Filter Fatigue: Optimization, Context Erosion, and Attention in Digital Systems

Filter Fatigue describes the cognitive strain associated with continuous curation, personalization, and identity management in digital environments. Unlike decision fatigue (focused on discrete choice points) or the paradox of choice (focused on abundance), Filter Fatigue emphasizes the ongoing effort required to maintain relevance and coherence within algorithmically mediated systems. This paper situates Filter Fatigue within the broader Reality Drift framework, examining how sustained optimization pressures can weaken contextual grounding and contribute to semantic drift across technological and cultural systems. Drawing on the Meaning Equation (Meaning = Context × Coherence), it explores how persistent personalization may fragment attention and increase reliance on algorithmic defaults. The framework distinguishes Filter Fatigue from classical overload models by focusing on the structural conditions of continuous filtering rather than volume alone. It offers a conceptual vocabulary for analyzing the cognitive and cultural effects of sustained optimization in digital environments.