Yesterday KitKat, today ketchup, tomorrow Krispy Kremes

Your digital self-portrait, made from clicks and likes

Scrolling, liking, sharing—all of this leaves behind digital traces that tech companies collect and analyze. Every movement, every chat message, every like becomes part of a personal profile: interests, preferences, contacts, daily routine, location. The better the online platforms know your behavior, the more customized their presentation of posts, videos and ads. Algorithms deliver to our screens are precisely the content that keeps us hooked the longest—and most closely matches every facet of our personal moods and consumer preferences.

Every time we use a platform, this “invisible bag of goodies” automatically gets filled up with new suggestions and offers. This is how our attention, wishes and even our buying behavior are selectively influenced. Our everyday experience on the internet is seldom left up to chance: individual profiles control what we see—and what we buy, like and feel. Scarcely any of our online activities remain truly private. Based on our behavior, platforms know how old we are, what we do for a living, our hobbies and our political preferences. Everything we do, no matter how unimportant it may seem, becomes part of a detailed digital self-portrait.