Rabbit Hole
what it means
From Alice in Wonderland, but the internet version is algorithmic. "I went down a rabbit hole" usually ends with knowing far too much about something irrelevant.
Following one piece of content into an increasingly deep and specific chain of related material.
the origin story
Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865); the internet sense became standard as recommendation algorithms matured in the 2010s.
The phrase took on new weight when recommendation systems began actively constructing the chains. It's used both affectionately — about learning something obscure — and critically, about algorithmic radicalisation, which is the same mechanism with different content.
in the wild
I now know how canal locks work in four countries.
Rabbit hole?
Four hours deep.
One video and my whole feed changed.
That's the rabbit hole working as designed.
how to use it
- Describing deep dives into obscure topics
- Discussing recommendation algorithms
- Casual conversation
- As a euphemism for radicalisation without saying so
- Professionally without context
- Where the Alice reference obscures the point
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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