Black Friday

I set out to write a rant on Black Friday, exposing how coordinated discounts turn shopping into a manufactured frenzy. The day feels engineered to lure us into buying things we don’t need, all while our wallets shrink.

Months before the event, algorithms scrape our browsing histories, abandoned carts, and even idle pauses, crafting ultra‑personalized ads that seem to read our thoughts. When the sales roll out, we’re bombarded with offers that promise convenience but often deliver complexity.

Mid‑rant, I found myself caught in the same trap: the Black Friday flash sale for Proton Unlimited ~$3.70 USD/month on a 12‑month plan. In my country, that price is virtually unheard of, so I subscribed, trading a moment of resistance for a tangible upgrade: encrypted email, secure cloud storage, a cloud-based password manager and a VPN.

This contradiction underscores why we must learn to separate need from desire, value from price, and freedom from convenience. A discount is only worthwhile when it aligns with genuine needs, not when it exploits our impulsive instincts.