with a confidence that feels earned. “Because you watched…” it says, and what follows is not a recommendation—it’s a profile. Past behavior does not determine the future, but it is a pretty good predictor of certain likes, habits and tendencies built into our psyche.

I used to think I had broad taste. Now I have… confirmed preferences.

Even autoplay strikes a different tone. It used to feel convenient. Now it feels strategic. I’ve started to wonder if the larger streaming services aren’t just in the business of offering choices, but quietly refining the ability to guide them. Not overtly. Just a gentle reshuffling of the deck.

What’s really changed, I think, isn’t the technology—it’s the margin for error. I used to explore more freely, sample widely, tolerate the occasional bad choice. Now, the cost of a disappointing video or a meandering article feels… higher. Not in money, but in time.

The devices have adapted accordingly. They no longer encourage exploration. They gently steer me toward what I’m least likely to regret.

And the unsettling part is—they’re often right.

So no, the devices aren’t harder to use. If anything, they’ve become remarkably intuitive. Patient. Observant. Almost considerate.

They’ve simply stopped taking me at my word.

The smartphone remembers what I meant to do. The tablet reflects what I’m willing to do. And the streaming menu… knows what I’ll settle for.

Vin Brocki, Erie, PA, USA

May 4, 2026