Algorithms Don’t Care About You—They Care About Behaviour
The Behavioural Lens
Brands often imagine that algorithms reward them for being bold, creative, or iconic. The truth is more mundane: algorithms optimise for behaviours, not qualities. They track how people act—watching, scrolling, pausing, saving—not what people think or feel. In this sense, algorithms are less like editors with taste and more like mirrors of collective habit.
“Algorithms do not reward brilliance—they reward behaviour.”
Designing for Behaviour, Not Ego
The strategic task is to stop asking, “Do people like us?” and start asking, “What do people do when they see us?” This shift forces a reframing of brand priorities:
Craft content that triggers pauses, not just glances.
Design assets that invite saves, not only likes.
Think in loops of return behaviour, not one-off spikes.
By aligning with action rather than perception, brands move closer to how algorithms actually operate.
