t’s 2025, and we are living in a world where algorithms quietly shape nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Whether you’re booking a cab, shopping for groceries, or streaming a show, chances are you’re not entirely in control — the algorithms are.
Every morning, I book an Uber to work. And almost every day, I’ve noticed a pattern: booking at my usual time comes with a slightly inflated fare. But if I book just 15–20 minutes earlier or later, the price drops. Is it a coincidence? Or has the system learned my habits and adjusted pricing accordingly? I can’t prove it — but the suspicion is hard to ignore.
This experience isn’t unique. It’s replicated across apps and platforms: food delivery services like Zepto and Blinkit, hotel booking platforms like Agoda, even e-commerce sites. Prices and options vary not only by time but even by the device you’re using. The explanation? Algorithms. Invisible lines of code now act as gatekeepers between us and what we want.
These systems adapt in real time, learning from our habits, devices, and behavior. The version of Google Search you see isn’t what your friend or colleague sees — even if you’re side-by-side. Our experiences online have become hyper-personalized to the point where transparency no longer exists.
It wasn’t always this way. The early 2000s — the so-called Wild Wild West of the web — offered users a more predictable and equal digital environment. But tech companies realized a predictable internet leveled the playing field too much. So they gave rise to the algorithm.
Today, nearly all major platforms are black boxes. Users interact with polished surfaces, while beneath lies a labyrinth of data-driven decisions and priorities. The algorithms optimize for engagement, profits, and retention — rarely for fairness or clarity. And since users don’t have access to the logic or data that drives these systems, they’re effectively powerless to challenge them.
Franz Kafka once wrote about the pain of being governed by laws we don’t understand. That same principle applies to today’s algorithmic society. We are governed not by elected rules
