Doge — Blocker _top_

The Doge Blocker is a piece of browser code that scrubs the internet of a specific visual vernacular: the Comic Sans, the broken English (“much wow,” “so scare”), the inner monologue of a golden-brown dog. To the uninitiated, it looks like digital book burning. To me, it looks like sobriety.

The irony of the Doge Blocker is that it forces you to grow up. You realize that you don’t miss the dog. You miss the permission the dog gave you to feel simple joy. You miss the algorithm’s gentle hand guiding you back to a familiar punchline. You miss the safety of the in-joke.

By blocking Doge, I am attempting to reintroduce into my digital life. The internet used to reward discovery. Now it rewards repetition. Algorithms have learned that the safest way to keep you watching is to show you a slightly altered version of what you already loved yesterday. Doge, the ultimate “safe” meme, became a crutch for a creative class that has given up.

In the spring of 2024, I installed a Doge Blocker. Not because I hate the Shiba Inu. On the contrary, I have a framed photo of the original 2010 “Doge” meme on my desk. I love Doge. And that is precisely the problem.