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I’ve been seeing a lot of conversations lately, especially on Threads, about collective tarot readings and how algorithms actually work. And it’s got me thinking about my own experience, and why I stopped doing them entirely.
Because a few years ago, something happened that made me question everything. And honestly? When I finally understood what was actually going on, it made me feel a bit sick.
The Sponsored Ad
I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw it. A collective tarot reading. Standard “pick a card” stuff. “If you’re seeing this video, this message is for you.”
Except this one had a little “Sponsored” tag at the top.
This person was paying Facebook to show their “divine message” to specific people. They’d literally told Facebook: here’s my budget, here’s my target audience (people interested in tarot, people searching for answers, people showing signs of vulnerability based on their online behavior), go find them and serve them this reading.
And then they were claiming that if you saw the video, it was meant for you.
That’s not divination. That’s Facebook’s advertising algorithm doing exactly what it’s designed to do.
It’s fucking disgusting.
And it made me realise something uncomfortable about my own collective readings on TikTok. Even though I wasn’t paying for ads, I was still participating in the same system.
How I Told Myself It Was Different (And Why I Was Wrong)
When I first started doing collective tarot readings on TikTok, I genuinely thought I was being helpful. I’d pull some cards, share what came through, put it out into the world. No hashtags, no targeting. Just putting it out there.
I told myself: “I’m not controlling who sees this. If it lands for someone, that’s spirit working through the platform.”
Bollocks.
The algorithm is never random.
From the moment you upload a video, the platform analyses it. Visual content, audio, text on screen. AI figures out what your video’s about, what emotions it might trigger, what kind of person would engage with it.
Then it serves your video to a test group. Based on how they react – watch time, comments, shares, scroll speed – the algorithm decides who else to show it to.
If your collective reading is about relationships, the algorithm figures that out. And it starts showing your video to people who’ve been watching other relationship content. People who’ve been searching for answers about their love life. People whose behaviour suggests they’re going through heartbreak or loneliness.
You’re not using hashtags. You’re not consciously targeting anyone.
But the algorithm is doing it for you.
And it’s very, very good at its job.
Why It Feels Like Magic (But Isn’t)
Here’s what makes this so fucked up: it often feels like it works.
Someone watches your collective reading about relationships. They’re going through a breakup. The cards you pulled seem to speak directly to their situation. They comment: “OMG this is so accurate! How did you know??”
But what actually happened?
The algorithm analysed their behaviour. Maybe they’ve been watching other tarot content about breakups. Maybe they’ve been liking posts about healing from heartbreak. Maybe they’ve been searching for advice about letting go.
The algorithm knows they’re vulnerable. It knows they’re looking for answers. So it serves them your video because the AI determined they’d engage with it.
That’s not divination. That’s targeted content delivery based on psychological profiling.
The reading feels accurate because the algorithm served it to someone whose data profile matched the general themes of your cards.
We’re calling it “divine guidance” and claiming “this message found you for a reason.”
But it’s just fucking data mining.
The People Getting Hurt
This isn’t just about spiritual philosophy or semantics. Real people get hurt by this system.
Social media algorithms maximise engagement. They do this by showing people content that triggers emotional responses. When you’re vulnerable – heartbroken, anxious, scared, grieving – you’re more likely to engage with content about those feelings.
So the algorithm finds vulnerable people and serves them content about their pain.
Good for engagement metrics. Good for the platform’s advertising revenue. Good for your view count.
But is it good for the person watching?
Most people who watch collective tarot readings don’t book actual sessions with real readers. They stay in the algorithm, getting fed more and more “pick a card” videos, more “this message is for you” content.
The algorithm wants them scrolling, not healing. It makes money from engagement, not from actual support.
So vulnerable people end up trapped. Just enough validation to feel seen, not enough actual support to heal. Just enough hope to keep watching, not enough clarity to move forward.
An engagement trap.
And I was participating in it every time I posted a collective reading.
“But I Don’t Use Hashtags”
I hear this from tarot readers who do collective tarot readings and genuinely believe they’re not manipulating the system.
“I don’t use hashtags. I’m not targeting anyone. The algorithm just shows it to whoever. If someone sees it, that’s meant to be.”
That is not how modern social media works.
Hashtags are old-school. They mattered when people actively searched for them. But that’s not how people use Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook anymore.
The algorithms analyse content without needing hashtags:
- Visual analysis of what’s in frame
- Audio analysis of what you’re saying
- Text recognition from on-screen words
- How similar users engaged with your previous content
- What initial test viewers do when they see it
- Behavioural patterns and data profiles of potential viewers
You might not be thinking “I want this to reach people looking for love readings.”
But the algorithm is doing exactly that.
You’re not controlling the targeting. But you are participating in a system that does. And when you claim “this message is meant for you if you’re seeing it,” you’re giving spiritual credibility to data mining and psychological manipulation.
When Email Lists Are Different
If you’re doing a collective reading and sending it to your email list? That’s different.
You built that list. You have some relationship with those people. They chose to be there. You control who receives your message.
The algorithm isn’t the middleman. You are.
That’s fundamentally different from social media, where you’ve outsourced that decision to an AI system that doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s wellbeing. It only cares about engagement, ad revenue, and keeping people scrolling.
Why I Stopped
When I finally understood this – really understood it – I couldn’t keep doing collective tarot readings on social media.
It wasn’t aligned with my ethics. It wasn’t aligned with how I think tarot should work. And it definitely wasn’t aligned with the kind of reader I want to be.
I don’t want to participate in a system that exploits people’s pain for engagement. I don’t want collective tarot readings weaponised to keep vulnerable people trapped in consumption cycles. I don’t want to make money for tech billionaires off people’s genuine searching for guidance.
So I stopped.
I stopped doing collective tarot readings entirely. I focus on one-to-one work where I can actually hold space for someone, have a real conversation, offer genuine support rather than algorithmic content designed to trigger emotional responses.
What You Need to Ask Yourself
I’m not here to tell you what to do. You’re a grown adult.
But I want you to think about it.
If you’re doing collective readings on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, ask yourself:
Are you comfortable with an algorithm deciding who receives your spiritual guidance?
Are you okay with your content being used to keep vulnerable people in engagement loops?
Do you believe AI-driven content distribution is the same thing as spirit guiding your message to the right people?
Are you willing to participate in a system that profits off people’s pain and confusion?
Maybe your answers will lead you where I ended up. Maybe they won’t.
But make that choice consciously. With full awareness of what these systems actually do and who they actually serve.
The Bottom Line
Algorithms are not capable of divination.
They’re capable of data mining, psychological profiling, and targeted content delivery designed to maximise engagement and profit.
That might look like divination from the outside – “Wow, this reading was exactly what I needed!” – but it’s not magic. It’s machine learning.
And personally? I’m not comfortable letting a machine learning algorithm trained by tech billionaires decide who needs to hear my tarot readings.
I’d rather do the work myself. In conversation. One person at a time.
That’s where the real magic happens.
Want a tarot reading that’s actually tailored to you, not algorithmically served based on your data profile? Book a session with me. We’ll have an actual conversation, pull cards specific to your situation, and figure out what the fuck’s going on together.
Or if you want to learn to read for yourself (and never rely on collective readings again), check out my Simply Tarot Course or join the weekly Simply Tarot Circle.
