We’ve all done it. We like or comment on one post that comes up on our social media feed, and suddenly, every other post we see is about the same topic. Sometimes it is innocent enough. Who doesn’t have their mood lifted by cute animals, or like seeing content about their pop culture passions?
But most of us have seen the darker side of the algorithm too, or at least heard about it. One second you are watching a video about gaming and the next you are being served violent or misogynistic content you never asked to see, and once it’s on your feed, good luck getting rid of it.
It might surprise you, but people of all ages can fall into algorithmic rabbit holes, good and bad.
Kim* is 70; she works in allied health and was a registered nurse for decades before that. Over the last year or so, her social media feeds on TikTok and Instagram have transformed into a near-constant stream of people claiming backgrounds in science and medicine, spruiking the benefits of Retatrutide, a GLP-1 drug currently in phase three clinical trials but widely available on the black market.
Kim has struggled with her weight for most of her life and her history of using medication and surgical procedures to try and control it dates back to preparations for her first wedding 50 years ago, when she took a prescription drug that contained amphetamines to fit into her dress. In many ways, Kim was the perfect target for the content pushed onto her feed.
In July 2026, Kim, concerned about the cost and side effects of legally available GLP-1s like Ozempic, turned to black-market Retatrutide. Kim knows the risks; she has heard of supplies of Retatrutide being contaminated with everything from arsenic to fentanyl. She also knows that she is being influenced, but for her, the potential benefits of Retatrutide outweigh the risks and it’s not just weight loss. Influencers are claiming everything from reducing inflammation and joint pain to preventing the recurrence of cancer and for Kim, while she was drawn into the world of Retatrutide through her desire to lose weight, its other benefits aren’t lost on her. Kim is in remission from an extremely rare cancer, and like many people of her age, inflamed, painful joints are a chronic annoyance, and these benefits, combined with the promise of weight loss, were too big a temptation for Kim to pass up.
You can hear more of Kim’s story on AFTRS FM’s beauty standards episode.
*Kim is a pseudonym.
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