Be careful with digital bad company
18/12/2025
When surfing the web and using social media, we are bombarded with messages trying to grab our attention and influence our decisions. Some messages are useful, but others seek to manipulate us, sometimes without our realising it.
Websites and apps are designed to elicit certain actions. For example, large, colourful buttons entice us to click, while pop-up windows and animations distract us. Even the order in which options appear influences what we select.
In addition, there are processes that make some actions easier and others more difficult. Hence, it’s very easy to subscribe to a service, but to unsuscribe may be complicated. The same is true of cookies: it's faster to accept everything than to configure our settings.
How do cookies track you? When you visit a website, cookies are created and record your interests. They also gather information on your search history and social media use. Using artificial intelligence, they can learn much about you, even if you change devices.
For these reasons, we should understand how cookies influence us before taking financial or other types of decisions in digital settings:
Gamification: playing to decide
Gamification consists in applying game elements (such as points, medals or awards) to non-game activities, such as learning or financial management. In online finance, it can help us develop good saving habits, but also lead us to take impulsive decisions, such as signing up for risky financial products without understanding how they work. Consequently, if you are going to make a decision regarding your money, do so like someone who is informed, not like a gambler.
Gathering information for notifications
We are often asked to complete forms with our personal details in exchange for free guides, discounts or prizes. But that data can be used to send us advertising or to create profiles or be shared with other companies. Remember: “free” often has a hidden price.
Be careful with wording you don’t understand
When signing up for financial services, we often come across long, cryptic texts. And the wording often conceals risks and disguises unfavourable conditions or fees. If you don’t understand it well, don’t sign it.
How can you protect yourself?
- Use reliable ad-blockers
- Configure your privacy on your browser
- Don’t accept unnecessary cookies and regularly erase your history and the cache
- Be careful with what you share on social media
And remember: Stay alert and take control of your digital decisions. Information is your best tool for protecting yourself.
