On social media, people like to show off their money. In one post, a young man makes it rain with bundles of cash to the sound of pop music. In another, a user counts her savings: “€13,090, look at all this!” exclaims a young woman, displaying handfuls of €50 and €100 notes. Above all, people love to talk about cash. Nevada, a young woman with tortoiseshell glasses, explains how to pass a day without spending a single cent, while Krish shares how much you should ideally have saved at your age.

Between tips for budgeting and calls to spend wildly as if there was no tomorrow, the financial compass has started spinning like a top. How much money do you need to buy a house, a pair of sneakers, a birthday present? How much should you earn to afford to eat properly, or to stop needlessly worrying about missing a flight? In euros and dollars, users speculate endlessly. The more we talk about money, the less we seem to understand it.

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