Embedded Files
To Subscribe Our Monthly Digest
04 February 2026
In the 21st Century, free will has become an illusion. A take that might be claimed to be too radicalized by the exact people who go out of their way to manufacture a "reality" they want people to believe, ironic, huh? The "manipulation of masses" is a systemic effort that has seeped deeply into our society, affecting every aspect of our lives, including our consumer behavior. In this article, we break down the psychological tactics used by social media algorithms to manipulate us into overconsumption.
Authored by Rafa Hasan Zamir
Modernity has become algorithms. Our reality is now intercepted by the exploration and exploitation of our psychic cues that rewrite history by rerouting consumption, elections, public opinion, and civil war.
― Roger Spitz
Dropping Soon!
Dropping Soon!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If you found the article enlightening, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with others!
RELATED ARTICLES
We all "want" a Stanley Cup, but do we really "need" it? maybe yes! what about 20 different colors of it? and all the different "accessories" of the Stanley Cup!? At this point we must introspect are we really consuming these products or is it a weird sort of a compulsion!
We all "want" a Stanley Cup, but do we really "need" it? maybe yes! what about 20 different colors of it? and all the different "accessories" of the Stanley Cup!? At this point we must introspect are we really consuming these products or is it a weird sort of a compulsion!
Aristotle once said, true happiness does not flow from possession of external goods. A quote we would rather find unrelatable because, of course, "happiness is the same price as red bottoms"! But is it really, though? In this article, we examine the various impacts of the "over-consumption" (Spoiler), which is nowhere near "happiness"!
Aristotle once said, true happiness does not flow from possession of external goods. A quote we would rather find unrelatable because, of course, "happiness is the same price as red bottoms"! But is it really, though? In this article, we examine the various impacts of the "over-consumption" (Spoiler), which is nowhere near "happiness"!
References
Alam, S., Susbiyantoro, Yuwantiningrum, S. E., Suwastika, I. W. K., & Muhdaliha, E. (2024). The influence of social media algorithms on consumer behavior: A strategic analysis for brand positioning. The Journal of Academic Science, 1(6), 832–841.
Joans, S. P. A., & Sheila, R. M. (2025). The influence of social media algorithms on consumer buying behaviour. Communications on Applied Nonlinear Analysis, 32(3s), 313–326.
Kähler, A., & Magnusson, N. (2018). Digital distance: A qualitative study examining the impact on social media consumption and consequences for marketing [Bachelor's thesis, Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law]. GUPEA.
Pellegrino, A., Abe, M., & Shannon, R. (2022). The dark side of social media: Content effects on the relationship between materialism and consumption behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 870614. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.870614
Thoumrungroje, A. (2018). A cross-national study of consumer spending behavior: The impact of social media intensity and materialism. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 30(4), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2018.1462130
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse