Tisod culture: How accidental exposure now shapes reputation

Filipinos have a wonderfully compact word for a sudden stumble.

- RON JABAL

We call it “tisod.” You are walking, and your foot hits something, causing you to trip without warning. It is such a simple term, yet it perfectly captures how people now encounter information in the age of algorithmic feeds. We no longer search for content. We are not always in control of what we consume. Most of the time, we simply trip on it. In other words, we are living in what I call tisod culture.

Tisod culture is the reality where public perception is shaped not by intentional engagement but by accidental exposure. When people say “natisod ako sa video” or “natisod ako sa isyu,” they are describing a passive, almost involuntary encounter with content. It is not browsing. It is stumbling. And those stumbles are now powerful reputation drivers.

This shift matters because reputation used to be built through deliberate and often linear pathways. A brand is communicated through official campaigns. A leader earned credibility through speeches, interviews, and well-crafted messages. Stakeholders formed impressions based on direct experiences and curated media. Today, the most influential reputational triggers are not the front page, the speech, or the launch. They are the small, unplanned fragments people stumble upon in their feeds.

In a world where algorithms determine visibility, attention has become an accident. And accidents now shape reputation.

How did we get here?