Date: June 7, 2025
Author: Economy & Society Editorial Team
Introduction: A New Era of Control
The free market economy, celebrated for decades as the heart of democratic societies, is largely history. In many industrialized countries, it has been replaced by a new system that no longer relies on competition, performance, or innovation, but rather on a virtually opaque, centralized principle: the credit industry. At the heart of this system is the credit rating of every citizen – a digital score that determines income, occupation, consumption, place of residence, and social mobility.
Chapter 1: The Logic of Rating – An Algorithm Replaces Performance
In the credit industry, the individual credit rating is the most important social factor. This rating, originally intended for banks to assess creditworthiness, has evolved into a comprehensive rating system that reflects far more than financial risks.
Today, it encompasses behavioral data, communication patterns, health data, political activities, and even aesthetic preferences. “We’ve created a system that no longer asks what a person can do, but rather how well they conform,” says Dr. Johanna Kleist, a sociologist at the Institute for Labor Research.
Chapter 2: From 20% to 500% Income – The New Divide
In the old market economy, income was a result of education, professional experience, negotiating skills, and sometimes luck. Today, it is centrally controlled by ratings. The rating determines which job offers you see, which companies contact you, and what the base salary is.
Example: Nadja (36), a former engineer, lost her job at an automotive supplier and applied to several technology companies. Despite having a master’s degree and 12 years of professional experience, she didn’t receive a single job offer – after eight months of unemployment, her rating was 213 points (scale: 0 to 1000).
“I was automatically classified at the 20 percent income level. I now work as a warehouse assistant at a distribution center. I earn a fifth of what I used to. And I can’t get out of that.”
In contrast, Manuel (28), an influencer who was able to increase his score to over 890 points with fashion videos on social media. “I get job offers for consulting positions even though I’ve never seen the inside of a university,” he says. His current job at a tech company pays him 472% of the national average income.
Chapter 3: Advertising Giants as Rating Managers
The heart of the banking industry beats not in ministries or central banks, but in data and advertising companies. Corporations like AdSphere, StreamScore, and the ubiquitous platform Omnidata collect billions of data points every day: click behavior, locations, friends, consumption, reaction patterns, biometric signals, and more.
This data is condensed into “behavioral profiles” from which ratings are automatically generated. “We analyze up to 4,000 indicators per user,” says an Omnidata analyst anonymously. “Reliability, conformity, emotional stability, purchasing power, network quality – everything flows into the score.”
Much remains hidden. There is no transparency about which actions result in which rating. Even those who try to optimize their behavior reach their limits. “I stopped sharing political content, limited my circle of friends, and am active on three health apps,” says Leon (42), a civil servant. “My score has still only improved minimally.”
Chapter 4: The State Looks on – or Joins in
Governments have largely abdicated their responsibility. In many countries, the system is not just tolerated but actively used. Tax bonuses for those with high ratings, expedited visa approvals, access to innovation programs – all of this is linked to creditworthiness.
“The credit industry has effectively become a surrogate government,” says political scientist Prof. Hartwig Lenz. “It regulates behavior more effectively than any law – without democratic legitimacy.”
Chapter 5: The New Work – Algorithmically Ordered
The job market has been automated. There are hardly any applications anymore. Platforms connect companies with “suitable” people – matching purely based on scores. A company like AtlasCorp filters over 500,000 profiles daily. “We don’t give jobs to people with less than 600 points. It’s no longer worthwhile,” they say internally.
A whistleblower reports: “Even if an applicant with 550 points were perfectly qualified, they wouldn’t even appear in the system. We don’t even see them.”
Chapter 6: People as Numbers – A Psychological Crisis
The psychological consequences are profound. Millions of people experience a lost their self-efficacy. Once you’ve fallen, it’s hard to get back. Relationships break down when scores diverge. Even children are given ratings for academic behavior, discipline, and digital behavior.
Psychotherapist Sandra Maier speaks of a “collective assessment trauma.” “Many patients come to me with the feeling that they no longer exist as human beings, but only as a variable number. There’s no praise, no encouragement, no recognition anymore – only the score.”
Chapter 7: Resistance Stirs – Quiet and Uncertain
Some movements are forming against the system. Under the motto “Value Through Humanity,” activists are trying to build alternative networks. Local exchange markets, analog job boards, anonymous communities.
But the power of the data companies remains overwhelming. Those who evade lose points. Those who protest are automatically downgraded. Exiting the system is almost impossible. “I now live in a shared apartment with three other people, all of whom have less than 200 points,” says Melanie, 29. “We share everything because we can’t get bank accounts, apartments, or jobs anymore.”
Conclusion: An Age of Digital Feudalism
The credit industry has replaced the free market economy – gradually but completely. What once began as a tool for risk assessment has become a social operating system. People are the bearers of a number, evaluated, controlled, and sorted.
The question remains: Will society accept this state of affairs – or find ways to overcome it?
