I am worried about how they will be used in ways people aren't anticipating (or that we can anticipate but people don't weight heavily).

YES!!! I think the reason that I'm worried about people accepting algorithms as default is that I think that such an acceptance undermines the kind of skeptical attitude that would lead to people even noticing the ways that algorithms shape us. If there's no culture of critique of those things, then things will only get worse.

but ultimately preferences for how people manage their own behavior is just not where my energy is focused, insofar as it does not lead to them harming other people by those choices

*nods*

It's when it stops being a choice, because it is mandated, that I get really worried.

This is an important distinction!

I also don't really get how you could not be aware this is a debate (especially for folks who are adults), which seems to indicate a lack of questioning about the world and not just about how social media is curated these days.

Yeah, super hoping that the people who made those comments are, like, 15. Because otherwise it's very worrisome.