The Cost of Digital Predictability

Companies build invisible digital versions of you — models that predict what you’ll do next.

Those predictions are worth billions. Advertisers don’t just target people aged 18 to 34.

They target you specifically. Your habits, your insecurities, your recent Google

searches, your location history. And that’s what powers the “free” platforms.

You pay with your privacy so corporations can profit from your predictability. Social media is

also a masterclass in psychological manipulation. Every sound, color,

and notification bubble is engineered to trigger emotion. Red notification icons create urgency.

“Seen” receipts trigger anxiety.