Living on the Edge: Reclaiming Ourselves in the Age of Algorithms

In the age of social media and AI, we are all being pushed towards the middle ground. The ‘algorithm’ decides what we see, value, and aspire to. It creates a singular, curated ideal of success, beauty, and happiness. Diverse cultures and unique personal experiences become a homogenous gloop. This strive for uniformity has brought the mullet back, for god’s sake.

The homogenisation of our society is not an accident; it’s the engineering of late-stage capitalism. Promoting a single, attainable ideal and transforming our complexities into a standardised model means that we become predictable consumers.

The pressure that arises leads us into wanting to smooth out our rough edges, the things that make us unique. Our flaws are something to be ‘edited out’ to fit the mould. There is a sense that our differences will mean that we are vulnerable to being left out, rejected by the group.

But nature teaches us the opposite.

Nature’s lesson: The Edge Effect

There is a concept in ecology called ‘The Edge Effect’. It describes the boundary between two habitats, such as a forest merging into a meadow. This edge is not a weak division, nor is it a fixed line; it is a liminal space.

Liminality is a transitional and impermanent state, where one things ends and another begins. Within this threshold there is ambiguity and complexity. Edges in nature create ‘ecotones’: areas with unique environments and resources, creating a greater diversity of species. There is both tension and potential within these zones.

Our personal journeys are complex but they offer us a powerful liminal edge. And just like nature, it’s on this edge that our resilience and capacity for belonging exists. It’s within this complexity that we become psychologically flexible.

The Conflict: Digital Rigidity Vs. Natural Flexibility

The digital realm rewards conformity, whilst nature rewards flexibility.

When our ‘tricky brains’ buy in to the algorithmic ideal, it demands that we suppress or delete any thoughts, feelings or expressions that don’t fit the script. This leads down a path of psychological inflexibility; an attempt to control our internal experiences, a desire to avoid discomfort and an agenda to be guided, not by our personal values, but by external pressures.

Nature at ‘the edge’ can teach us the value of flexibility. Consider the Roe Deer. They rarely remain deep in the forest, or far out in the grazing meadow. They use the complexity of this transitional edge for their needs: grazing in the meadow and seeking protection in the forest. Psychological flexibility means that we are willing to access our own contradictory parts; our strengths and vulnerabilities, our pleasure and our discomfort.

Untangling From the Algorithm in Our Heads

In the digital landscape, thoughts can behave like invasive species. A comparison, a harsh self-judgment, or an algorithm-fed belief about who we “should” be. These can quickly spread, crowding out our native habitat.

Nature provides a different angle.

Consider moss growing on rock. It grows thick and green, but it does not grip with roots the way trees do. It’s present, but it isn’t fused to the rock. If you place your hand upon it, it compresses, gives way and springs back. This provides a useful metaphor to consider the liminality of our thoughts; they are part of our landscape, but they are not the rock itself. We can recognise their transient and liminal nature. We can ‘unhook’ from these them. We don’t need to chisel away at the rock beneath. We can simply recognise that they’re present, but that they have malleability, they have the capacity to change, they can shift and eventually pass.

Returning to the Living Moment

The digital world has hijacked our attention. We’re dragged into an artificial world of notifications, reels and clickbait. When we’re engaged with our phones, our tablets, our laptops we’re travelling through time and space in our heads, but we’re here. Reality happens in this moment, exactly where we are now.

Think about that Roe Deer again. Its survival depends on it being tuned in to the immediate, living moment. If its attention was distracted into creating imaginary past and future worlds in its mind, it would become vulnerable.

Present-moment awareness is an essential survival skill for living on the edge. Sensory stimuli, physical sensations, emotions, and other internal experiences only become visible when we pause long enough to notice them. The present moment is not always comfortable, but it is always real. Reality is where choice exists, not in the imagined ideal, but here, in the living moment.

Following the Compass of Values

Our personal values systems can often get lost within the algorithm-driven standards that we appropriate through our digital lives. Instead of considering what qualities we have that we can offer the world, we become a cog in the machine. Our value becomes bound to what data we can offer to conglomerates and marketing agencies.

We are more than our data. We’re all humans with tricky brains, just striving to do our best within a complex world. Our values are different from goals. Goals can be reached, checked off, displayed. Values are like constellations in the sky: never reached but always orientating us. They are the stabilising force that allows the deer to confidently inhabit the edge, permitting both its fear (to seek cover) and its boldness (to graze) in service of its core principle: Survival.

The conscious act of identifying and committing to our own values is essential in surviving this digital age. Without this inner compass we surrender our agency and become reliant on the manufactured ideals of the algorithm. Committing to a values-driven life means choosing to move through life with psychological flexibility, with both fear and boldness. Embracing our rough edges and reclaiming our inherent worth.

Are you looking to:

• Embrace your edge?

• Develop a willingness to accept both your strengths and vulnerabilities?

• Re-engage with your deeply held personal values?

• Find flexibility in complexity?

Get in touch with In Our Nature today to arrange a free 15-minute consultation.