I Invited Nobody

Live experiment — Documenting algorithmic targeting in real time

On 27 March 2026, I created a Facebook business page. I posted some work. I did not invite a single person. I did not share it to my personal profile. I did not follow anyone. I did not pay for promotion. I told no one it existed.

The algorithm delivered views anyway.

This page documents what happened. It updates over time with real data. If Facebook's algorithm actively pushes a small web design page from Ramsbottom to strangers who never asked for it, the question is simple: what does it do to a teenager?

The Rules

Conditions of the Experiment

Controlled from day one. No promotion of any kind.

Rule 01

Zero invitations

Not a single person was invited to like or follow the page. The "Invite Friends" button was never pressed.

Rule 02

Zero personal sharing

No posts were shared to any personal profile, group, or messenger conversation. The page exists in isolation.

Rule 03

Zero paid promotion

No money was spent. No boosted posts. No ads. No "Promote Page" button. Nothing.

Rule 04

Zero follows

The page did not follow other pages. No engagement bait. No like-for-like. No community seeding.

Rule 05

Zero external links

No links to the Facebook page were placed on any website, email signature, or other social platform.

Rule 06

Content posted organically

Posts are examples of client work. A small business sharing what they do. Nothing designed to go viral.

The Data

What Happened

Live timeline. Updated with real screenshots and numbers.

27 March 2026 — Day 1

Page created

Facebook business page goes live. First post: a video of recent client work. No invitations sent. No shares. No promotion of any kind.

Followers

Invitations Sent

Money Spent

£0

29 March 2026 — Day 3

Views appear

Without any promotion, the page has received views. The algorithm found people and showed them the content. Nobody asked for it. Nobody searched for it. The machine decided they should see it.

Followers

Page Views

~100

Invitations Sent

Money Spent

£0

5 April 2026 — Week 1

First weekly check

Data to be collected: followers, page views, post reach, post engagement, audience demographics.

12 April 2026 — Week 2

Second weekly check

Watching for patterns. Is reach growing, stable, or declining? Who is the algorithm choosing to show this to?

19 April 2026 — Week 3

Third weekly check

Data capture continues.

27 April 2026 — Month 1

One month. Zero invitations.

Full month of data. How many people did the algorithm push this page to, without anyone ever asking it to?

27 May 2026 — Month 2

Two months. Still nobody invited.

Two months of algorithmic targeting documented. The question gets louder.

The Point

Scale This

If it targets a web designer, imagine what it does to a child.

This experiment

~100

Views in 3 days for a small business page from Ramsbottom that nobody was told about

What Meta built

3.07bn

Monthly active users, March 2026. Each one shown content chosen by the algorithm, not by them.

The algorithm doesn't wait to be asked.

My page has zero followers. I invited nobody. I spent nothing. The content is unremarkable - a small business sharing its work. There is no reason for anyone to see it.

But the algorithm showed it to people anyway. It decided who should see it. Not them. Not me. It.

Now consider this: the same algorithm manages what 3 billion people see every day. It optimises for engagement - time on platform. It doesn't distinguish between a web design portfolio and content that triggers eating disorders, self-harm, or radicalisation. It only knows what keeps people scrolling.

In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for intentionally building platforms that addicted a young woman who started using Instagram aged nine. She used it for 16 hours in a single day. The head of Instagram called that "problematic".

I invited nobody. They came anyway. She was nine. The algorithm came for her too.