Tehran-wake up and check your phone on a late-night scroll before going to bed, then the algorithm works behind the scenes, looking, buying, even thinking.
Powered by data science, these invisible digital forces will impact advertising that will continue you across the internet from Netflix’s recommended shows. Recommended systems, social media feeds, and personalized ads all rely on complex algorithms that analyze behavior and predict preferences.
It’s no coincidence when Spotify suggests that you love new songs or posts from friends you haven’t seen in years. Machine learning at work.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Tiktok, and X (formerly Twitter) use engagement-driven algorithms to keep users hooked, prioritizing content that triggers emotional responses that make you happy, angry and curious. This emotional targeting could create an echo chamber where users are exposed primarily to content that enhances their views. Over time, this enhances polarization and limits open dialogue. Algorithms do not necessarily promote truth. It promotes what gets a response.
Personalized ads, meanwhile, track online activity that delivers hyper-targeted ads using real-time bidding and predictive analytics. Have you ever searched for a product just to make sure it’s advertised on all the websites you visit? That’s not a coincidence. This is the result of sophisticated data tracking designed to get you closer to your purchasing decision. This constant digital surveillance raises serious questions about autonomy and consumer consent.
These systems provide convenience and entertainment, but also raise deep ethical concerns. How much personal data should businesses allow to collect? Does the algorithm reinforce social bias in employment decisions, loan approvals, and even predictive policing? And what happens when profit-driven technology platforms intentionally design interfaces that prioritize engagement over user happiness and encourage addictive behavior?
Some governments respond to regulations. Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a groundbreaking step towards privacy protection, with similar frameworks emerging worldwide. High-tech companies are also beginning to introduce features such as screen time monitoring, data download options and advertising personalization control. But is this enough?
As artificial intelligence grows more powerfully and is integrated into everyday life, debates about transparency, accountability and ethics become more urgent. Do algorithms need to exist purely to serve users, or are we slowly become products, shaped and piloted by forces that we rarely understand?
Remember the next time your phone appears to “know” exactly what you want: all recommendations quietly guide your choices with an invisible hand. Understanding how it works is not just for data scientists, but for those who want to get a little bit of agency back in an algorithm-run world.