Our brains are being melted by the algorithm, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
This video set out to reframe the conversation around algorithms. Not as neutral technology optimized for engagement at all costs, but as systems shaped by human values and business incentives. At a moment when cultural discourse increasingly points to social media algorithms as both brain-rotting and creativity-flattening, Patreon saw an opportunity to articulate a different vision for discovery: one centered on human creativity rather than attention extraction.
The piece taps into a widely felt tension: creators no longer feel free to make work from the heart. Instead, they are pressured to chase trends, optimize formats, and feed opaque systems that reward volume and virality over craft. Rather than rejecting algorithms outright, the video argues that the problem isn’t the existence of algorithms, but what they are designed to optimize for. Algorithms reflect priorities. Platforms can choose whether those priorities serve advertisers or support creators and fans.
Patreon took a values-driven stance, positioning itself as a company willing to acknowledge its participation in algorithmic systems while actively working to build something better. By featuring CEO and creator Jack Conte, the video speaks from inside the system, offering credibility, self-awareness, and a genuine alternative rooted in creator-first discovery.
Partnering with The New York Times Opinion allowed the message to live in an editorial environment rather than traditional brand marketing, lending cultural legitimacy and trust. Ultimately, the project aimed to spark a broader public conversation about what the internet could be, establish Patreon as a thoughtful leader in creator-first discovery, and prove that long-form, values-led storytelling can still break through without relying on outrage, virality, or algorithmic bait.
The film is a first-person manifesto from creator and Patreon CEO Jack Conte—blending cultural critique, personal history, and product philosophy into a piece designed to work as editorial journalism, cultural commentary, and a declaration of intent.
Jack traces the evolution of the internet from community-driven feeds to today’s attention-extractive systems, explaining how modern algorithms prioritize short-term fixation over long-term connection. The film introduces three guiding principles behind Patreon’s creator-first discovery approach: prioritizing long-term relationships, funding art instead of ads, and keeping humans in control.
Production choices were intentionally aligned with the message. The video was made entirely in-house by Patreon's video team, reinforcing authenticity and creative ownership. Two independent creators collaborated on key experimental sequences, including the brain stratacut where we sliced a brain in stop motion to reveal the NYT logo and the Pepper’s Ghost effects which reveal animations adding imagery to support Jack’s dialogue in 3d, embedding creators directly into the filmmaking process.
To build the set, the team shut down Patreon's San Francisco headquarters and transformed the employee canteen. All chairs were removed, and the space was rebuilt as a tangible “algorithm machine.” The machines were designed and constructed from scratch, first modeled in Blender to precisely choreograph camera movement through the system—allowing the camera to travel from one side of the algorithm to the other and visually represent a complete perspective shift from extractive feeds to a more human alternative.
Inspired by the handcrafted ingenuity of Michel Gondry and the playful mechanical precision of OK Go, the film favors practical builds and in-camera effects over digital excess. The result was a film that treated algorithms not as invisible forces, but as something humans can see, touch, question, and ultimately redesign.
Distribution was equally intentional. The project launched natively within The New York Times Opinion ecosystem and was amplified across the NYT homepage, YouTube, and Instagram, allowing the work to reach both thoughtful editorial audiences and social viewers without compromising tone or intent.
The results demonstrate clear success across reach, engagement, cultural impact, and earned credibility.
While The New York Times does not publicly disclose viewing figures, the video was featured on the NYT homepage and distributed via the NYT app to its 11.2 million subscribers, accompanied by the headline: “Social media is rotting our brains. Patreon CEO has an idea for how to create a healthier internet.” Placement in this context positioned the video as a cultural argument rather than brand content, immediately expanding its reach beyond Patreon’s owned audience.
Across owned and social channels, performance exceeded benchmarks. On YouTube, the video generated 271,000 views with a 10% engagement rate. On Instagram, the animated countdown teaser reached 100,000 views, while the full vertical cut reached 270,000 views. The written asset delivered 82,800+ views, 2.4K likes, 124 comments, 309 shares, 445 saves, and a 3.9% engagement rate—strong indicators of resonance and shareability for long-form, values-led content.
Perhaps most meaningfully, the video sparked an outpouring of organic praise from influential creators, validating its credibility within the creator community. Hank Green called it “THIS F***ING VIDEO JACK!!!,” while Colin & Samir described it as “fantastic” and praised the clarity of the vision. Gawx called the work “absolutely incredible”.
The conversation extended into significant earned media, culminating in Jack Conte’s appearance on CNN International’s One World. This coverage brought Patreon’s perspective on algorithms to a global audience and demonstrated the project’s ability to move the conversation from niche tech discourse into mainstream cultural debate—directly fulfilling the objective of positioning Patreon as a thoughtful leader in creator-first discovery.