Social Engineering: How Technologies Shape User Behavior

The term "social engineering" emerged long before the digital era. In the late 19th century, Dutch entrepreneur Jacques van Marken proposed that companies hire specialists to manage social systems—such as insurance, education, and profit distribution—with the same precision as mechanical processes. By the 1920s, the idea evolved into the belief that society could be "tuned" like a machine, and architects and engineers began designing cities as orderly mechanisms.

However, history showed that social engineering could serve not only progress. Totalitarian regimes of the 20th century took the concept to extremes: in Nazi Germany and the USSR, population control methods were used for mass surveillance and repression. After these abuses were exposed, the term acquired a negative connotation, and the practice went underground, evolving under other names—from organizational psychology to UX design.

Today, social engineering permeates digital technologies. Recommendation algorithms, autoplay videos, and personalized news feeds are all examples of covert influence on user behavior. Companies use these methods to boost engagement and profits, often without explicit user consent. Consent to data processing is now embedded in terms of service that few read, and the ability to opt out of manipulation becomes illusory.

Yet, social engineering is not always negative. Well-designed digital products can improve quality of life: ad blockers, decentralized platforms, and data protection tools give users more control over their digital environment. However, for technologies to serve society rather than manipulate it, these mechanisms must be acknowledged, and rules for their use established.