The Rachel Cruze Show - Is My Algorithm Sabotaging My Spending?

Starting point is 00:00:05 We all know that social media affects our comparison tendencies, but until you know how and why, it's impossible to make meaningful change with your money. So today, I'm explaining three specific ways your algorithm is sabotaging your spending and three tips to stop falling for it. Make sure to like, subscribe, and show this episode with a friend. All right, so number one, the algorithm knows your weaknesses better than you do. Yes. These are a billion-dollar companies, you guys, and they are watching every little move we make. You know, you stay on a post for a certain amount of seconds. That data is used to put those same things in front of you. And so you have to be very, very aware that every time you're clicking on something, swiping up on a link, whatever it is,

Starting point is 00:00:54 they know and they're watching. So it is crazy. Like if you start going down some random rabbit hole, those videos just keep popping up, right? And so they know. They know. And they know what you're interested in. And then as you start looking and looking and looking at the same content, they're going to bring up more creators that are just like that person, that you're spending 3.5 seconds on a post because you, you know, you stood there a little bit longer and then you move on. So they know what you're interested in and they know you better than you think you do.

Starting point is 00:01:24 Which brings me to number two. The algorithm creates a false sense of fomo. So because the algorithm knows what you're interested in, It's going to fill your feed with all of these posts, which is going to make you start to feel like everyone on earth is doing X, Y, and Z. Everyone is eating 1,000 pounds of protein a day or whatever the health thing is, right? Everyone is drinking this amount of water. Everyone is parenting like this. Everyone has this Stanley, this hair raft, this, this, whatever the thing is, you're going to start to feel like everyone in the world thinks like you do or sees what you're seeing because you're,

Starting point is 00:02:03 constantly seeing it. And so when you put consumerism on top of that, then you're going to start to think, oh my gosh, this is what everyone is doing. But that's not reality. Not everyone is going to Europe. It's because you clicked on someone's European trip. Suddenly you're going to see a bunch of those. Or a fun like gadget. You click on the gadget, all of this. Some ad came up and I clicked on it, watched the whole like two-minute ad on mushroom coffee genuinely was like, wow, this is what all the healthy people are doing. Because then when I got out of it, there were all these other people drinking mushroom coffee. I thought, should I be drinking mushroom coffee? Is this it? Like, am I bloated? I might be, I don't know. Is this good for my health? I feel like it is. Everyone's

Starting point is 00:02:40 drinking mushroom coffee. No, they're not. No, they're not. They're not all drinking mushroom coffee. But for a split second, you think everyone else is doing it and you're missing out. All right. Number three, the algorithm introduces you to things that you never knew existed. Like mushroom coffee. Never would I ever have thought that existed. But I was looking into some health stuff. And sure enough, the algorithm started putting these ads in front of me of all this health stuff, which I'm sure it is healthy, but it's disgusting. I feel like I just can't do that. But the same is true with like Stanley Cups, right? Five years ago, no one thought about Stanley Cups. Only people who were actually

Starting point is 00:03:14 legitimately out there doing utility things in life had Stanley Cups. But now it's like the trends of the girls to have the cute, fun color, right? But again, people didn't know that existed. But I can name off a thousand different products like that. But it's going to start to feel like, oh my gosh, there's all this new stuff out there, whether it's vacuums or skincare or home design trends, kitchen gadgets, meals. I mean, it's all these things that you never knew was even out there. And suddenly your algorithm is placing it right in front of you feeling like you need to buy it. All right, before I share the three solutions, I do want to tell you about one of our sponsors, delete me. If you don't remove your personal data from the internet, you're basically asking for

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Starting point is 00:05:14 All right, solution number one, all this algorithm mess is to always sleep on a purchase you want to make. Okay. Remember that. Because if something comes up and unexpectedly, you're like, oh my gosh, I need this. I need this thing. I want that. It's going to be exciting. You're a journaling's going to be going. Dopamine's going to be hit. And you're like, sure, I'll do this, this, this, this. Just put it in the cart and walk away. I did this. I was coming up for a trip. And I was like, ooh, I want a fun outfit for this, like,

Starting point is 00:05:42 certain occasion. The backstrip was concert. And I was like, this is what I want. But I was like, you know what? I may not need this. I'm sure there's probably something in my closet, which I'm sure I did have. But I put it in my cart. And I just, for two days, just let it sit there. And I came back. And I was like, you know what, I'm going to do half of it. So I ordered half the things in it. The other half was like, oh, I really don't need these. And it was great, right? It just ends up saving you money and you don't feel like you're in the moment where you're spontaneously spending money that you really don't need to spend. So let the emotion die down and come back to it. Number two, ask yourself if you already have something similar already. Yes. A white tank top. Mm-hmm. It was in my cart for the backstreet

Starting point is 00:06:21 boys concert. I was like, I don't need that. I have two or three already in my closet, Rachel. move on delete that out of the cart so there again the newness of something is what's fun and exciting and i understand that totally when you buy something new but just be like okay do i have it already earrings gold earrings this is always my thing to hoops and stuff it's like what i love to wear and i'm like rachel you have plenty why do you feel like you need to go buy another pack from amazon you don't so just go take a beat see if you have something similar and just use what you have number three if worse comes to worst cut it off at the source honestly removing the temptation from your daily routine is probably one of the best things you can do

Starting point is 00:06:59 i mean just delete instagram for two weeks right get off ticot for 30 days get off amazon delete the amazon app from your phone for a month and just see what happens because it is amazing if you don't have that source to go back to over and over again there is a level of contentment and peace when you just don't know anything and everything that's out in the world and the internet's not a bad thing by any means. It keeps us up to date. It keeps us connected to people and things. I get it. But also, we probably were not built and created to be that connected to everything that's out there. So sometimes just taking a break is really healthy. Now, one app on my phone that I will not delete, because I really do love it and I use it every single day. And it helps me so much. It does not

Starting point is 00:07:42 hurt me is every dollar. Every dollar is a great budgeting app. And it is something that is in my routine. When I open my phone, I check it, track transactions, and it keeps us on track. So when I want to go buy a new outfit for the Backstreet Boys concert, I can look to see my clothing line idol. Like, okay, how much is in there? What can I spend? And you can do it more free, more enjoyable than thinking like, oh, gosh, do I need that? Do I not? It helps become one of those barriers that is down because you're like, okay, I know what I have.

Starting point is 00:08:10 But to really understand why a good reset is necessary, you'll want to catch my episode, why less really is more and money, faith, and beyond. That is coming up right here. or if you're listening on podcasts, click the link below. All right, you guys, remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.

The Rachel Cruze Show - Is My Algorithm Sabotaging My Spending?

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