š Smile for the Algorithm
a soft-spoken siren song for the surveillance age
She wore resistance like a charm and laced her dissent in metaphorā
They told us to smile for the camera.
So we did.
And now the camera smiles back.
But itās not a flashbulb anymoreāitās a retina scan.
Itās a front-facing lens tucked in our pockets.
Itās a filter that studies your jawline and sells your dopamine.
Weāve entered the age of Beautiful Surveillanceā
where even rebellion is a performance,
and the algorithm is the audience.
šµļøāāļø Resistance is now...aesthetic
We no longer burn manifestos in the street.
We pin QR codes in our irises.
We lace propaganda in poetry.
We dress like glitching ghosts of the internetās subconscious.
Because in a world addicted to scrolling,
the only way to say āNoā loud enough is to make it go viral.
So we make subversion look good.
We weaponize lipstick.
We whisper whistleblower truths into ring lights.
We publish resistance under pen names and post times.
We turn performance into prophecy.
This isnāt selling out.
Itās survival.
Itās code-switching for the revolution.
šø The Performance of Being Watched
The camera is always on now.
But hereās the trick:
when you know youāre being watched,
you can choose how to perform.
And thatās what they never accounted for.
They thought surveillance would silence usā
but it just made us more theatrical.
It turned poets into performers.
Writers into strategists.
Viewers into witnesses.
Youāre not just here for the content.
Youāre part of the choreography.
So strike a pose.
Say what needs to be said.
Smileānot because you're obedient.
But because you understand the game.
š§ Substack isnāt Social Media; itās the Hallway Behind the Bookshelf.
This place?
Itās not for clout.
Itās not for algorithms.
Itās for the archives.
For the whisper network.
For the literary underground that still believes words can cause wildfires.
I donāt write for applause.
I write because silence is suspicious.
Because I was raised to smile sweetlyā
but never forget the exits.
And when the history books are rewritten
(you know they will be),
I want my name on record
as someone who refused to blink.
šÆļø The Revolution is Branded. But itās Still Real.
So hereās your souvenir:
A pin with a watchful eye.
A phrase meant to linger in your chest.
A smile that doesnāt mean surrender.
A little literary landmine labeled:
Smile for the Algorithm.
And when they ask what it means,
donāt tell them.
Just hand them the QR code
and say,
āKeep watching.ā
Say ācheeseā ā the algorithmās hungry,
āRebecca M. Bell
P.S.
I blinked when you logged on.
Felt your cursor hover.
You're not aloneā
the mirror's brother.If youāre reading this,
it already knows.
Smile wide, love.
Thatās how the story goes




Read this last night forgot to comment so doing it NOW! Ahaha this was an entertaining read and when I say that I mean itās nice to not take your eyes off reading and get distracted easily. Keep this up, great solid structure and meaningful writing āļø š
I can get behind a content creator/writer like that! Cheers! Keep going! Subbed! If you enjoy my side feel free! Alt MultiMedia!