RSS Readers Will Kill Algorithms in 2026
If you want to refresh your Internet feed this year, RSS feeds are the way to go. In 2026, limit reliance on social media algorithms prioritizing profits over user experience, or in more colorful terms, enshittification.
RSS Readers are web feeds allowing users to save websites directly onto a feed which allows them to view a site’s content in chronological order. Also known as RSS feeds or simply RSS, these content aggregators are still useful for making sure podcasts reach listeners.
Why Haven’t I Heard of RSS Readers Until Now?
RSS readers were popular among many blogs, prior to the shutdown of Google Reader in 2013, which led to the shutdown of many lesser known RSS Feeds. Today, RSS feeds like Feedly, Reeder,Miniflux, Inoreader and FreshRSS are still around. These feeds, requiring varying levels of technical expertise, have an active readerbase.
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication or rich site summary, and it refers to XML (extensible markup language) files that automatically update information on the computer. The content is distributed in real time, as a feed takes the headlines, summaries and updates, then links back to articles on your favorite website’s page.
How Do RSS Readers Work?
You can check on a feed or subscribe to a website’s feed to receive updates. The feed will show brief and basic information regarding the featured content, and you can click the accompanying link for the full content.
Feeds are powered by aggregators, which automatically checks websites for new content and puts it on your feed. An aggregator also keeps track of read and unread articles or pieces of content.
In order to add a website to your feed, click the small orange icon with the letters RSS or XML. You can also search for websites within your feed to add to the feed. You can customize the feed itself or the website you’re following. For example, you can customize the site to receive updates from a specific section of your newspaper’s website, such as opinion or sports. You can also set Google News alerts via your email, regarding a website or a specific subject of choice.
Stephen Robles, a video and podcast creator with Riverside, wrote about advances in RSS Feeds. He wrote,
To keep up with advancing digital capabilities, RSS files are becoming more complex too. An RSS feed can now handle images, video, and other non-text content, simplifying all information to improve organization, loading speed, and RSS reader compatibility.
Which Sites Can I Add to My RSS Feed?
RSS.com lists a few feed readers or aggregate apps: the RSS Feed Reader Chrome Extension; Feeder; NewsBlur and Feedreader Online. They recommend checking any applicable prices prior to upgrading your account status. A few gaming sites you can add to your feed are: Total Apex Gaming; IGN; PCGamer; TechRaptor and RPG Site.
Joshua Wolens of PCGamer summarized how societies separated themselves throughout history. Connecting ancient civilizations with the current year, he wrote:
In the place of arbitrary and distant gods we have arbitrary and distant algorithms: vast lattices of code that no one really understands, whose purpose seems to be to make the entire world more insane and more racist.
Are there Any More Sites I Can Add to My Feed?
There are feeds for ArsTechnica, the U.S. Department of State, University of Dayton, the National Science Foundation of the United States and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (or CBC-Canada).
If you’re familiar with Drudge Report, a news aggregation site founded by Matt Drudge, you can find direct links to sites headlining politics, entertainment and current events. The Drudge Report now has a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. All of the content is edited by humans, so generative AI should not be a concern.
