Ever feel like you're just one accidental click away from a part of the internet you never asked to see? Welcome to the "myth of consensual internet," the viral phrase that perfectly describes our daily digital doomscroll.

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It started with a Reddit post that blew up, where someone pointed out the simple, hilarious truth: we never truly consent to where the internet takes us. One minute you're looking up a cake recipe, the next you're in a deep dive on Victorian mourning jewelry, watching a video of a raccoon stealing a cat's dinner, and then suddenly you're reading a heated debate about the aerodynamic properties of a potato. You did not sign up for this journey.

The joke is that our online experience is less like a chosen path and more like being strapped to a shopping cart someone pushed down a hill. We have the illusion of control with our search bars and subscriptions, but the algorithm is the real driver, and it's easily distracted. It's like a friend who says "you HAVE to see this," and then immediately shoves their phone in your face before you can say no.

Think about it. Did you consent to know that much about a celebrity's divorce? Did you willingly decide to watch ten videos of people restoring rusty tools? You were just trying to check the weather! The internet operates on a find-out basis, not a consent basis. You click for answers, and you find out things you can never un-know.

So the next time you surface from a three-hour rabbit hole about underwater welding techniques, remember the myth. We're all just passengers here, nodding along as the internet takes us on its weird, wonderful, and deeply un-requested tours. The only true consent we give is to keep coming back for more.