I’ve always been a curious person with a tendency to spend too much time searching for new facts, stories, and pretty much everything I didn’t know about but realized I wanted to. So, many years ago, when I sat down in front of a computer and typed my first internet search (prehistoric for “Googled”), my whole world expanded. I don’t remember what my search was about, but I do recall the excitement and thrill of knowing that after typing something I would get an answer in a minute (it was the dial-up era). It was great!

Over the years, online search became the norm. Whenever I needed information, online was and still is my go-to place, no questions asked—an established and helpful source of information. However, the occasional frustrating and overwhelming episode of “There is just too much to choose from online” drove me to focus on the autopilot search and to leave the thrill of discovery behind.

It wasn’t until the “discover/explore” features entered the online world at full speed through platforms such as Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, and even Pinterest that my perception of online as “just a tool” faded and the idea of “an exciting tool” was back. Finally, technology was starting to work more like my brain, organizing information into categories and tailoring recommendations/suggestions. These meaningful nudges made my search a little bit easier and triggered me to explore more. Since then, my cooking repertoire has improved a lot, I’ve discovered great movies and documentaries, and my knowledge of random bands still exists. The opportunity to stumble upon new things has never been better.